ECHL Reading Royals

Royals' Short Bench Overcomes The Odds To Pick Up A Point In Overtime Loss To Greenville, 5-4

February 11, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Greenville, SC - The Reading Royals (27-11-5=59) scored on the team's first shot and held two separate two goal leads, but ended up losing in overtime to the Greenville Grrrowl, 5-4. Although the Royals certainly would have preferred the two points, the team had to be relatively pleased to get a point when only twelve skaters dressed for the game-and one of those was goaltender Brian Gratz, who did not get a shift-due to call ups and injuries. Despite allowing five goals against, Royals' goaltender, Yutaka Fukufuji, was nothing short of spectacular, as Reading extended the team's unbeaten streak to seven games, 4 - 0 - 3.

The Royals struck on their first shot 48 seconds into the game when Chris Barr sprang Jason Kostadine with a pass from the defensive blue line. Kostadine received the puck at the offensive blue line and skated towards the Greenville net, taking a snap shot from 30 feet that beat Grrrowl goaltender Cam Ellsworth low to the glove side. The Royals went up 2-0 2:36 later, while playing on a five-on-three power play. Grant Jacobsen won an offensive zone face-off to Eric Werner who went point to point to T.J. Kemp. Kemp stepped down a stride from the right wing point and fired a wrist shot that beat Ellsworth high to the glove side for his ninth of the season. The Grrrowl answered with a five-on-three goal of their own late in the first when John Snowden ripped a blast from the high slot that beat Fukufuji high stick side with just 58 seconds left in the period.

Greenville tied the game at two at the 5:47 mark of the second when Tim Sestito buried a loose puck from the side of the Royals' net. The play started off the rush as the Grrrowl broke in the offensive end and the Royals' back-checking defense was somewhat disorganized. Greenville defenseman Mike Knight ended up with the puck in the slot and fired a shot that Fukufuji appeared in position to stop. However, the puck deflected off a Royals' defenseman and fell to the right side of the net where Sestito was waiting for a relatively easy goal. Reading went back on top, however, later in the second while on their third power play of the night when Larry Courville, Malcolm MacMillan and Kostadine all combined to dig a loose puck out from Ellsworth in the crease. It was Kostadine who buried it for his second of the night at the 12:29 mark of the second to give Reading a 3-2 lead after two.

Early in the third, with Greenville on one of their eleven power play chances on the night, Royals' forward Shay Stephenson broke up a Grrrowl pass in the neutral zone and freed the puck towards the offensive blue line. The race for the loose puck resulted in a short-handed breakaway for Stephenson who buried his chance high stick side at the 1:07 mark of the third to give the Royals their second two-goal lead of the game at 4-2. However, the Grrrowl continued to press the Royals, and, as the legs of the eleven skaters grew heavier, Greenville was able to bag two goals and tie things again. First, a power play goal by Jan Vodrazka on a shot from the point that re-directed off someone or something in front of the Royals' goal and went in at the 4:51 mark; and second, when another deflection/broken-play in front of Reading's net resulted in Brock Radunske firing a loose puck home from the left side of the Royals' net with 10:14 remaining in regulation. The Royals battled through regulation to preserve the tie; but in overtime Greenville got the two points when Snowden took a shot from the slot that went of the stick of a Royals' defender and into Reading's net with 2:33 remaining in OT. Four of the last five games for Reading have ended regulation time in a tie-and the Royals' have lost two of those in overtime-while also winning one in OT and losing one in the shootout.

Reading returns home on Saturday (7:00 pm) and Sunday (1:00 pm) for a two-game series against the Toledo Storm. On Saturday night, the first 1500 fans 21 years of age or older receive a Samuel Adams Pint Glass courtesy of All-Star Distributing. On Sunday, the first 1000 fans 12 years of age or younger receive a CTCE Puck Bank and the first 2000 fans get Comcast Thundersticks. Royals' game day broadcasts can be heard on ESPN Radio 1240 am in Ephrata and www.royalshockey.com with pre-game beginning 30 minutes before the opening face-off. Streaming video is also available through the Royals' website on a pay per view basis provided by B2 Networks.

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ECHL Stories from February 11, 2006


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