ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Third Period Strike Sinks Stingrays, 4-3

Published on December 11, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (2nd Atlantic Division, 14-8-0-028), 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 South Carolina Stingrays (4th South Division, 10-13-1-021), 4-3, at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. Although the Royals held two separate early leads, the Stingrays bounced back to grab a lead of the own late in the second; however, Reading responded to the challenge, tying the game at three with 46 seconds left in the second and then picking up the team's sixth come-from-behind win of the season with a third-period tie-breaking game winner from Todd Perry. Reading is 6-1-0-0 when entering the third period tied with the opposition, and 10-3-0-0 in one goal contests. Goaltender Ben Scrivens (win, 7-3-0-0, 30/33) won his sixth consecutive game for the Royals. The Stingrays' Todd Ford (loss, 5-4-0-0, 32/36) sustained the loss. Reading's power play was held off the board for the thirteenth time this season (0-2). South Carolina scored two goals with the man advantage (2-3), but also gave up a short-handed goal to the Royals.

Reading struck first 17:54 into the game, when Devin Timberlake sprang John Scrymgeour into the offensive zone on a give-and-go deep on the right wing side. Scrymgeour then found Rob Slaney with a crisp tape-to-tape pass in the left circle. Slaney fired and Timberlake crashed out front, re-directing the puck behind Ford for Timberlake's first of the season. South Carolina tied the game at 1:29 into the second with a one-time rocket off the top of the left circle by defenseman Josh Godfrey, which was set up with a perfect cross-ice pass by Brian Schmidt and which beat Scrivens low to the stick-side.

Reading bounced back to take the team's second lead of the game at the 6:50 mark of the second on a short-handed goal by Andrew Sarauer. Defenseman Ryan Donald took possession deep in Reading's defensive zone and made a quick, elusive move to shake the Stingrays' fore-check pressure. Donald fed Casey Haines, who in turn banked a perfect pass to the charging Sarauer, who carried into South Carolina's zone and ripped a blast off the top of the right circle that beat Ford to the stick side for Sarauer's fifth of the year. The Stingrays' tied the game for the second time with their second power play goal of the game by Josh Godfrey, who finished a scramble around the Royals' net by punching in a loose puck at the 10:02 mark of the second. South Carolina took the lead at the 16:27 mark of the second, when a miscue behind the net between Scrivens and a Reading defender turned the puck over to David deKostrozza who was able to jam the turn-over in before the scrambling Scrivens was able to get back into position.

Reading re-tied the game with a critical goal late in the second. Fifteen seconds after a power play chance for Reading had expired, Louis Liotti took a feed from Eric Castonguay at the right point. Liotti slid the puck to Dallas Jackson at the top of the left circle, and Jackson made a deceptive move to avoid pressure and fired a cross-ice pass to Ben Gordon, who ripped a one-timer out of the right circle low glove side on Ford for Gordon's eighth of the season with just 46 seconds left in the period.

Reading got what proved to be the tie-breaking game winner in the third with just 6:09 remaining in regulation, when Scrymgeour attacked off the fore-check and kept the puck alive with a quick, aggressive move behind the Stingray net. Scrymgeour then found Todd Perry at the top of the left circle, and Perry fired a quick snap shot that appeared to deflect off a Stingray and go top shelf on Ford for Perry's second of the year. The Royals and Scrivens were able to hold off the late game onslaught from the Stingrays win the regular season finale and season series between these two teams (3-1-0-0).

The Royals take on the Elmira Jackals tomorrow afternoon (Sunday, December 12, 2010 @ 5:05 pm) at the Sovereign Center. There will be a Post-Game Skate with the Players presented by Body Zone Sports and Wellness Comlex. 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 4:35 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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