ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Shelled by Chiefs, 7-2

Published on March 13, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Johnstown, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (30-26-1-3=64, 2nd East Division), affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, were defeated by the Johnstown Chiefs (16-35-7-4=43, 4th East Division), 7-2, in the last game ever for Reading at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The Royals scored the first two goals of the game, but gave up seven consecutive-including four in the third period-to drop to 1-4-0-0 this year in Johnstown. Goaltender Andrew Engelage (loss, 6-2-0-0; 36/43) took his second loss of the season in Johnstown. The Chiefs' Kris Mayotte (8-12-2-3; 29/31) won for the fourth time this year over Reading (4-1-0-0). For the second game in a row, the Royals scored on the team's first two chances with the man advantage (2-5). The Chiefs also bagged a pair of power play goals including one on a five-on-three advantage to tie the game at two early in the second period (2-6).

Reading scored 7:48 into the game on the team's first power play chance of the night. Ryan Cruthers carried up ice, floated high in the offensive zone and dished to Brian Ewing, whose quick snap shot snuck through low to the glove side for his fifteenth of the year. Fifty-four seconds later, the Royals capitalized on their second power play chance of the night when Andrew Sarauer settled in the right corner and sent a soft saucer to a spot below the hash-marks. Aaron Brocklehurst slipped to that spot and made a deft re-direction of the pass to Cruthers, who was planted low in the left circle. Cruthers' quick shot beat Mayotte high on the short-side for his sixteenth of the year.

From that point forward it would prove to be all Chiefs, starting at the 15:14 mark of the first when a wild scramble in front of the Royals' net ended when Jim McKenzie jammed the puck home for his fourteenth of the year. Johnstown tied the game at two on a five-on-three power play goal 2:12 into the second period. Nine seconds after Sarauer had picked up a minor for slashing, Cruthers was assessed with a minor for delay of game when he chipped the puck out of play from the defensive zone to give the Chiefs 1:51 of two-skater advantage. Thirty-two seconds into the five-on-three, Chanse Fitzpatrick threw a perfect pass out of the left circle to Brian Kaufman who found a soft spot in the low right side of the slot. Kaufman slipped one through on the short-side for his fifth of the season.

Johnstown took the lead for what proved to be for good at the 14:29 mark of the second, when Chris Chambers hacked at a puck in the high slot. That shot appeared headed wide to the left of the Royals' goal, but Dan Gendur slipped in and angled the puck behind Engelage for his first of the year. Early in the third, the Chiefs' McKenzie was awarded a penalty shot, but he muffed the puck and failed to get a shot off, leaving the scored at 3-2 thirty-six seconds into the final period. That didn't daunt the Chiefs, however, as they rang off four consecutive third period goals to pull away. The first came on a wrap-around by Jeff Martens at the right side of the Royals' goal, which somehow went across the body of Engelage and ricocheted off the far-pipe-and-in 2:54 into the third. Then Chambers scored his first as a pro, when he finished off the rush on a nice feed from Connor Shields, who carried deep into the right circle before landing a saucer below the hash-marks for Chambers 10:08 into the third.

Johnstown took a 6-2 lead with 4:14 remaining while playing with the man advantage. Sean Berkstresser fired a shot out of the left circle that Engelage stopped but the rebound fell to the top of the crease, where Gendur controlled, spun and jammed it in for his second of the night. The Chiefs closed the scoring with 2:47 left when Engelage rejected an attempt off the rush by Troy Schwab, but the rebound fell low on the right side of the Royals' goal where an unguarded Chanse Fitzpatrick stepped up and fired it in. There were a couple of messy scrums in the waning moments-perhaps a fitting way to close out the team's history in the ‘home of Slapshot'-but this one was decided long before any of that.

The Royals return to action tomorrow night (Saturday, March 13, 2010 @ 7:05) when the Toledo Walleye travel to the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. That night the Royals will try to give away $1.0 million in the team's annual St. Hattrick's Day Celebration, and the first 2500 fans will receive a Royals' hat courtesy of Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products and Lasting Image. The Royals game night broadcast on the Royals Radio Network presented by Transmissions by Arbogast will begin at 6:35 pm.

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