Royals Come from Two Down in the Third to Win in Elmira, 4-3

Teams     Per: 1          2          3          OT      SO

REA:              1          0          2          0          1= 4 

ELM:              0          3          0          0          0= 3

Records

REA: 22-13-1-1=46 (3rd East Division)

ELM:  19-14-0-5=43 (4th East Division)

Goaltenders

REA:  Knapp (win) 10-7-0-0 (32/35) (4/4 in shootout)

ELM: Fullerton (sol) 12-4-0-4 (29/32)

Power Play:

REA: 0-4

ELM: 0-4

Elmira, NY – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­win, 22-13-1-1=46) 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 Elmira Jackals (sol, 19-14-0-5=43), 4-3, in a shootout at First Arena in Elmira, New York.

In the second of three straight against the Jackals, the Royals avenged last night’s loss in Elmira with a come-from-behind shootout win at First Arena. Reading struck first, but a three-goal scoring spree for the Jackals midway into the second period, put the Royals behind a two-goal eight-ball in the third. Reading responded with a pair of fortuitous goals to ultimately get to the shootout where the team won for the fourth time in five tries in the skills competition. Tonight’s win snapped a two game losing ‘streak’ on the road for the Royals, who are now 11-5-1-0 away from Santander Arena in Reading.

First Period (1-0, Reading)

8:05 (1-0, Reading) Reading Goal

Lamarche (2); Wiles and Cruthers (own rebound put back from inside the crease)

As with last night’s game, Reading created the best of the early scoring opportunities; but unlike last night it was the Royals who struck first in this one. Sean Wiles settled the puck deep on the right wing side and threaded a pass to the top of the crease, where defenseman Maxim Lamarche stepped in, received the pass, and swatted it on net. Goaltender Travis Fullerton rejected the initial bid, but Lamarche stayed with the puck and hit pay-dirt on his second swat for his second of the season.

Second Period (3-1, Elmira)

6:39 (1-1, Tie) Elmira Goal

Nesbitt (7);  Rashid (two-on-one finish off the weak side)

The Jackals claimed the momentum in the second, and their work ethic paid dividends, when a Reading defender settled at the right point and tried to thread one through. However, Ryan Rashid stepped up and blocked the shot. The puck ricocheted hard off his shin pads into the neutral zone. Rashid then won the race for the puck and charged down the left wing side into the offensive zone on a two-on-one break with Thomas Nesbitt joining on the right side. Rashid dished a cross-ice feed to Nesbitt who redirected it home from the weak side for his seventh of the year.

7:09 (2-1, Elmira) Elmira Goal

Holmberg (5); Jacobs (snap shot from the top of the right circle)

Thirty-seconds later, the Jackals took the lead when Mitch Holmberg fired a shot from the top of the right circle, drilling the puck in between the legs of a Reading defender, who served as a screen on the play. The shot caught the upper left corner of the net for Holmberg’s fifth of the year.

12:26 (3-1, Elmira) Elmira Goal

Seidel (9); Wetmore and Daniels (breakaway own rebound finish)

The Jackals stretched their lead to two later in the second when an untimely change by a Reading defender left the middle of the neutral zone wide open for a quick stretch pass breakaway, as Riley Wetmore saw the open ice and sent Mike Seidel on a quick break. Seidel carried deep to the Royals’ crease where his original shot was rejected by goaltender Connor Knapp; but Seidel stayed with it and batted the rebound through Knapp’s legs for his ninth of the year.

Third Period (3-3, Tie)

6:41 (3-2, Elmira) Reading Goal

Wiles (11); Reid and Caruso (snap shot from deep in the right corner)

Reading ignited the come-back push with a crazy odd-angle goal in the early portion of the final frame. Cam Reid slipped a seam pass from the offensive blue line to Sean Wiles, who pierced through a couple of defenders through the left circle and cut to the top of the crease. Although Wiles appeared poised for a point blank look, the puck slid off his stick and into the right corner, where he tracked it down, turned, wheeled and fired a long extremely sharp angle shot—perhaps more out of frustration than anything else; but somehow the puck found the back of the net for Wiles’ eleventh of the year.

14:06 (3-3, Tie) Reading Goal

Labelle (12); Reid and Davies (fortuitous bounce off skate/leg from the top of the crease)

Reading tied the game on a disputed goal. Defenseman Zach Davies fired a shot from just inside the blue line that slammed off the end wall and ricocheted to the low left slot where Cam Reid settled and forced a quick shot towards the crease. Fullerton, who was on his belly, got a chunk of that shot, but the puck slid under his body and towards the top of the crease, where a crashing Olivier Labelle banged into the puck with his leg or skate forcing it over the goal line. Although the Jackals argued that the puck was kicked in and that the goal should be disallowed, the officials conferred and ruled it a good goal.

