ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Survive Late Game Surge by Elmira, 6-5

January 30, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Elmira, NY - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (1st Atlantic Division, 26-11-2-357), 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 Elmira Jackals (2nd Atlantic Division, 19-18-5-043), 6-5, at First Arena in Elmira, New York. The Royals scored the game's first four goals and held a 6-1 lead late in the second but had to hold off a late game charge from the Jackals to take the two points. The win stretched the Royals' current unbeaten streak to five games (3-0-0-2) and ran Reading's record to 6-4-0-0 against the Jackals with five games still to be played between the Atlantic Division rivals. This game marked the twenty-sixth game of the year for Reading to be decided by a one-goal differential. Reading is 17-4-2-3 in those games.

Goaltender Michael Hutchinson (win, 6-2-1-3, 29/31) had to withstand a relentless late game push from the Jackals to get win for the second time this year over Elmira (2-1-0-0). Elmira's Marco Cousineau (no decision, 9/13 in 15:07) started and allowed the game's first three goals-as well as one in the second; but Peter Skoggard (loss, 0-1-0-0) was saddled with the loss-despite playing well in his first ECHL appearance-as he allowed the goal that proved to be the game winner mid-way into the second. Reading's first goal of the game was scored while playing with the man advantage (1-6). While Elmira's power play bagged two goals, including one with just 46.8 seconds left to draw within one.

Reading struck 3:44 into the game, while playing with the man advantage, when Andrew Sarauer carried across the top of the crease and got Cousineau to commit down, chipping it in for his tenth of the year. Fifteen seconds later the Royals went up 2-0 when a shot by Cody Wild resulted in a wild scramble around the Elmira net, and Rob Slaney found the loose puck and punched it in for his fifth of the year. 1:07 after that Chris Blight fired out of the right circle. The puck ricocheted off the skate of Casey Haines and angled into the net to make it 3-0, Royals. Shortly after that goal, Elmira switched goaltenders with Skoddard coming on in substitution of Cousineau. Reading stretched the lead to 4-0 at the 10:02 of the first, when Sarauer finished an odd man rush from the left side of the slot after receiving a perfect pass from John Scrymgeour out of the right circle.

Elmira broke through at the 4:45 mark of the second when A.J. Perry was awarded a penalty shot. He didn't waste the chance, swinging wide and angling in for the back-hand bar-and-in for his fourteenth of the season. Reading bounced back 59 seconds later when Chris Blight uncorked a rocket out of the right circle that went across the body of Cousineau-who had returned to the Jackals net at the start of the second-for Blight's eighth of the year. Skoddard came back in the game at that point. The Royals went up 6-1 13:54 into the second when Scrymgeour finished a two-on-one break with a one-time blast from the mid-slot off a perfect saucer, which laid down flat for the quick shot, from the stick of Rob Slaney.

With 1:41 left in the second, the Jackals cut the lead to 6-2 with a power play goal by R.J. Anderson, who slipped up on the back-door for a perfectly timed pass from Justin Donati. 5:50 into the third, Donati made it 6-3 when he picked off a defensive zone turnover, while the Royals were on the power play, and ripped a snap shot over the left shoulder of Hutchinson for his thirteenth of year. 1:27 later, another turnover-this one behind the Royals' net-gave the Jackals' Yannick Tifu an opportunity to bag Elmira's second short-handed goal of the period and draw Elmira within two at 6-4. Elmira pressed hard, registering fourteen third period shots-many in the waning moments-and made it a one-goal game with 46.8 seconds left and the sixth attacker on the ice with a power play goal by Brock McBride, who re-directed a shot from the right point by R.J. Anderson. Elmira created a wild flurry as time ticked down, but Hutchinson and the Royals somehow kept the puck above the goal line to win for the third time in five tries this year in Elmira (3-2-0-0).

The Royals return to the Sovereign Center on Wednesday night (February 2, 2011 @ 7:05 pm) when the Wheeling Nailers bring their seven game win streak to Reading. 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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