Gaucher, Gerard Score Twice as Royals Down Mariners for Fourth-Straight Win

Reading, PA - The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, defeated the Maine Mariners, 6-5, Wednesday, December 21st at Santander Arena. The Royals improved their win streak to four games and a record of 16-6-1. Kaden Fulcher earned the win in his Royals debut with 29 saves on 34 shots faced while Mariners goalie François Brassard saved 29 of 35 shots faced in the loss (4-6-0).

BOX SCORE 

Specialty teams dominated in a four-goal first period which tilted in Reading’s favor with a two-goal lead after 20 minutes of play, 3-1. Maine scored a shorthanded goal 7:31 into regulation for the game’s first goal. Patrick Shea delivered a shot from the slot which deflected off of Fulcher’s shoulder and into the back of Reading’s net to cap off a shorthanded odd-man rush. The shorthanded goal was the fourth allowed by the Royals this season and ended the Royals’ streak of scoring the game's first goal at six games.

Reading erased the one-goal deficit and took a one-goal lead less than two minutes following the Mariners goal. Shane Sellar and Charlie Gerard scored 28 seconds apart to put the Royals ahead with Sellar’s coming on the power play and Gerard notching his first of two goals in the game. Reading drew a penalty with three minutes remaining in the period and converted on their second power play for Jacob Gaucher’s first of two goals in the game.

Reading extended their lead 7:58 into the second period on Gerard’s second goal of the game. Out of the box and straight into the play, Gerard beat Brassard with a backhand shot to earn his first multi-goal game of the season. Evan Barratt earned the lone assist on Gerard’s goal for a point in his last two games.

Maine answered with three-straight goals to even the score, 4-4. Alex-Olivier Voyer, Keltie Jeri-Leon, and Alex Kile earned their fourth, first, and third goals of the season respectively to tie the game for the first time since the opening eight minutes of regulation. Shea earned assists on two of the three goals for his second and third points in the game.

Gaucher netted his second-goal of the game late into the second period to give Reading a one-goal lead heading into the third period. The goal earned the rookie forward his second multi-goal game of the season with both multi-goal performances coming against Maine.

Maine put a single-period season high 19 shots on goal in the second period. On their second shot in the third period, Maine evened the score courtesy of Shea’s second goal of the game. Crashing in on goal, Shea deflected a cross crease pass from Kile past Fulcher’s blocker for his 11th goal of the season and Kile’s second point in the game. The score remained tied with both teams trading possessions and hits throughout the final period of regulation. The game fell into the Royals favor for good when Alec Butcher scored off of his own rebound for his first game winning goal of the season. 

Butcher batted a rebound off of Brassard’s initial stop to Colin Felix’s wrist shot on goal and scored on a second effort in close to put Reading ahead for good. With their third lead of the game, Fulcher saved the final three shots to solidify Reading’s fourth win over Maine this season (4-1) in their first of two meetings at Santander Arena.

The 11 goals make for the most number of goals scored in a single game combined between the Royals and an opponent this season. Reading’s six goals matche their season high for the third time.

The Royals remain undefeated in regulation when leading after two periods (13-0-1) and improve to a record of 7-1-1 in one-goal games this season.

The Royals take on the Norfolk Admirals on Friday, Dec. 23rd at 7:05 p.m. at Norfolk Scope Arena. The Royals return home on Wednesday, December 28th to host the Wheeling Nailers in the final home game of the year. The stand alone game features a Wild Wednesdays promotional game! Order tickets and see the full ~ promotional schedule ~ now!

Upcoming Games:

• Wild Wednesdays - Dec. 28 vs. Wheeling
  • Celebrate the community and area code of Reading with deals on tickets and drinks around the concourse!
  • $6.10 for Green Zone tickets
  • College Students ONLY pay service fees for a ticket
  • $1 beers at select locations

• Star Wars Night - Jan. 7 vs. Worcester
  • Join the Royals and your favorite characters from a galaxy far, far, away at Star Wars night!
  • Youth padawan training classes
  • Costume contest
  • Chewbacca impression contest
  • Specialty jersey debut
  • $2 off craft beers 6-7:00 PM

• Wizards Night - Jan. 13 vs. Adirondack
  • Royals Players' house competition
  • Chase the snitch on the concourse
  • $2 off domestic drafts 6-7:00 PM
  • Butterbeer
  • Wizard-themed games
  • 4 for $60 deal including 4 tickets, hot dogs, drinks, and thundersticks presented by Deibler Dental
  • Job fair

Four-Game Plan

Join the Reading Royals for FOUR of our biggest games of the year at home! Four-game plan ticket package includes tickets to the following specialty games:

Affiliation Night - January 28th @7:00 p.m.

Pink in the Rink - February 4th @7:00 p.m.

St. Hattrick's Day - March 18th @7:00 p.m.

Fandemonium - April 15th @7:00 p.m.

In addition to a ticket to each game, you will get a burger and soda per ticket, as well as a Royals hat. Contact the Royals front office for pricing details. Quantities are limited so reserve your seat now!2022-23 Season Memberships

Reading Royals season tickets, flex memberships and group tickets are available for the 2022-23 season by visiting the Royals’ box office at Santander Arena or by calling 610-898-7825. 

About the Royals

The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, are in their 21st season in the ECHL. They won their first Kelly Cup championship in 2013 and have clinched playoff berths in 11 of the previous 12 seasons. They are five-time division champions and were the 2021-22 Eastern Conference champion. The Berks County Convention Center Authority (BCCCA), founded in 1996, owns the Royals and oversees operations at Santander Arena.