ECHL Reading Royals

Strength up the middle

Published on December 11, 2006 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


You hear about it all the time-and in a number of different sports-how important it is to be 'strong up the middle.' In baseball, it's been said that championship teams are built on the catcher, pitcher(s), second baseman, shortstop and centerfielder. In hockey, there is no question that centermen hold a special role. Whether it's winning critical face-offs, creating scoring opportunities for teammates, or covering deep into the defensive zone, the center plays a pivotal role in controlling the middle of the ice. Dating back to the injures to Jon Francisco and Kris Kasper early in the season, the Royals have been short on centers, and that took a severe dip this week when the team lost the services of Malcolm MacMillan, Shawn Collymore and James Hiebert. So the Royals needed to look elsewhere for some strength up the middle, and low and behold they found it in the middle of the net, as rookie goaltender, Jeff Pietrasiak stepped in and made the stops he was called upon to make not only to win his first game as a pro; but also to ring off three wins in a row-a feat the Royals had not done all season long. Which just serves to remind us that the real strength a hockey team needs resides somewhere in the middle of the team's collective chest....

TOP TEN NOTES OF THE WEEK

1. The Royals are currently riding a three game win streak for the first time this season. Over the last seven games, the team has compiled a 5-1-1 record.

2. The 3-2 overtime win for the Royals in Johnstown on Saturday snapped a seven game road winless streak. That game marked the first 'one-goal win' for Reading since the season opening 3-2 win in Trenton on October 20-and the Royals have played thirteen one-goal games this season (2 - 7 - 4). This game also marked the first time this season that Reading has won a game-in five tries-that ended regulation time in a tie.

3. In Friday's 5-2 win over Cincinnati, the Royals scored the game's first goal, snapping a streak of nine consecutive games (and sixteen out of the first twenty) in which the opposition got on the board first. The Royals scored the first goal in all three wins this week.

4. Doug Christiansen scored two goals, including the game winner (his first GWG of the season), in Reading's 5-2 win over Cincinnati on Friday, marking Christiansen's first multi-goal (and multi-point) game of the season. Christiansen followed that up with another two-goal game in Sunday's 7-4 win over Trenton. Last season, Christiansen, who led the Royals with 35 goals, racked up seven two-goal games.

5. James Hiebert scored the Royals' first overtime game winner of the season in Johnstown on Saturday night. Hiebert also assisted on the Royals second goal in that game, marking his fifth multi-point game of the season. Hiebert was also involved in a fracas after scoring the game winner in Johnstown and currently leads the Royals with 97 penalty minutes.

6. Joe Zappala scored three goals (including the game winner) in Sunday's 7-4 win over Trenton, becoming the fourth member of the team to register a hattrick this season (which ties a Royals' team record for hattricks in a single season set during the 2002-03 season). Zappala is currently riding a three game point streak (4g - 2a = 6pts) after picking up 2 assists in Reading's 5-2 win on Friday scoring the game's first goal in the 3-2 on Saturday.

7. Greg Hogeboom established a season team high with four assists in Sunday's 7-4 win. For Hogeboom, who is currently riding a five game point streak (3g - 7a = 10pts), this marked his team leading tenth multi-point performance of the season. In his last 40 ECHL games over the past two seasons, Hogeboom has racked up 58 points (21g - 37a = 58pts).

8. Goaltender Jeff Pietrasiak registered his first pro when he stopped 22 of the 24 shots he faced in the Royals 5-2 win over Cincinnati on Friday night. Pietrasiak picked up his first pro overtime win the next night in Johnstown, and he is currently riding a team season high three game win streak.

9. Jason Becker established a personal season high three assist performance in Sunday's win. Becker has picked up at least a point in eight of his last nine games with the Royals (2g - 10a = 12pts).

10. The Royals have scored at least one power play goal in sixteen consecutive games (and in 20 of the 23 they've played so far). Over the course of the season, Reading has scored 31 goals in 182 chances with the man advantage, a 17.0% scoring ratio (which is eleventh in the league). The Royals' opponents have scored at least one goal with the man advantage in six consecutive games. Reading has allowed 27 power play goals on 154 chances with the man advantage, an 82.5% kill ratio, which is sixteenth in the league.

UNSUNG HERO OF WEEK: Joe Zappala

If anyone ever deserved to get an empty net goal to bag his first pro hattrick, it would have to be Joe Zappala. It's been said before , but Zapper has done everything that anyone in this organization has ever asked of him-and then some. He waited his turn for ice time when the team had a number of players with more experience in the lineup; he played the gritty, nasty, energy role when he got his chance; he's fought all the tough guys at the tough moments; he's sacrificed his body repeatedly by taking out others on the forecheck and taking one or two himself just to get the puck deep; he's blocked the shots of the big boys (such as the blast off the right point by Mike Pandolfo yesterday while Trenton was on a 5-on-3 power play and the score 1-0, Reading); and, yes, he's bagged a couple of goals when the team needed them most (ala the game winner yesterday and a first goal on Saturday). And then, after being announced as the game's first star yesterday, he donned a "Santa's hat" to skates with the kids after the game. You can't measure that kind of stuff in stats; so I suppose it's not such a terrible thing when a guy like Joe picks up an uncontested point or two.

CLOSING NOTES

1. The seven goals scored by the Royals on Sunday established a team season high.

2. Chris Bala's three point performance on Sunday (1g - 2a = 3pts) was his seventh multi-point performance of the season.

3. Taylor Christie's goal on Sunday afternoon was his first as a member of the Royals. Christie scored three goals for the Phoenix Roadrunners in his first pro season last year. Christie currently has four points (1g - 3a) in seven games with Reading.

4. Shawn Germain has played the last three games as a plus four and is currently tied with Greg Hogeboom at a team leading (+10).

5. The Royals are currently the second best team in the league with respect to giving up shots, allowing just 28.04 shots against per game (The Dayton Bombers lead the league in this category, allowing just 25.13 shots against per game.)

Check out the Reading Royals Statistics

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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