Royals Routed By Growlers In Game Three, Trail Division Final Series 0-3

Reading, PA - The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, fell to the Newfoundland Growlers, 6-3, on Tuesday, May 9 at Santander Arena. The Royals dropped to a 0-3 series deficit in the best-of-seven North Division Final series and allowed the most amount of goals among their nine games in the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs. Kaden Fulcher entered the game in the second period in relief for Pat Nagle and saved 14 of 15 shots faced. Nagle suffered the loss in net for Reading with 14 saves on 19 shots faced through 24:44 of play (25-9-2, 4-2-2). Dryden McKay (26-10-1, 7-0) earned his seventh consecutive win in net for Newfoundland with 17 saves on 20 shots faced.

BOX SCORE 

Keenan Suthers put Newfoundland on the board 14 seconds into the game with his second game-opening goal of the series. An outlet pass from Jonny Tychonick deflected off of Isaac Johnson at Reading’s blue line and away from Tyler Heidt on the back end for the Royals. Suthers pounced on the loose puck and ripped a wrist shot over Nagle’s right shoulder to score the fastest goal the Royals have allowed to an opponent into a game, between both the regular season and playoffs, in franchise history.

Max Newton evened the score back up two minutes later, 1-1. Newton received a pass from Alec Butcher in the slot and beat McKay glove side for his fifth goal of the playoffs.

The Growlers erupted from the 12:36 mark in to the first period through the end of the second period with five-straight goals to take a commanding lead, 6-1. Tommy Miller rifled a wrist shot past Nagle for his second goal of the postseason. Nolan Walker and Brandon Kruse followed with their fourth goals of the playoffs while Tyler Boland and Brandon Kruse scored their first.

Evan Barratt provided a response by Reading halfway through the third period with a power play goal blast off of a cross-ice feed from Newton. Barratt deposited the one-timer to match Newton’s team-leading five goals for the Royals in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Brendan Hoffmann scored Reading’s 11th shorthanded goal of the season on a breakaway drawn off of a forced turnover at Reading’s blue line. Hoffmann gloved down a coughed up puck by Todd Skirving, raced down the ice, and followed up his initial wrist shot stopped by McKay with a tap on the rebound across the goal line with 1:59 remaining in regulation.

The Royals were doubled in shots in both the first (13-6) and second (12-5) period while they evened the Growlers in shots in the third period with nine. Reading was outshot 34-20 by Newfoundland and scored on one of their six power play opportunities in the game. Reading fell to 5-5-3 on the season against Newfoundland and 23-19-10 against the Growlers all-time. The Royals have now dropped the opening three games of a playoff series three times in franchise history. The Royals failed to advance to the next round of the postseason in all two of the previous occasions.

The Royals continue their North Division Final series in Game Four against the Growlers on Thursday, May 11 at 5:30 p.m. EDT at the Mary Brown’s Centre. A Game Four preview will be available at ~ royalshockey.com ~ on gameday!-

2022-23 & 2023-24 Season Memberships

Reading Royals season tickets, flex memberships and group tickets are available for the 2022-23 & now 2023-24 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 12 of the previous 13 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.