ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Suffer First Loss to Johnstown

January 19, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Johnstown, PA - The Reading Royals (23-10-2=48) lost for the first time in five games this season at Johnstown's Cambria County War Memorial Auditorium, losing to the Chiefs, 5-1. Despite generating a number of quality scoring opportunities-particularly while on the power play (on which Reading ended up 0 for 6), the Royals fell behind in the first and trailed by three goals before getting on the board in the third period; but Reading did not have the juice to pull off a comeback, as Johnstown bagged two more late in the third to ensure the win..

The Chiefs got on the board in the first when Randy Rowe put back a loose puck from the top of the crease at the 10:41 mark of the first. Johnstown's Doug Andress took a slap shot from the right point that Reading goaltender, Yutaka Fukufuji kicked out with the right pad, but Rowe corralled the rebound and was able to slip it in for the 1-0 lead. The teams traded a number of good scoring chances through the latter stages of the first and into the early part of the second; but it was not until 11:34 of the second that Johnstown extended their lead with the second goal of the game. The Royals won a defensive zone face-off; but the Chiefs' Steve Cygan tracked the puck down behind Reading's net. Cygan came out from behind the net on the right wing side and found Andress at the right wing point. As the Royals' defense collapsed, Andress was able to carry the puck into the mid-slot where he ripped a hard snap shot high glove side on Fukufuji for the 2-0 lead. As time was ticking down in the second and the teams were skating four aside, Johnstown took a 3-0 lead, when Brett Peterson tracked down a loose puck in the Royals' end with three Reading players caught up ice. Peterson fed the breaking Justin Kelly who carried the puck to the net and slipped it through the legs of Fukufuji with just 37 seconds left in the period.

The Royals finally got on the board at the 6:18 mark of the third period, when Mike Kompon, Dany Roussin, and Doug Christiansen teamed up to create a wave of pressure in front of the Chiefs' net. Christiansen ended up with the puck at the right side of the goal and somehow slipped one through a Chiefs' defender and Johnstown's goaltender, Morgan Cey, who had pitched a shutout to that point. The Royals, however, were not able to solve Cey again, and the Chiefs added a second goal by Rowe (at 13:35 of the third) and a power play goal by Brad Thompson (who had just joined the Chiefs today after a trade with the Idaho Steelheads) with just 1:53 to cap the scoring and close out the Royals.

Reading returns home on Friday night against the Wheeling Nailers when the first 2000 fans in attendance receive the second in a series of five bobbleheads being given away this season to commemorate the Royals' fifth anniversary season. On Saturday the Royals are back at the Sovereign Center against the Chiefs. The first 1500 fans in attendance, who are 21 years of age or older, on Saturday receive a Yuengling Lager Pint Glass-the second in a series of five to be given away this season-courtesy of All-Star Distributing. 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 January 19, 2006


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