Gerard, Newton Shine in Norfolk as Royals Command Admirals, 5-2

Norfolk, VA - The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, defeated the Norfolk Admirals, 5-2, on Wednesday, January 4th at Norfolk Scope Arena. The Royals improved to 18-9-1 with their ninth win on the road this season (9-5-1). Josh Boyko earned the win in his second start with Reading as he stopped 19 of 21 shots faced (3-1-1). Admirals goalie Tomas Vomacka saved 27 of 32 shots faced and suffered his 11th regulation loss of the season (1-11-0-1).

BOX SCORE 

A two-goal first period for the Royals, and two-goal second period for the Admirals sent the Wednesday night contest into the third period tied, 2-2. Charlie Gerard earned both goals for Reading with two goals in a span of 2:25. Gerard scored the game’s opening goal on a wrist shot through the five-hole of Vomacka 7:16 into regulation and blasted a rebound past Vomacka on his ensuing shift for his second mutli-goal game of the season. Max Newton earned the primary assist on Gerard’s ninth and tenth goals of the season for his team leading ninth multi-point game. 

The Admirals evened the score on goals from forwards Ryan Foss and Denis Smirnov in the second period. Foss extended his point streak to five games with his fifth goal of the season 4:47 into the period. Smirnov redirected a cross-crease feed from Mathieu Roy past Boyko late into the period for his second goal of the season. 

Reading gained the lead back 5:58 into the third period and never looked back. Three unanswered goals scored by forwards Trey Bradley, Alec Butcher and Max Newton, respectively, provided the Royals a commanding lead in the final frame of regulation. Bradley’s 10th goal of the season earned him his eighth multi-point game of the season. Newton’s power play goal served as his team leading 15th goal of the season as he has scored goals in back-to-back games.

Newton and Gerard matched single game multi-point professional career highs in the road victory. Newton’s three-points (1 G, 2 A) matched his professional career high for the fourth time in his career while Gerard’s four-points (2 G, 2 A) matched a career high achieved once before when he was a member of the Utah Grizzlies in 2019. 

The Royals improved to 3-1 in the season series with Norfolk (32-8-4 all-time) and are 13-3-1 when scoring first. Additionally, Reading holds the best win percentage (.722%)  among North Division teams against divisional opponents (REA vs. North Div.: 13-4-1). 

The Royals travel to Worcester to open a two-game series against the Railers on Friday, January 6th at 7:05 p.m. at the DCU Center. The Royals return home on Saturday, January 7th to host Worcester at 7:00 p.m. at Santander Arena in the Star Wars and Pediatric Cancer promotional game. Order tickets and see the full ~ promotional schedule ~ now!

Upcoming Games:

• 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

• Flintstones Night - Jan. 14 vs. Adirondack
  • Yabba dabba doo! Join the Royals for Flintstones night, and bid on their game-worn specialty jerseys!
  • Double Tree post-game party
  • $2 off craft draft beers 3-4:00 PM
  • Yabba-Dabba-Doo voice contest
  • Flintstone costume contest
  • Rubble pudding eating contest

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.