ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Win Wild One Over Trenton, 6-5

Published on February 14, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (24-21-1-3=52, 2nd East 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 Trenton Devils (18-23-4-5=45, 3rd East Division), 5-3, at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. The win, which featured a total of eight goals by the two clubs' respective special teams, snapped a season long four game losing streak for the Royals. Goaltender Andrew Engelage (no decision, 4-1-0-0; 29/32 in 40:51) started and held a 4-2 lead when he was injured early in the third period in bizarre play on which Trenton scored their third goal. Matt Dalton (win, 15-16-0-2; 18/20 in 19:59) came on in substitution to avenge two consecutive losses to the Devils. Gerald Coleman (loss; 9-9-3-4; 24/30) dropped to 0-4-2-1 in seven games against the Royals this season. Reading's power play scored a season high four goals (4-11), including a four-on-three game winner by Ryan Cruthers mid-way into the third period. The Devils scored two of their five goals while on the power play (2-5)-and also scored a crazy short-handed goal while Royals' goaltender Andrew Engelage was prone face-down on the ice with an injury.

Reading struck on the team's first power play chance 3:53 into the game, when Ben McLeod picked up his twelfth goal of the year by finishing on a multi-chance rebound flurry while Coleman was prone on the ice. The Royals took a 2-0 lead 5:26 into the first when Aaron Brocklehurst scored his first goal as a Royal (and ninth of the year) on Reading's second power play chance of the night. He took a pass from Ryan Cruthers, settled in the high slot, and picked the perfect spot low to the glove side. Trenton scored on the team's first power play chance of the game 17:08 into the first when Jeff Prough slipped one through Engelage from low along the goal line at the left side of Reading's net. But Reading bounced back to gain a two goal lead after one on a goal by Andrew Sarauer with 33.8 seconds left in the period. Robert Slaney, who ended up with three assists on the night, stepped onto the ice and picked off the Devils breakout effort in the neutral zone. Slaney fed Sarauer, who charged into the offensive zone on his off wing and ripped a rocket low to the stick side on Coleman for his twelfth of year.

The Devils came out storming in the second, outshooting the Royals 19-6 in the middle frame; but the Royals stretched the team's lead to three (4-1) with their third power play goal of the night. On this one, Bryan Ewing hacked a slap shot from the mid-slot that glanced off Coleman's left arm and into the net for his thirteenth of the year-and fifth in ten games as a Royal. Trenton's hard work finally paid off late in the second when Jack Combs' one-timer from between the hash-marks deflected off a Reading defender and deflected over Engelage and landed in the net with 2:42 remaining in the period.

Early in the third, while the Royals were on the power play, a neutral zone turnover gave the Devils' Jeremy Akeson a short-handed break. Engelage rejected Akeson's original bid, but on the second shot in the sequence, Engelage appeared to sustain a serious injury, as he went down face down on the ice and did not move. With Engelage down and out, play continued until Akeson retrieved the puck out of the right corner walked to the Royals' net and forced the puck through a Reading defender for his fourth goal of the year. Despite the Royals' protestations that the play should have been blown dead because of the apparent injury to Engelage, the goal was allowed, cutting the Royals' lead to 4-3 fifty-one seconds into the period.

At that point, goaltender Matt Dalton entered the game and was quickly greeted with a flurry of shots from the Devils-and 1:53 after he entered the game, Slavomir Tomko bagged a power play goal on a partially misfired one-timer from between the hash-marks for his eighth of the year, tying the game at four. Things only got weirder from there as the two teams traded edgy hits and stick-work. Mid-way into the period, with the teams' playing four aside and a delayed penalty pending against the Devils, Dinos Stamoulis fired a shot from high on the right wing wall that Ryan Cruthers deflected behind Coleman to give the Royals a 5-4 lead 8:24 into the period. Twenty-five seconds later, Tomko was assessed with a tripping minor, sending the Devils' Head Coach Rick Kowalsky ballistic, which ended with a another penalty against Trenton (for unsportsmanlike conduct) and Coach Kowalsky getting a game misconduct. 1:06 after that, Cruthers got what proved to be the game winner, while the Royals were playing on a four-on-three power play, when he fired a perfect wrist shot out of the left circle that beat Coleman high to the glove side to make it 6-4 Reading. Things weren't done, however, as Prough made it a one-goal game again with 5:13 left in regulation, when he ripped a beautiful snap shot short-side high on Dalton. But the Royals were able to hold on down the nail-biting stretch to snap a two game home losing streak and run the team's record to 9-2-0-0 against Trenton.

The Royals take on the Wheeling Nailers tomorrow (Sunday, February 14, 2010 @ 5:05 pm), when the Royals will celebrate Pink in the Rink. The team will wear special jerseys that will be auctioned after the game with the net proceeds going to benefit Breast Cancer Support Services of Berks County. The Royals game night broadcast on the Royals Radio Network presented by Transmissions by Arbogast will kick off with the pre-game warm-up show at 4:35 pm.

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