ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Stumble Again Against Jackals, 3-2

Published on February 24, 2012 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Elmira, NY - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (25-23-3-457, 3rd Atlantic 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 Elmira Jackals (32-19-2-268, 1st Atlantic Division), 3-2, at First Arena in Elmira, New York. Reading built a two-goal first period lead, but the Jackals chipped away and ended up with their twentieth come-from-behind win of the year. For the Royals, this marked the eighteenth time this season that they were unable to hold an in-game lead for the win-eight of which have been against the Jackals. This game was the third consecutive game between Reading and Elmira in which the Jackals came back from a two-goal deficit to win.

Goaltender Karel St. Laurent (loss, 4-9-0-0, 33/36) played a solid game but was victimized by the Jackals late game push. Timo Pielmeier (win, 12-8-1-2 15/17) did not face an exceptional quality or quantity of shots, but nonetheless won for the second time in five days over Reading. The Royals were unable to break through on the power play (0-2). Elmira got the game-tying goal 35 seconds into the third period while playing on their fourth power play chance of the night (1-4).

For the eighth consecutive game, the Royals scored first when Ryan Cruthers and Dennis McCauley conspired to create a turnover in the Elmira end to the left side of the Jackals' net. McCauley controlled and fired from a sharp angle over the left shoulder of Peilmeier for his eleventh of the year.

Reading took a 2-0 lead 9:33 into the first when Yannick Tifu took control in the right corner of the Jackals' zone. Tifu slipped a back-hand feed to the mid-slot where Dale Mitchell found an open seam. Mitchell buried a bullet over Peilmeier's left arm for his sixteenth of the year.

Elmira broke through 5:56 into the second, when they caught the Royals changing on the fly. Reading dumped the puck into the offensive zone and then went for a wholesale change. However, the dump deflected off the linesman and went straight to Peilmeier, who quickly fired an aggressive pass deep into the neutral zone to Dustin Gazely, who in turn charged into the offensive end. St. Laurent rejected Gazely's bid, and then kicked out a rebound chance by Jean Bourbeau. But before St. Laurent or any other Royal could find the loose puck, Artem Demkov stepped in and punched the second rebound home for his fifteenth of the year.

Thirty-five seconds into the third, the Jackals tied the game with a power play goal from Mario Larocque. Demkov won possession in the left corner and fed Gazely on the left half-wall. Gazely passed up to Larocque at the left point. He walked towards the middle and uncorked a bomb that may have deflected off a Reading defender on the way in and got by St. Laurent high glove side for Larocque's seventh of the year.

The Jackals got what proved to be the game winner with 7:28 left in the third, when Reading become over-aggressive in the offensive zone and got numbers caught below the puck, allowing the Jackals to breakout on an odd man rush. Rob Bellamay carried into the offensive zone wide on the left side. As the Royals' back-checkers focused on Bellamy, Craig Rivet tore down the weak side and took the cross-ice feed from Bellamy. Rivet ripped a beauty: high, short-side on St. Laurent, who made a hard lateral push but was unable to make the save. Reading pushed down the stretch, but was unable to get the equalizer as the team dropped to 18-10-2-1 on the road this season.

The Royals return home tomorrow (Saturday, February 25, 2012 @ 7:05 pm) when the team will face the Greenville Road Warriors. The first 1500 adults (18 and older) will get a Royals' lunch bag courtesy of Diamond Credit Union at tomorrow's game. The game night broadcast on Saturday will start at 6:35 pm with the Red Robin Gourmet Burger Pre-Game Warm-up Show on ESPN Radio 1240 am in Reading. Streaming audio is available free of charge courtesy of America One through the Royals' website, www.royalshockey.com..

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