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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Win Decisive Game Five in OT, 3-2

April 12, 2010 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA- The Reading Royals of the ECHL (3-0-2), 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 Kalamazoo Wings (2-2-1), 3-2, in a dramatic and decisive Game Five of their American Conference Quarter Final Series at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. Reading's Andrew Sarauer bagged the game winner with 2:52 remaining in the first overtime to give the Royals the three-games-to-two win in the best-of-five first round series. With the win, the Royals now advance to the best-of-seven American Conference Semi-Final series against the Florida Everblades, which kicks off Wednesday (April 14 @ 7:05pm) at the Sovereign Center in Reading. Matt Dalton (win, 3-0-2, 36/38, 77:08) picked up his first pro overtime playoff win. Kalamazoo's Riley Gill (loss, 1-1-1, 52/55; 77:08) was the hard-luck loser, as he made a number of spectacular stops-including one on a penalty shot awarded to Reading's Olivier Labelle 14:15 into the overtime session. Reading was unable to break through on the power play (0-5), but neither were the K-Wings (0-2), who ended up 1-14 in the five game playoff series against the Royals' penalty kill.

For the first time in the series, Kalamazoo scored the game's first goal 1:33 into the contest. After Reading's Yannick Riendeau sustained an injury blocking a shot with his arm, he dropped his stick to the ice. That stick foiled a break-out attempt by Royals' defender Aaron Brocklehurst, resulting in a turnover that ignited a scramble around the Royals' goal. Kalamazoo's Brian McGuirk picked up the loose puck behind Reading's net and jammed it in on a hard wrap at the right pipe for his second of the playoff season.

Reading tied the game at one 6:39 into the second period after igniting a scramble of their own around the K-Wings' net. Gavin Morgan and Daniel Steiner both had good opportunities in tight around the net, causing Gill to sprawl to the ice to keep the puck out of the goal. The puck then slid to the low right wing wall, where Alex Berry stepped in and fired before Gill could get re-set in the net, and the puck slid through the traffic out front-and Gill-and into the net for Berry's first of the playoff season.

The Royals took their first lead of the game at the 7:41 mark of the third when Ben Gordon slid the puck off the right wing wall towards the top of the crease, where Olivier Labelle battled for puck possession and was able to force a shot through Gill for his team leading fifth of the playoff season. With four minutes left in regulation, the K-Wings re-tied the game when Mathieu Curadeau sprang Ben Simon into the offensive zone. Simon fired from deep in the left circle, and the puck slipped between the legs of Dalton and across the goal line for Simon's third of the playoff season. The two teams traded opportunities down the stretch, but no one broke through in regulation, sending the game to the third overtime resolution in the five game series.

In overtime, once again the two teams traded scoring chances with both goaltenders coming up big at big moments-and Kalamazoo clanging a pipe on one chance. Late in the overtime, Labelle picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and took off on a breakaway into the Kalamazoo end. He was hauled down from behind and awarded a penalty shot with 5:45 remaining in the OT. Labelle shot high glove side on his penalty shot effort, but Gill snared the effort to keep the K-Wings alive. 2:53 after that, however, a giveaway in front of the Kalamazoo net, provided Andrew Sarauer with a clean chance to slide a low back-hand stick side on Gill to score his first of the playoff season-and give the Royals their first overtime victory of the playoff season (and their fifth-out of nine chances-in team history).

The Royals and Florida Everblades kick off their best-of-seven American Conference Semi-Final Series on Wednesday (April 14 @ 7:05 pm) at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Royals game night broadcast on the Royals Radio Network presented by Transmissions by Arbogast will begin at 6:35 pm.

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