Royals Score Early and Then Hold On for Second Straight Win Over Indy, 2-1

Teams     Per: 1          2          3

IND:               1          0          0= 1 

REA:              2          0          0= 2

Records

IND: 3-8-2-1=9 (7th North Division)

REA:  8-5-1-0=17 (5th East Division)

Goaltenders

IND:  Bonar (loss) 0-2-0-0 (0/2) (2:27); and Reichard (no decision) (30/30) (57:01)

REA: Ouellette (win) 4-3-1-0 (39/40)

Power Play:

IND: 1-3

REA: 1-7

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­­win, 8-5-1-0=17) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League, defeated the Indy Fuel (win, 3-8-2-1=9), 2-1, at Santander Arena in Reading, PA.

In the second game in two days between the Royals and the Fuel, Indy came out blazing and put the Royals on their collective heels in the early going. But goaltender Martin Ouellette, who would make a team season high 39 saves, kept the team afloat long enough for the Royals to get a shot on goal—nineteen seconds into the team’s first power play chance and only 1:50 into the first period—which would hit pay-dirt. Reading then scored on their second shot of the game as well (2:27 into the game), which would prove to be the game winner 57:33 later. Indy did break through for a first period power play goal; but that would be all they would get in this one, as the Royals extended their unbeaten streak to six (5-0-1-0) and pushed the team’s record to three games over .500 for the first time this year.

First Period (0-0, Tie)

1:50 (1-0, Reading) Reading Goal (Power Play)

Reid (7); Hughesman and Marcou (deflection of shot from the outside portion of the right circle)

Nineteen seconds into the Royals first power play of the night, the Royals scored on their first shot of the game—after starting the early stages of the games decidedly pinned in the defensive zone. Adam Hughesman set up at the wide side of the right circle and drilled a high snap shot that was deflected by Cam Reid and eluded goaltender Sean Bonar for Reid’s team-leading seventh of the season.

2:27 (2-0, Reading) Reading Goal

Johnston (1); Mullane and Davies (snap shot from mid portion of left circle)

Thirty-seven seconds later, Reading scored on the team’s second shot of the game, when Zach Davies sent Patrick Mullane charging into the offensive zone. Mullane carried deep into the left circle and then dropped the puck to a wide open trailer—Andrew Johnston, who drilled a high snap shot stick side on Bonar for his first as a Royal. That goal, which would prove to be the game winner, chased goaltender Bonar with Cody Reichard coming on in substitution at that point—and from that point forward Reichard, who earned the third star, would be perfect in net.

14:00 (2-1, Reading) Indy Goal (Power Play)

Holl (2); Bly and Czarnik (back door tap in on cross crease pass)

Indy scored twelve seconds into their first power play chance of the game when Robert Czarnik slipped a pass from the left half-wall to Rhett Bly, who was planted on the goal line at the left side of the net. Bly drew the attention of the Royals’ penalty killers and slid a cross-crease pass to defenseman Justin Holl, who snuck up on the weak side for an easy tap-in and his second goal in two nights.

Second Period (2-1, Reading)

NO SCORING

Despite giving up goals on the first two shots of the game, the Fuel, who are yet to win a game on the road this season (0-6-1-0), kept driving hard, outshooting the Royals nineteen to fourteen in the second frame (and thirty-three to twenty-three through forty minutes). But goaltender Martin Oullette and his teammates kept the Indy opportunities mostly on the perimeter, doing a solid job of protecting against multi-shot flurries.

Third Period (2-1, Reading)

NO SCORING

The third period was more of the same—as in no scoring for either team. But, for the Royals, it was more about a solid and successful effort to efficiently protect the one-goal advantage by asserting pressure with a strong forecheck, stifling the flow through the neutral zone, and retrieving and moving the puck quickly from the defensive zone—in short, a classic case of closing out a nail-biter in the third period when playing the team’s third game in three days.

NOTES:

• The Royals played with the same line-up as last night (with the exception of Ouellette in goal). The scratches were: Dan Ford (d) (healthy), Jordan Heywood (d) (healthy), Kevin Walrod (f) (healthy), and Brock Higgs (f) (healthy).

• Goaltender Martin Ouellette ran his personal unbeaten streak to four with tonight’s victory (3-0-1-0). His thirty-nine saves tonight was a team season-high.

• Cam Reid’s goal was his second power play goal of the year. He is the sixth Royal to register two or more power play goals so far this season. Adam Comrie leads the team with three power play goals.

• Although Reid’s eleven game point streak was snapped last night, he has recorded at least one point in twelve of the fourteen games played by Reading.

• With his goal tonight, Andrew Johnston became the fifteenth different player to score a goal for the Royals this season. He is the fourth player to score a regulation game winner for Reading this season.

• Adam Hughesman, who entered the game tied for sixth in the ECHL scoring race with seventeen points (5g-12a), picked up the primary assist on Reid’s power play goal. That assist extended Hughesman’s personal point streak to five (1g-5a=6pts). He has picked up at least one point in twelve of the fourteen games played by the Royals.

• Defensemen Mike Marcou and Zach Davies entered tonight’s game tied for ninth in the defensemen scoring race in the ECHL. Marcou assisted on Reid’s power play goal; Davies assisted on Johnston’s game winner.

• Reading’s power play got touched up on the first power play chance of the game for Indy tonight snapping a string of sixteen consecutive kills for Reading’s PK over the course of six games.

• The Royals have scored at least one power play goal in ten of the fourteen games played this season.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

Reading Royals v Elmira Jackals

@ Santander Arena – Reading, PA

Wednesday, November 26, 2014 (7:30 pm)

NEXT UP: The Royals take on the Elmira Jackals for the fifth time this season on Wednesday (7:30 pm) at Santander Arena in Reading. That night, the Royals will host a post-game ‘chicken wing shoot’ courtesy of Redner’s Warehouse Markets. It is also a Steak-umm Meal and Ticket Deal Wednesday, when $25.00 will get you a Steak-umm burner, fries and a large soda, as well as admission into the game. Please also note that Wednesday’s game is also Season Ticket Holder Buddy-Pass Night. On Wednesday, the game day broadcast can be heard live on CBS SportsRadio 1240 am and 98.5 in Reading, Pennsylvania, starting with the pre-game warm-up show presented by Highmark Blue Shield at 7:00 pm. Streaming audio is available free of charge on the Royals’ website (follow the ‘headset’ icon); and streaming video is available on a pay-per-view basis through ECHL.TV.

For more information about the Royals, call 610-898-7825 or log onto www.royalshockey.com.

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