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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Stumble Down the Stretch in Adirondack, Fall 4-2

February 24, 2017 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Glens Falls, NY - The Reading Royals (loss, 31-19-1-2 65) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, were defeated by the Adirondack Thunder (win, 28-14-4-4 66), 4-2, at Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, New York.

In the fifth and final regular season matchup between the Royals and Thunder at Glens Falls Civic Center, Reading sustained the team's first regulation loss of the year in this building. Adirondack struck first, but Reading battled back with a short-handed goal and a four-on-four snipe early in the third to take a 2-1 lead. However, the Thunder counterpunched with a pair of their own down the stretch including a disputed power play goal that snapped a string of 29 consecutive kills for the Royals and proved to be the game winner.

The loss ended a five game road winning (and six game road unbeaten) streak for Reading. With the win, the Thunder leap-frogged over the Royals into a tie (with the Brampton Beast) for second place in the North Division, while the Royals fell to fourth with their second straight loss.

Adirondack struck 17:38 into the first when Ryan Penny had possession on the half wall in the defensive zone, and as he was starting to carry out, took what appeared to be a slash on the shaft of his stick, causing the puck to slide into the slot to Dennis Kravenchko, who was able to step up in the slot and drilled a low, hot bullet glove side on goaltender Martin Ouellette for his twelfth of the year.

Reading tied the game 4:23 into the second with the team's ninth short-handed goal of the year. After winning a puck battle at the offensive blue line in front of the Royals' bench, Matt Willows slipped a lead-out pass to Ian Watters, who took the puck in stride, broke hard through the slot and ripped a snapper through goaltender Tom McCollum for his seventh of the year-and his second shortie of the season.

The Royals took the team's lone lead of the game twenty-one seconds into the third while the two teams were playing four aside, when defenseman Jesper Pettersson started things up from the defensive zone, finding Willows in the neutral area with a breakout pass. Willows carried to the offensive blue line where he made a deft touch pass to Penny, who joined the rush, found a seam, and uncorked a bomb from thirty-feet that caught the upper right corner of the net for his eighteenth of the year.

Adirondack got off the mat and counter-punched, however. They re-tied the game (at two) 6:47 into the third on another play where it appeared that Penny had a chance to clear the puck from the defensive zone; but his clearing attempt was picked off at the offensive blue line by defenseman Kevin Lough. As Lough made a move down the wall, Penny was dropped to the ice by another Adirondack player who had been battling Penny earlier in the sequence. This created a wide open space for Lough at the top of the right circle. He didn't waste that chance, drilling a laser that caught the underside of the cross-bar on short-side for his second of the year.

The Thunder then got what proved to be the game winner on their fifth power play chance of the night 10:14 into the third period, when Kravchenko ripped one out of the right circle that went in and out of Ouellette's catching glove. The puck fluttered into the air and as it started its descent, James Henry, who was planted in front of the net, backhanded the puck in a downward direction and into the net. The Royals argued that the puck was played by a high stick, but that argument fell on deaf ears, and the goal was allowed.

Reading pressed hard down the stretch, which included a late game power play chance during which the team pulled the goaltender for a two-skater advantage. The team generated several good looks including a snap shot out of the right circle by Mike Pereira that hit the cross-bar, along with several multi-shot scrums in and around the Adirondack net. However, McCollum and his Thunder teammates held strong to keep the puck out, and Kravchenko added an empty netter with just twenty-three seconds left to ice it.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017 v Greenville Swamp Rabbits Santander Arena - Reading, PA (6:00 pm)* *Special Start Time to Accommodate Albert Boscov Memorial (1:00 pm Inside Santander Arena)* Faith and Family Night Jonathan Quick "Mini-Locker Room" First 1000 Kids 14& Younger Post-Game Skate with the Players - Must Bring Your Own Skates

ROYALS BROADCAST

AUDIO: iHeartRadio - Rumba 1340 in Reading DEIBLER DENTAL IN-ARENA BROADCAST: 99.3 FM Inside Santander Arena TELEVISION: Royals' Road Games are televised locally in Berks County, Pennsylvania on BCTV, which Can Found at Comcast Reading Cable Channel 15, Service Electric Cable Channel 19, Comcast Southern Berks Channel 965

STREAMING VIDEO: ECHL.TV powered by NeuLion (Pay-Per-View)

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