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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Unable to Hold off Nailers, 4-2

December 11, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (8-12-3-221, t-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, defeated the Wheeling Nailers (14-7-0-028, t-1st Atlantic Division), 4-2, at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Royals scored on the team's first shot and led 2-1 after the first period, but the Nailers scored the final three goals of the game to hand the Royals their eighth home loss of the year (2-8-1-1). This game marked the tenth time this season that Reading has held an in-game lead but failed to register the win.

Goaltender Mark Owuya (loss, 2-1-2-0, 25/39) sustained his first regulation loss as a Royal. The Nailers' Patrick Killeen (win, 8-4-0-0, 19/21) bounced back from a loss to the Royals last Friday to win for the second time this season against Reading (2-1-0-0). Reading's power play was held off the board (0-3) and is just one for the thirty chances with the man advantage over the past seven games. However, the penalty kill was perfect as well (4-4) and has killed 57 of the last 61 chances on the PP for the oppositions, which is a 93.4% kill ratio.

Reading scored on the team's first shot a minute into the game. Denny Urban fired a snap shot from the left point that was deflected by Dennis McCauley, who was planted in front of the Nailers' net. That was McCauley's sixth goal of the year and his third in three games. Yannick Tifu was awarded the secondary assist on the play for his 299th career assist.

Wheeling answered on their first shot, 3:33 into the game, when Wheeling's Paul Crowder avoided a Royal attempted body check in the neutral zone, carried into the offensive zone, and dished to Chris Barton in the left circle, who in turn tapped back to the trailing Kyle Bushee. Bushee took a low slap shot from the high slot that slipped by Owuya for his first of the year.

Reading answered with 2:29 left in the first, when Everett Sheen slipped the puck to Dale Mitchell, who cut through the slot to the right hashmark where he ripped a beautiful bar-and-in bullet for his sixth of the year-and his fifth goal over the last five games.

Wheeling turned the tide in the second period when they outshot the Royals 16-2. The Nailers tied the game 3:21 into the second when a misplayed puck in the defensive zone while the Royals were on the power play resulted in a turnover and a short-handed slap shot from Wheeling's Olivier Dame-Malka from the left point that somehow snuck through on the short-side for Malka's second of the year. Crowder gave the Nailers their first lead of the game 11:46 into the second, when Barton fired out of the right circle. Owuya kept to his skates-although he looked as if he partially lost his balance-and the puck fell between his legs right on the goal line, where Crowder won a stick-battle to force it in for his fifth of the year.

Wheeling got some insurance 8:50 into the third, when Zach Hansen fired a long shot from the left point. Owuya made the save, but the puck bounced off the cuff of his glove and fell to the right side of the crease. As Owuya dove for the loose puck, Christiaan Minella punched it off the body of Owuya, causing the puck to slide into the left circle, where Ben Farrer won the race for the puck and ripped it home, while Owuya was scrambling to get back into position.

The Royals thought they had cut the lead to one again with 57.5 seconds left in regulation and with the sixth attacker on the ice, when Rob Shearer had a golden chance on the weak side after a shot was deflected cross-crease by Olivier Labelle directly to an unguarded Shearer. However, Shearer's shot went under Killeen's upper body-half of which was inside the net-and he dove back against the grain. The referee ruled the puck did not cross the goal line and did not overturn that decision after conferring with his linesmen and the goal judge. That would be the last gasp for the Royals in this one, who dropped to 0-11-2-2 when scoring two goals or less.

The Royals take on the Nailers for the third consecutive game this Friday (December 16, 2011 @ 7:35 pm) at Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The game night broadcast will start at 7:05 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. As with all Royals' road games, Friday night's contest against the Nailers will be televised locally in Berks County on BCTV courtesy of Boscov's Travel and the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

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ECHL Stories from December 11, 2011


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