Goaltender Martin Ouellette Recalled to Lehigh Valley

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League, today announced that goaltender Martin Ouellette has been recalled to Lehigh Valley. In a separate transaction, the Royals acquired goaltender Joe Howe from the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL in exchange for future considerations.

This marks the second call-up to the Phantoms this season for Ouellette, a first year pro from Saint-Hippolyte, Quebec. In fifteen games with the Royals, he has compiled a record of 9-4-1-1 with a 2.73 goals against average, a .914 save percentage, and one shutout. Ouellette, who has won his last five consecutive games with the Royals, has held the opposition to one goal or less five times this season (and three times during his current five game win streak) for Reading, including last night’s 27-save 2-1 win over the Evansville Icemen. In his last eleven games with the Royals, Ouellette has gone 8-1-1-1.

Howe (6’0/195) (24), a second year pro from Plymouth, Minnesota, began the season with the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL but did not appear in a game for the Komets prior to being released. Howe was signed to an ECHL Standard Players Contract by the Utah Grizzlies on November 5 and appeared in eight games with the Grizzlies, compiling a record of 3-3-0-2 with a 3.64 goals against average and a .884 save percentage. Last year, in his rookie season with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Howe played eighteen games, going 10-3-2-2 with a 2.78 goals against average and a .907 save percentage with one shutout. Prior to turning pro, Howe played four years at Colorado College, where he compiled an overall record of 54-50-10 and was a three time WCHA All-Academic Team selection. In his freshman year at Colorado College, Howe was selected to the WCHA All-Rookie Team and was named the Tigers’ Rookie of the Year.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

Reading Royals v Evansville Icemen

@ Ford Center – Evansville, IN

Saturday, December 20, 2014 (8:15 pm Eastern Time)

NEXT UP: The Royals complete the ‘pre-Holiday’ portion of this five game road trip tonight (Saturday, December 20 @ 8:15 pm Eastern Time) when the team will face the Evansville Icemen for the second consecutive night. The game night broadcast for tomorrow’s game 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 7:45 pm Eastern Time. As with all Royals’ road games this season, Saturday’s game will be televised live in Berks County, Pennsylvania, on BCTV courtesy of Boscov’s Travel and Apple Vacations. 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.