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ECHL Reading Royals

Rudkowsky/ Royals Shutout Rivermen, 2-0

April 5, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA – Cody Rudkowsky stopped all 31 shots he faced, as Reading won their fourth straight game and third in a row at the Sovereign Center. Graig Mischler scored early midway into the first period to give Reading a lead they would never relinquish. Rudkowsky made the single marker stand up as he stopped anything that came his way. David Masse scored an empty-net goal with less than a minute left to nail the coffin shut on Peoria.

Cody Rudkowsky preserved the Royals one goal lead in the third period. The Rivermen picked up their play in the final stanza and peppered Rudkowsky throughout the period. At the 15:23 mark Peoria missed a golden opportunity to tie the game. A loose puck came found its way in front of an open net, as Rudkowsky was down on the ice, but Rejean Stringer could not convert and the Rivermen remained scoreless. A power-play blast from the point had top corner written all over it, until the Royals netminder snared it with his glove. Rudkowsky continued to frustrate the Peoria forwards as he stopped a 1-on-1 with just over six minutes left. David Masse iced the game with an empty-net goal, his eighth of the season, to finish the scoring. Captain Cail MacLean and Troy Milam picked up assists on the goal. Peoria finished the game leading in the shots department 31-25 and held the Royals to only three shots in the third period, which ties a season low for shots for in a period.

The second period saw a lot of shots on goals, a total of 24, but no goals. The best scoring chance for the Royals came with 7:25 remaining. Preston Mizzi and Graig Mischler broke in on a 2-on-1. Mischler started the rush in his own zone when he poked the puck past a Rivermen defenseman at the Royals blue line. Mizzi was handcuffed on the pass and his shot went wide on the short side. The period finished with the Royals hanging onto a 1-0 lead, and an edge in shots at 22-19.

The first period did not start as fast as Sunday night's game. Both goaltenders came out of the gates with strong performances and did their part to keep the game scoreless. The Royals got their first true chance 4:05 into the period when Preston Mizzi made a great move to break by one defender and create a 2-on-1 with Larry Courville. Mizzi's pass did not find the mark though, as it hopped over Courville's stick and into the corner. With seven and a half minutes gone in the first stanza, Mizzi came off the bench and stole a Rivermen pass in the neutral zone. The Sault Saint Marie, Ontario native skated around Patrick Wellar just inside the Peoria blue line then threaded a pass over to Graig Mischler who did the rest. Mischler deked to his backhand to put Reading up 1-0 which turned out to be the game-winning goal.

Reading finishes the regular season at home this Thursday against the Toledo Storm at 7:05 p.m. The first 2,000 fans, 12-and-under, receive a Ryan Flinn Bobblehead, while the first 3,000 adults will be rewarded with a one-year subscription to the Sporting News. Ryan Flinn will be in attendance signing autographs on the concourse during the game as well. All fans are invited to Fan Appreciation Night in the Sovereign Center.

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