ECHL Reading Royals

Take Five—Because Here Comes Twenty Five

February 7, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


There are those times in life when you just have to work harder. Dig down deep and expend that last ounce of energy to get some critical project done. There are other times when you're better off just stepping back, taking some time off and clearing your head. And then there are times when you just have to take what the schedule gives you. And this week, the schedule gives the Royals a bit of a break. The team actually gets seven consecutive days without a game-the longest such span of the season. And it really couldn't have come at a better time for the Royals. Reading is currently riding a five game winless streak, the longest stretch of the season without a win. This streak includes the first overtime loss of the season, which the Royals sustained at the Sovereign Center last Friday night against the Johnstown Chiefs. In that game, although Reading scored the game's first goal and held the lead going into the third, the team gave up a short-handed goal early in the final stanza and then got burned in OT. The Royals suffered a loss last Wednesday in Cincinnati despite scoring on the team's first shot; but on Saturday in Johnstown, it was the Chiefs who scored early-nine seconds in to be exact...the quickest goal ever scored against the Royals at the start of a game. So it is within this context that the Royals get the benefit of a week off- although the recent series of transactions is evidence that the Hockey Ops Department has not been sitting idly by-and with good reason, because with twenty-five games remaining, that time to dig down deep and expend every last ounce of available energy will soon be fast upon us....

TOP TEN NOTES OF THE WEEK

1. The Royals are currently riding a season high five game winless streak (0 - 4 - 1). The longest winless streak in team history is nine games (March 9 through March 30, 2002).

2. Reading suffered the team's first overtime loss of the season on Friday night against the Johnstown Chiefs, 3-2. The Royals have a record of 2 - 6 in games that have ended regulation time in a tie this year: 1 - 1 in overtime and1 - 5 in the shootout.

3. The Royals scored the game's first goal in Wednesday's loss in Cincinnati and Friday's overtime loss to the Chiefs. Friday's game marked the third consecutive game for Reading to score the game's FG. The Royals went 0 - 2 - 1 in those games and are now 11 - 4 - 4 when scoring the game's FG.

4. On Sunday, the Johnstown Chiefs' Randy Rowe scored nine seconds into the game. That is the fastest goal ever scored against the Royals at the start of a game. (The prior record in this regard was established on October 20, 2002, when Joseph Yann scored for the Trenton Titans thirteen seconds into the Royals' 4-2 loss at Trenton.)

5. Greg Hogeboom scored the lone goal for the Royals 4-1 loss in Johnstown on Saturday, extending his personal point streak to ten games (6g - 7a = 13pts). This ties the season high for the Royals in this category. Hogeboom also had a ten game point streak (5g - 12a = 17pts) from December 2 through December 22, 2006. Hogeboom has had at least a point in 37 of the 45 games he's played for the Royals this season.

6. Shawn Collymore scored the game's first goal (1:14 into the game) and picked up an assist in the Royals' 5-2 loss in Cincinnati last Wednesday, extending his personal point streak to five games (3g - 5a = 8pts), which was snapped on Friday against Johnstown. Collymore had three multipoint games during his five game point streak, and he has now had eleven multi-point performances this year.

7. Tyler Kindle scored his first goal as a member of the Royals in Friday's 3-2 overtime loss to Johnstown. Kindle's goal was scored 7:03 into the first period while the Royals were on the power play. Kindle also picked up an assist on the lone goal scored by Reading in Saturday's 4-1 loss in Johnstown.

8. Malcolm MacMillan scored the Royals' second goal in Friday's game (to give Reading a 2-1 lead late in the second period). For MacMillan that was his fourth goal in his last eight games for Reading. MacMillan also became the first player in the ECHL to top 200 penalty minutes on Sunday, when he picked up seven PIMs which included a fighting major (his fifteenth major penalty of the season).

9. Jeff PIetrasiak extended his consecutive game streak for the Royals to fifteen when he played in the first two games this past week for the Royals.

10. Yutaka Fukufuji played in net for the Royals in the 4-1 loss in Johnstown on Saturday, marking his first game for Reading since being re-assigned to the team from the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL last Friday. While with the Kings, Fukufuji played in four games (0 - 3 - 0, 4.38, .837). Fukufuji's last game for Reading was a 3-1 win over the Gwinnett Gladiators on November 29. (Prior to being called up to the NHL, Fukufuji went 2 - 0 - 0, 1.30, .954 for the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League.)

UNSUNG HERO OF WEEK: Tyler Kindle

It can't be easy to be traded from one professional sports team to another. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the trade, just the (seemingly) innocuous logistical issues of uprooting your life and moving it to a new locale could have dizzying effects on even on the most hardened veteran. I suppose this is writ large when you have to pick up and move completely across the country as Tyler Kindle has had to do. There's also the potentially tricky issue of figuring out exactly where you fit in with a whole new bunch of guys. But much to Tyler's credit, he not only came to the Royals ready to play last Wednesday in Cincinnati, he came with an upbeat (if somewhat road weary) attitude. It didn't take long for Tyler to endear himself to his new teammates, scoring an early power play goal on Friday and setting up the Royals' lone goal on Saturday in his return performance to Johnstown-a team for whom he played 32 games last year. There were also a couple of flashes this weekend when observers familiar with the history of the Royals glanced out on the ice and caught a quick glimpse of the number 23 and were reminded of a certain other 23-no not MJ, but a certain EW-and that's a recollection that could only make the Royals' faithful smile....

CLOSING NOTES

1. Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to Johnstown marked the fourth time this season that the Royals have entered the third period with a lead but failed to win. Reading is now 14 - 1 - 3 when leading after two periods.

2. Over the last twenty-seven games, the Royals' power play has gone 10 - 116 (8.6%). Reading's PP has been blanked in fifteen of those twenty-seven games. Over the course of the season, the Royals have a 14.4% scoring ratio on the power play (21st of the league).

3. The Royals' penalty kill has allowed at least one power play goal against in four straight games. In last Wednesday's game, Cincinnati scored two PPG (in five tries) against the Royals, marking the twelfth time this season that Reading's PK has allowed more than one power play goal against. Over the course of the season, the Royals are killing penalties at an 82.6% ratio, which is fifteenth in the league.

4. Brian Gratz, who has served as an emergency back up goaltender for the Royals at various times over the past two seasons, got his first start in the ECHL this past weekend as a member of the Wheeling Nailers. Gratz made 27 saves on 32 shots in the Nailers 6-3 loss to the Dayton Bombers on Friday. Gratz also made 31 saves on 35 shots in Wheeling's 4-1 loss to Cincinnati on Saturday.

5. Dany Roussin's goal in Cincinnati on Wednesday was Roussin's fifth goal of the season for the Royals, and three of those goals have been scored against the Cyclones.

6. The Royals next game (Sunday, February 11 in Johnstown) continues what is a five game road trip, as the team does not return home until Sunday, February 18.

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