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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Win Big in Wheeling, 6-0

February 6, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Wheeling, WV - The Reading Royals (win, 22-18-4-351) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, defeated the Wheeling Nailers (win, 20-20-2-345), affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL, 6-0, at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Reading snapped a ten-game winless streak at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia, dating to March of 2014, in rather explosive fashion, racking up six goals from six players and backing that up with the team's eighth shutout performance of the season. Robbie Czarnik scored his team-leading twentieth of the season on an early power play, and the Royals never looked back, adding what proved to be insurance goals from Brandon Alderson, Todd Perry, Kevin Young, Justin Crandall and Joey Sides to push the team's record back to push four games over .500.

The Royals struck 2:33 into the game on the team's first power play chance of the night when Yannick Tifu set Mike Pereira for a chance coming down the slot. Pereira attempted to get the shot off, but his stick was stuffed and the puck went nowhere until he swiped it with the back-hand to a waiting Robbie Czarnik, who was set in the left circle for a one-time weak-side laser-and his twentieth of the year.

Reading took a 2-0 lead with 1:28 left in the first. Mike Marcou drilled a shot from the top of the right circle that goaltender Franky Palazzese knocked down but couldn't cover. Pereira stepped into the fray, dug the puck out and slipped it across the top of the crease where Brandon Alderson stepped in and beat it home for his second of the year.

The Royals built the lead to three with 34.6 seconds left in the first when Todd Perry stepped into a stinging laser off the top of the left circle that blitzed by Palazzese on the glove side for his first of the year.

Kevin Young got another bomb off 8:32 into the second when Scott Tanski won an offensive zone face-off to the right point, where Young was set for the hot rocket and his third of the year.

Reading chased Palazzese 4:12 into the third period when Czarnik set Justin Crandall for a blast from the high slot. Palazzese got a chunk of the puck, but not enough to keep it above the goal line. For Crandall, it proved to be his thirteenth of the year.

The Royals got one off Casey DeSmith, who came on in substitution of Palazzese, when Joey Sides banked the puck off a Wheeling defender into the net 8:20 into the third. From that point forward, the Royals' effort concentrated on protecting the shutout for Knapp, who notched his second of the season-which also served to tie the team record for shutouts in a single season at eight with twenty-five games to go.

The Royals next travel to the Scope in Norfolk, Virginia, where they will face the Norfolk Admirals next Friday (February 12 @ 7:30 pm). The game night broadcast for next Friday's matchup can be heard live on CBS SportsRadio 1240 am and 98.5 in Reading, Pennsylvania, starting with the pre-game warm-up show presented by Highmark Blue Shield at 7:00 pm Eastern Time. As with all Royals' road games, Friday's game will be televised locally in Berks County, Pennsylvania, on BCTV courtesy of Boscov's Travel and Apple Vacations. Streaming audio is available free of charge on the Royals' website (follow the 'headset' icon); and streaming video is available on a pay-per-view basis through ECHL.TV.

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