Royals Win Streak Snapped in Overtime Loss in Wheeling, 3-2

Teams     Per: 1          2          3          OT

REA:              1          1          0          0= 2 

WHL:             1          1          0          1= 3

Records

REA: 33-13-2-1=69 (1st East Division)

WHL: 23-23-0-0=46 (5th North Division)

Goaltenders

REA:  Knapp (OTL) 17-7-1-0 (32/35)

WHL: Hartzell (win) 12-9-0-0 (29/31)

Power Play:

REA: 1-5

WHL: 1-6

Wheeling, WV – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­­OTL, 33-13-2-1=69) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League, were defeated in overtime by the Wheeling Nailers (win, 23-23-0-0=46), 3-2, at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, WV.

Reading’s team record twelve game win streak was snapped on Friday the 13th at WesBanco Arena, the only building in which the Royals have played this season where the team hasn't won. The Nailers scored first, but Reading responded with a four-on-three power play goal by Cam Reid in the first; and then took a 2-1 lead in the second period on the second of the season by Michael Caruso. In pretty short order, Wheeling responded with a power play goal of their own—of the five-on-three variety—and that’s the way things went through the end of regulation time. In OT, Reading got the first look (a relatively open shot for David Marshall out of the right circle that he clanked off the right pipe)—but Wheeling got the first goal on a bank-in from below the goal line by Riley Brace. Despite having the team’s win streak snapped, Reading did pick up the team’s first point in WesBanco in the five games played so far this season in Wheeling (0-4-1-0).

First Period (1-1, Tie)

8:07 (1-0, Wheeling) Wheeling Goal

Burton (6); Cianfrini (rebound punch back of a shot from left point)

Wheeling struck first 8:07 into the first after a face-off win in the offensive zone. Defenseman Paul Cianfrini settled from the left point and ripped a low rocket ticketed towards the right side of the cage. Royals’ goaltender Connor Knapp responded with the left pad, but he kicked the puck to the low slot where center-man Jarrett Burton beat everyone to the loose puck, sliding it between the legs of Knapp for his sixth of the year.

10:06 (1-1, Tie) Reading Goal (Four-on-Three Power Play)

Reid (19); Marshall and Heywood (quick snap shot of deflected shot from high slot)

Reading responded on the team’s first power play chance of the night, which was of the four-on-three variety. David Marshall settled and blasted a puck from the high slot that hit a Nailer penalty killer in the shin pad. The puck ricocheted to the right circle where Cam Reid was poised and waiting for a quick, hot snapper that blew by goaltender Eric Hartzell for Reid’s team leading nineteenth of the season.

Second Period (2-2, Tie)

7:50 (2-1, Reading) Reading Goal

Caruso (2); Reid and Hughesman (give-and-go out of right corner, snap shot from deep on right)

Reading took the team’s first lead of the night on a beautifully executed give-and-go out of the right wing corner. Defenseman Michael Caruso went deep into the offensive zone and gained possession in the right corner. He passed to Cam Reid, who was below the goal line, and Reid returned the favor to Caruso, who was able to shoot from a sharp angle across the body of the goaltender Eric Hartzell for his second of the season.

9:54 (2-2, Tie) Wheeling Goal (Five-on-Three Power Play)

Burton 2 (7); Torquato and Ellis (redirect of diagonal down pass from right circle to left pipe)

Wheeling capitalized on 1:27 of five-on-three power play midway into the hockey game after a long sequence of offensive zone puck possession and several quality looks. Zach Torquato fired a perfect diagonal-down seam pass from deep in the right circle to the left pipe where Jarrett Burton had the inside track for an easy back-door tap in to rack up his second of the game and seventh of the season.

Third Period (6-5, Wheeling)

NO SCORING

The two teams traded a couple of chances off the rush in the final frame, but neither team was able to hit pay-dirt, sending the game to the extra frame.

Overtime (3-2, Wheeling)

3:13 (3-2, Wheeling) Wheeling Goal

Reading got a great look from David Marshall right off the face-off to start play in OT, but it was the Nailers who would end this one and simultaneously snap the Royals’ team record twelve game winning streak off the rush. Jarrett Burton carried down the middle of the ice into the offensive zone and fed Riley Brace on the left wing side. Brace took a sharp angle shot that goaltender Connor Knapp rejected; however the rebound fell directly back to the stick of Brace who carried below the goal line and banked it off the back of Knapp and into the net for Brace’s fourteenth of the year.

NOTES:

• The Royals scratches for tonight’s game were Matt Hatch (f) and Kevin Sullivan (f).

• The over-time loss for the Royals tonight snapped a team record twelve game win streak which began on January 17 in a shootout win in Elmira. Nonetheless, Reading stretched the team’s unbeaten streak to thirteen (12-0-1-0) and remained in first place of the East Division of the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Florida Everblades.

• Tonight’s game marked the first time that Reading has picked up a point of any type at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia. Reading has gone 0-4-1-0 in Wheeling this season with one more game to play against the Nailers at WesBanco (on March 28). The Royals have won all five matchups with the Nailers at Santander Arena in Reading (5-0-0-0). The two teams will meet one more time in Reading (on April 8).

• This OTL tonight snapped the Royals’ team season-long seven game win streak. The current eight game road unbeaten streak (7-0-1-0) is a team season long.

• Tonight’s game marked the eighth time this year that Reading has gone beyond regulation time, and the team is now 5-3 in those games, compiling an 0-2 record in games that have been resolved in overtime and 5-1 in games that have gone to the shootout.

• Cam Reid (1g-1a) scored his team-leading nineteenth goal of the season tonight. He also assisted on the Royals second goal (by Mike Caruso). That was the twelfth multi-point game of the year for Reid, who has thirteen points (7g-6a) in his last ten games.

• Michael Caruso scored his second goal of the year tonight.

• Adam Hughesman picked up an assist on Caruso’s goal. Hughesman has sixteen points (7g-9a) in his last seventeen games.

• Tonight’s OTL snapped the eight game win streak for goaltender Connor Knapp, who is 12-2-1-0 in his last fifteen games for the Royals.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

Reading Royals @ Elmira Jackals

@ First Arena – Elmira, NY

Saturday, February 14, 2015 (7:05 pm Eastern Time)

NEXT UP: The Royals continue the team’s current five game road swing at First Arena in Elmira, New York tomorrow (Saturday, February 14 @ 7:05 pm et) where Reading will face the Elmira Jackals. As with all Royals’ road games this season, Saturday’s game will be televised live locally in Berks County, Pennsylvania, on BCTV courtesy of Boscov’s Travel and Apple Vacations. The game night broadcast for Saturday’s matchup 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 7:05 pm Eastern Time. 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 02-13