ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Slip Down the Stretch Again and Lose to Wheeling, 2-1

March 6, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (1st Atlantic Division, 36-18-2-377), 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 Wheeling Nailers (2nd North Division, 31-26-0-365), 2-1, at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. For the third time in the last five games, Reading sustained a regulation loss at the hands of a third period tie-breaking game winner-with two of those (including this one) of the come-from-behind variety.

Reading's Matt Dalton (loss, 15-10-1-0, 31/33) kept the Royals alive through numerous sequences of sustained offensive opportunity for the Nailers-but gave up a somewhat suspect goal that proved to be the game winner. Wheeling's Peter Delmas (win, 10-4-0-0, 18/19) only saw ten shots through the first forty-minutes; but picked up the victory in his first start against the Royals. Reading didn't do much with the team's chances on the power play (0-5), including two in the third period after Wheeling took the lead. Wheeling scored the game tying goal early in the third period while playing with the man advantage (1-4).

Reading broke through 11:08 into the game, when Casey Haines won a battle in the Royals' defensive end and sprang Chris Blight for a break through the neutral zone. Blight carried wide on the right wing side into the offensive zone and fired a perfect cross-ice pass that landed flat at the left side of the Nailer crease, where a hard-charging Andrew Sarauer re-directed the puck over the left pad of Delmas for Sarauer's sixteenth of the year.

In the second period neither team could break through, primarily because of the continuing stellar efforts of Dalton-who made several spectacular saves-and the less than stellar performance of the moribund Royals' attack which could muster only three shots in the second.

Wheeling continued to press hard in the early going of the third and finally broke through on their second power play chance of the third period 3:08 in, which came after an ill-advised and unforced interference infraction taken in the neutral zone at the 2:52 mark. Wheeling's Joey Haddad took possession on the right half-wall and fed Sam D'Agostino behind the Royals' net. D'Agostino backed his way out from below the goal line to the right side of the crease, protecting the puck and shooting across the body of Dalton for his eleventh of the year to tie the game at one. 8:21 into the third, the Nailers got what proved to be the game winning goal when Ryan Schnell tracked a loose puck down below the goal line in the left corner of the Royals' defensive zone. Schnell shot from the sharp angle, and the puck somehow slipped through to give the Nailers a 2-1 lead. Reading's comeback effort from that point forward was anemic at best, as the Nailers did an admirable job of sealing off in the neutral zone and preventing any quality scoring chances for the Royals, who appeared to be showing the deleterious effects of playing the team's fourth game over five days-and sixth over the last nine.

The Royals return to action on Wednesday (March 9 @ 7:05 pm) when the team will face the Trenton Devils at the Sovereign Center. The Royals game day broadcast will kick off with the pre-game warm-up show presented by The Works at Wyomissing on the Royals Broadcast Network (WRAW 1340 am in Reading, www.1340wraw.com) at 6:35 pm. You can also catch all of the Royals away games this season on Royals TV exclusively on BCTV courtesy of Boscov's Travel, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Season tickets for the Royals' 2010-11 season are currently available. To become a part of Royals hockey, call 610-898-PUCK or log onto www.royalshockey.com .

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ECHL Stories from March 6, 2011


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