Royals Hold Off Walleye to Earn Weekend Split, 3-2

Teams     Per: 1          2          3

TOL:              0          0          2=2

REA:              1          2          0=3

Records

TOL:  36-13-3-2=77 (2nd North Division)

REA: 38-15-2-2=80 (T-1st East Division)

Goaltenders

TOL: Coreau (N/D) (5/6) (12:12)

Lerg (loss) 24-7-1-1 (45:59) (26/28)

REA:  Knapp (win) 20-8-1-1 (25/27)

Power Play:

TOL: 0-1

REA: 0-1

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­­win, 38-15-2-2=80) 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 Toledo Walleye (loss, 36-13-3-2=77), 3-2, at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania.

In the back-end of a weekend two-game set against the Walleye, the Royals built a multi-goal lead for the second consecutive night; but unlike last night, when Toledo rang off four straight to take the two points, the Royals were able to hold off a third period surge by the Walleye and beat Toledo in regulation time for the first time in four tries this season. Reading struck in the first on a deflection by Cam Reid, and then stretched the lead to three with back-to-back goals late in the second by Brandon Alderson and David Marshall. The Walleye charged in the third and broke up the shutout bid by goaltender Connor Knapp 5:58 into the final frame—and then made it a one goal nail biter with a bullet by Martin Frk with 5:27 left, but Knapp and the Royals had all the answers down the stretch to record Knapp’s twentieth win of the year, while pushing the team’s point total to the eighty point plateau.

First Period (1-0, Reading)

7:39 (1-0, Reading) Reading Goal

Reid (24); Hughesman and Lamarche (deflection of shot from high slot)

Reading struck first after defenseman Bryant Molle carried deep into the offensive zone going around the Walleye net and passing back to the right point to Maxim Lamarche, who in turn slid the puck to Adam Hughesman who had picked up Molle’s position just inside the offensive blue line in the middle of the ice. Hughesman fired a shot that was about a foot-and-a-half off the ice that was headed towards the left side of the net. Cam Reid, who was planted out front of the Toledo cage, deftly nicked the puck with his stick causing it to go back against the grain over the left arm of goaltender Jared Coreau, who started the game and was pulled after 12:12 of game time during which he allowed this one goal on a total of six shots.

Second Period (3-0, Reading)

17:12 (2-0, Reading) Reading Goal

Alderson (5); Reid and Molle (punch in of loose puck off a rebound of a shot from in tight)

The Royals stretched the lead to two late in the second after generating an extended mid-period push that created multiple scoring opportunities on which Toledo’s substitute goaltender Jeff Lerg had to make any number of quality saves. However, the Royals were undaunted and continued to press hard as the period was headed to the late stages. Molle got the puck deep to Reid, who walked out from behind the Toledo net and then turned wheeled and fired from the low left slot. Reid’s shot went off the left shoulder of Lerg and fluttered over his body, landing in the blue paint, where Brandon Alderson had the inside track for an easy tap in and his fifth of the year.

18:26 (3-0, Reading) Reading Goal

Marshall (19); Flemming (follow up on his own rebound of a shot out of the right circle)

1:14 later, the Royals stretched the lead to three when David Marshall carried to the top of the right circle where he ripped a bullet that Lerg fought off with his upper body. The puck fell to the right side of the crease, where an attacking Reading forward and a Toledo defender skated by the puck, leaving it for Marshall to step up, follow his own shot and pound the puck behind Lerg for his nineteenth of the year—and what would prove to be his team leading seventh game winner of the year.

Third Period (3-2, Reading)

5:58 (3-1, Reading) Toledo Goal

Berschbach (13), Nedomiel and Lerg (snap shot from mid slot)

The Walleye broke up Knapp’s shutout bid when Shane Berschbach took a pass on the move, turned on the jets through the neutral zone, danced a Royal forward who stepped up trying to slow the charge, and then carried down the slot, where he put himself in a position to fire a bullet back-against the grain (right-to-left) to the stick side of Knapp for his thirteenth of the year.

14:33 (3-2, Reading) Toledo Goal

Frk (23); Bonis and Lampl (blast from the mid-slot)

With time ticking down, the Walleye drew within one when Kyle Bonis made a perfect pass from below the goal line back up into the slot where Martin Frk came charging down the middle and absolutely unloaded a one-time cannon shot that buzzed by everyone including Knapp for his twenty-third of the season. But that would be it for the Walleye who continued to push down to the final buzzer—including the last 1:49 with the sixth attacker on the ice—but, in contrast to last night, the Royals held on in this one to win the team’s nineteenth on home ice this year.

NOTES:

• The Royals scratches tonight included: Andrew Johnston (f) (ECHL Reserve), Kevin Sullivan (f), Kevin Walrod (f), Zach Davies (d) (21-Day Injured Reserve), and Kenny Reiter (g) (ECHL Reserve).

• With the win tonight, the Royals kept pace with the Florida Everblades, who also won earlier in the day, to remain tied for first place in the East Division with 80 points.

• Tonight’s game marked the Royals’ first regulation win of the year against Toledo. Reading completed the four game season series against the Walleye with a 2-2-0-0 record. (The Royals first win over the Walleye was picked up in a shootout on November 16, 2014.)

• Reading has compiled a record of 25-0-0-0 when holding the opposition to two goals or less.

• Reading scored the first goal of the game for the thirty-first time tonight. The Royals are 25-4-0-2 when scoring first—and have gone 14-1-0-2 on home ice when scoring the game’s first goal.

• Cam Reid (1g-1a) pushed his personal point streak to eight games tonight (6g-8a=14pts) with his sixteenth multi-point performance of the season. Reid has twenty-seven points (12g=15a) in his last nineteen games. Tonight’s goal was not only Reid’s team leading twenty-fourth of the year—it was also his team-leading sixth ‘first goal’ of the season.

• Brandon Alderson, who snapped a thirteen game goal scoring drought last night, picked up his second goal in two games tonight.

• David Marshall racked up his team-leading seventh game winner of the year this evening. Marshall has thirteen points (7g-6a) in his last thirteen games.

• Adam Hughesman stretched his point streak to six games (2g-8a=10pts) when he recorded the primary assist on Reid’s goal tonight.

• Defenseman Brett Flemming has had at least one assist (0g-5a) in four of his last five games.

• Defenseman Maxim Lamarche has four points (1g-3a) in his last five games.

• Goaltender Connor Knapp extended his personal win streak to four games (3-0-0-1) tonight. Knapp is 11-1-1-1 in his last fourteen games for the Royals.

• The Royals’ penalty kill (1 for 1) snapped a streak of three straight games in which they had given up at least one power play goal to the opposition. Tonight’s game marked the thirty-third time that the PK has blanked the opponent’s PP. Reading has compiled a record of 26-4-1-2 in those games.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

Reading Royals @ Elmira Jackals

@ First Arena – Elmira, NY

Friday, March 13, 2015 (7:05 pm Eastern Time)

NEXT UP: The Royals head out on the road for the team’s final trip of the regular season to First Arena in Elmira, New York on Friday, March 13 @ 7:05 pm. The game night broadcast for Friday’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 6:35 pm Eastern Time. As with all road games for the Royals this season, Friday’s game will be televised locally 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.

End 15 03-08