Overtime (3-3, Tie)

NO SCORING

For the fourth time this year (in ten games played between the two teams) the Royals and Jackals needed extra time to resolve this one. Elmira started the overtime session with 1:54 of four-on-three power play by virtue of a third period penalty for delay of game on Olivier Labelle. However, despite the fact that Elmira had offensive zone puck possession for the first two minutes of the OT, the Royals’ penalty killers—and particularly goaltender Knapp—held strong and gave Reading a chance to rebound for a couple of late rushes in the extra frame. But neither team was able to resolve this one in the sixty-five minutes of hockey action.

Shootout (4-3, Reading)

Reading 2 – Elmira 0

For the third time this year, the Royals and Jackals went to the shootout. In this one, the Royals came out victorious by scoring on two of their shots (Pat Mullane—shooting second; and Sean Wiles—shooting fourth), while Connor Knapp stopped all four of the Jackals shootout attempts to push the Royals’ record to 4-1 in the skills competition this season.

First Shooter: REA, Cruthers (stopped); ELM, Jacobs (stopped)

Second Shooter: REA, Mullane (SCORED) (SHOOTOUT WINNER); ELM, Tuzzolino (stopped)

Third Shooter: REA, Reid (stopped); ELM, Rashid (stopped)

Fourth Shooter: REA, Wiles (SCORED); ELM: Seidel (stopped)

NOTES:

• All sixteen available skaters played for the Royals tonight. The team also had an Emergency Back-Up Goaltender, Chris Bourgeois, backing up goaltender Connor Knapp.

• The victory tonight snapped a two-game losing streak to the Elmira Jackals, as well as the Royals first two-game road losing ‘streak’ of the season.

• The Royals and Jackals will complete the three game ‘mini-series’ with the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday matinee at Santander Arena in Reading on Monday (@ 1:05 pm). This is the third (and final) three game set of the season between the Royals and Jackals.

• Tonight’s game marked the tenth come-from-behind win of the year for Reading. It was the second come-back victory against the Jackals. All four shootout wins for the Royals this season have required come-from-behind heroics.

• With the three goals given up in the second period of tonight’s game, the Royals are currently playing to a minus-2 (-2) goal differential in the second period (40 – 42). The Royals are playing to a plus in the first period (+2) (32 – 30) and third (+9) (50 – 41).

• Defenseman Maxim Lamarche, who played fifty games for the Jackals in his rookie season last year, scored the game’s first goal tonight. Reading has compiled a record of 15-4-0-1 when scoring the game’s first goal (and 6-3-0-0 on the road).

• Ryan Cruthers’ assist on Lamarche’s goal tonight was his 250th point as a Royal (80g-170a) in his 248th game with the team. Cruthers shot first for the Royals in the shootout, but was stopped. That was his fifth shootout attempt of the season (2/5). Cruthers has attempted more shots in the shootout than any other player in team history (7/21).

• Sean Wiles recorded his fourth multi-point game of the season (1g-1a). His third period goal was his eleventh of the season. Eight of his goals have come in his last fifteen games. Wiles, shooting fourth, also scored on his shootout attempt. Wiles is one for three in the shootout this season.

• Olivier Labelle’s late third period game tying goal was his twelfth of the season, which is tied for second most on the team. That was also the 83rd goal (and his 158th point) as a Royal, playing in his 193rd game with the team.

• Pat Mullane, shooting second, scored on his shootout attempt tonight. His goal proved to be the shootout winner. Mullane is three for three in the shootout this year—and all three of his shootout goals for the Royals have proven to be the decisive shot in the skills competition.

• Cam Reid recorded his eighth multi-point game of the year tonight (0g-2a). Reid, shooting third, was stopped on his shootout attempt. Reid is one for four in the skills competition for Reading.

• Reading is 4-1 in the shootout this season. The shooters have nine for twenty-two; and the goaltenders have collectively stopped eighteen of the twenty-four shootout attempts they’ve faced.

• Goaltender Connor Knapp won his tenth game of the year tonight. Knapp is 2-0 in shootouts this season, stopping eight of the nine shootout attempts he’s faced this season.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

Reading Royals v Elmira Jackals

@ Santander Arena – Reading, PA

Monday, January 19, 2015 (1:05 pm)

NEXT UP: The Royals and Jackals go at it for the third time in a row on Monday (@1:05 pm) at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania, in the team’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Matinee. That day the first 2000 fans fifteen years of age and older will receive an ‘ugly’ POM hat courtesy of Reading Health System. There also will be FREE PARKING at the Reading Parking Authority garages for fans attending the Royals’ game on Monday. That day will also be a Berks Packing Dollar Day with $1.00 hotdogs, soda, popcorn and nachos. Monday’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 12:35 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.

End 15 01-17