ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Stave off Florida Attack for Dramatic Win, 4-3

Published on December 30, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA ‚¬" The Reading Royals of the ECHL (1st Atlantic Division, 20-9-1-041), affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, defeated the Florida Everblades (2nd South Division, 20-13-0-141), 4-3, at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. As with Tuesday night's overtime loss to the ‚¬ËœBlades, the Royals saw a two-goal third period lead evaporate under the pressure of the Florida power play; but unlike Tuesday, the Royals bounced back in this one on the strength of a dramatic late game goal by Captain Ryan Cruthers, who bagged his team leading fourth GWG of the season. Goaltender Michael Hutchinson (win, 1-0-0-0; 35/38) had a solid and successful first outing for the Royals. Florida's Bobby Goepfert (loss, 12-7-0-1; 25/29) made a number of great stops, but sustained his first career loss to Reading (1-1-0-0). The Royals power play broke through for a second period goal to build a two goal lead at 3-1 (1-5). Both of Florida's third period goals ‚¬"to battle back and tie the game at three ‚¬"were scored while playing with the man advantage (2-4).

Reading struck 7:05 into the game, when Chris Blight took control below the goal line in the offensive zone and slipped a perfect pass to the low slot, where Cruthers stepped in and ripped a snap shot home for his twelfth of the season. Early in the second, the Everblades tied the game with a goal scored fourteen seconds after the expiration of a power play chance. Defenseman Kyle Lawson carried deep into the left circle where he slid a cross-ice pass to a waiting Cedrick Lalonde-McNicoll, who gunned a one-timer from a sharp angle for his third of the year 2:36 into the period.

The Royals regained the lead at the 8:05 mark of the second, when Ben Gordon stepped across the offensive blue-line and uncorked a fifty-five foot slap shot that appeared to dip on Geopfert and beat him on the glove side for Gordon's twelfth of the year. Reading broke through on the back-end and waning moments of a five-on-three power play at the 11:14 mark of the second. Although the Royals were unable to do much with 1:18 of five-on-three, late in the five-on-four sequence, Dallas Jackson rimmed one into the offensive end that banged off one of the steel supports holding up the glass behind the Florida net. The puck took a fortuitous bounce towards the front of the Everblades' net, where Blight was able to gain possession and slide the puck to the top of the crease, where a charging Casey Haines punched it through for his fifth of the year.

Florida began their come-back efforts 2:05 into the final period. While playing with the man advantage, Mitch Fadden won an offensive zone face-off to Matt Beca, who slid the puck to the mid-slot where a waiting Alexandre Imbeault drilled a perfect one-timer high glove side for his league leading seventeenth of the year. The Everblades tied the game at the 16:22 mark of the third with their second power play goal of the period. After a sustained flurry of offensive opportunity, McNicoll got a snap shot off from deep in the right circle that beat Hutchinson low on the short-side for his second of the night.

The Royals got what proved to be the bounce-back game winner with just 2:46 left in regulation time. Yannick Riendeau carried through the slot and fed Gordon deep on the left side. Gordon quickly slid a cross-ice pass to an open spot on the back-door where Cruthers stepped in and blew a low shot through Geopfert to send the 5726 into a wild and festive frenzy in the last game of 2010 for the Royals.

Reading is off until next Fridayanuary 7 @ 7:00 pm) when the team will travel to Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio, to take on the Toledo Walleye. The Royals game night 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 6:30 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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