Royals Dodge Multiple Bullets in 5-4 Win Over Florida

Teams     Per: 1          2          3

FLA:               1          1          2= 4 

REA:              1          3          1= 5

Records

FLA: 29-8-2-3=63 (1st East Division)

REA:  30-13-1-1=62 (2nd East Division)

Goaltenders

FLA:  Iles (Loss) 8-6-1-0 (20/25)

REA: Ouellette (Win) 13-6-1-1 (45/49)

Power Play:

FLA: 0-2

REA: 0-1

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­­win, 30-13-1-1=62) 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 Florida Everblades (loss, 29-8-2-3=63), 5-4, at Santander Arena in Reading, PA.

In the opening game of a three-game-in-three day series between the Royals and Everblades, Reading took the opening salvo, despite being outshot 49-25 by the high-flying ‘Blades. Florida scored 52 seconds into the game on their second shot, but the Royals bounced back to ring off four straight and build a three goal advantage. But the Everblades went away anything but lightly, charging down the stretch to draw within one early in the third period. The Royals’ leading scorer, Pat Mullane, bagged his second of the game—and fifth for the team—midway into the third. And that goal proved critical for Reading because the never-say-dead Everblades bagged another one with just 11.9 seconds left—and the net empty and the sixth attacker on the ice—to make it a one goal decision. The win for Reading pushed the team’s season-long win streak to nine, as the Royals pulled within one point of the top slot in the East Division.

First Period (1-1, Tie)

0:52 (1-0, Florida) Florida Goal

Wahl (11); Harris (pass of pad bar-down finish from the left circle)

Florida took what would prove to be their only lead of the game on their second shot of the contest, when Brant Harris carried deep into the right circle and chipped a back-hand across the body of goaltender Martin Ouellette, who made the right pad stop. But the puck kicked off Ouellette’s pad into the left circle where Mitch Wahl stepped in for a one-time bar-down bullet for his eleventh of the year.

7:53 (1-1, Tie) Reading Goal (Four on Four)

Marshall (13); Wiles (puck carried into the net by a sliding back-checker for Florida)

Reading tied the game at one while playing four-on-four when Sean Wiles carried into the offensive end down the left side and slid a seam pass towards the low right side of the slot where a charging David Marshall forced the bouncing puck back towards the crease, where Florida’s Brant Harris, who was coming hard on the back-check, appeared to slide into the puck taking it across the goal line—and the goal itself well off the moorings. Although the Everblades disputed the play, the goal was allowed, giving Marshall his thirteenth of the season.

Second Period (4-2, Reading)

8:27 (2-1, Reading) Reading Goal

Mullane (15); Johnston and Marshall (back-hand five-hole tap in)

The Royals took a lead that the team will hold to the conclusion of the game mid-way into the second when a strong fore-check resulted in the Everblades coughing one up into the left circle. Andrew Johnston, who was closest to the loose puck , set up for a shot, and although he misfired on his attempt, the puck slid to Pat Mullane who quickly cut out of the left circle and around a Florida defender, making his way unmolested to the top of the crease where he deftly slid a soft back-hand through the legs of goaltender Andy Isles for his sixteenth of the year.

10:21 (3-1, Reading) Reading goal

Reid (18); unassisted (bar-down blast from the right circle)

1:54 later Reading stretched the lead to two, when Cam Reid picked off a break-out pass by a Florida defender in the right circle. Reid wasted no time settling the puck and uncorking a bomb that blew over the left shoulder of Isles for his team leading eighteenth of the season.

12:35 (4-1, Reading) Reading Goal

Lamarche (5); Labelle and Hughesman (slap shot from deep in the right circle)

The Royals pushed the lead to three when Olivier Labelle dug the puck off the end wall in the right wing corner and slid a perfect blind, behind the back pass to the low right circle, where defenseman Maxim Lamarche stepped up for a hard one-time slap shot that slipped between the legs of Isles for his fifth of the year.

15:26 (4-2, Reading) Florida Goal

Harris (10); Lavoie and Little (back-door tap in from the left side of the crease)

The Everblades drew back within two when Alex Lavoie threaded a beautiful diagonal-down seam pass from the right circle to Brant Harris who stepped up for an easy weak-side tap in and his tenth of the year.

Third Period (5-4, Reading)

0:54 (4-3, Reading) Florida Goal

Florentino (3); Marquardt and Brace (snap shot from just inside the offensive blue line)

Florida made it a one-goal game early in the third when former Royal Rob Florentino snapped one off from just inside the offensive blue line that slipped through heavy traffic in front of Reading’s net and between the legs of goaltender Ouellette for his third of the year—two of which have been against the Royals.

8:14 (5-3, Reading) Reading Goal

Mullane (17); Davies and Marshall (breakaway backhand-forehand stuff)

Reading regained the two-goal advantage when defenseman Zach Davies sprang Pat Mullane into the offensive zone. Mullane charged to the Florida net and cut right to left and forced the puck across the goal line just inside the left pipe as Isles was sprawled out on his belly. Although Isles was able to kick the puck back above the goal line and David Marshall, who was trailing the play banged it in a second time, the original shot by Mullane was in and proved to be his seventeenth goal of the season—and would also turn out to be his first game winner of the year.

19:48 (5-4, Reading) Florida Goal

Marquardt (3); Brace and Burt (rebound tap in from the top of the crease)

Undeterred, Florida continued to push hard down the stretch, creating any number of quality scoring chances that were rejected by Martin Ouellette and the Royals’ skaters, who blocked an impressive array of shots, The continuing effort paid off, as the Everblades drew within one again with just 11.9 seconds left in regulation when defenseman Cameron Burt set Adam Brace for a one-timer from deep in the right circle. Ouellette rejected Brace’s bid, but the puck fell to the top of the crease, where Matt Marquardt had the inside track for a back-hand stuff-back and his third of the year.

NOTES:

• The scratches for the Royals tonight were: Kevin Walrod (f) (healthy), Kevin Sullivan (f), Gentry Zollars (d) (ECHL Reserve), and Matt Hatch (f) healthy (ECHL Reserve).

• Tonight’s win stretched the Royals overall win streak to a season-long nine games (9-0-0-0).

• Reading has won ten of the last eleven games, thirteen of the last sixteen, eighteen of the last twenty-two and twenty-one of the last twenty-six played.

• The victory pushed the Royals record to a season high seventeen games over .500 (30-13-1-1=62).

• The Royals have won four consecutive home games, dating to a 6-2 win over Brampton on January 11.

• This was the first game of the year between the Royals and Everblades, who will face each other six times this year (four in Reading and two in Florida), including two more games this weekend—tomorrow (Saturday (@ 7:05 pm) and Sunday (@5:05) at Santander Arena.

• Tonight’s victory pushed the Royals’ record to 11-5-1-1 against teams from the East Division with eleven more games to be played against teams from the East.

• Tonight’s game marked the thirteenth come-from-behind win of the year for Reading.

• Pat Mullane recorded his first multi-goal game of the year tonight, which was also his team-leading fifteenth multi-point performance of the season. Mullane’s second goal tonight proved to be his first game winner of the year. Mullane, who has twenty points (6g-14a) in his last sixteen games, leads the Royals with forty-seven points (17g-30a) in forty-five games.

• Mullane is the twelfth different player to record a game winning goal for Reading this year.

• David Marshall (1g-2a) recorded his first three point performance of the season—and eighth multi-point game of year. Marshall, who has scored a goal in three of his last four games, has registered at least one point in ten of his last thirteen games, during which he has recorded fourteen points (5-9a=14pts).

• Cam Reid scored his team-leading eighteenth goal of the year tonight. He has twelve points in his last nine games (6g-6a).

• Maxim Lamarche, who played plus-2 (+2) tonight and leads the team at plus-20 (+20) overall, scored his fourth goal in a span of nine games. He has recorded at least one point in eight of his last nine (4g-7a=11pts).

• Florida generated 49 shots on Reading’s goal tonight, which is a team-season high for shots against the Royals.

• Goaltender Martin Ouellette, who made a team-season high 45 saves tonight, stretched his personal win streak to three tonight. Ouellette has won nine of his last eleven games with the Royals—and is 11-2-1-1 in his last fifteen games with Reading.

• Reading’s penalty killers have knocked off 36 of the last 38 power play chances for the opposition over the last eleven games, which is a 94.7% kill ratio during that span. Reading’s PK has blanked the opposition twenty-eight times this year, and has compiled a record of 22-4-1-1 in those games.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

Reading Royals v Florida Everblades

@ Santander Arena – Reading, PA

Saturday, February 7, 2015 (7:05 pm)

NEXT UP: The Royals and Everblades play game two in the three-game weekend set tomorrow (Saturday, February 7 @ 7:05 pm) at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania. Tomorrow is our annual Penn State University THON night when the Royals will wear special jerseys, which will be auctioned after the game to benefit the largest student run philanthropy in the world, THON which supports families with children suffering with pediatric cancer. The first 2000 fans (15 and older) tomorrow will get a beach towel courtesy of Metro Bank. Fans will also be entertained by the Fur Circus during the game. Saturday’s game day broadcast can be heard live in the Reading area on CBS SportsRadio (1240 am and 98.5 fm) beginning with the pre-game warm-up show presented by Highmark Blue Shield at 6:35 pm. Streaming internet audio is also available free of charge and can be accessed by following the ‘headset’ icon on the Royals’ website. 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 02-06