Royals Close Out 2015 with Shootout Loss in Adirondack, 2-1

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Teams     Per: 1          2          3          OT      SO

REA:              0          1          0          0          0=1

ADK:              1          0          0          0          1=2

Records

REA: 15-11-2-3 = 35 (4th East Division)

ADK: 18-7-1-1 = 38 (t-2nd North Division)

Goaltenders

REA: Morrison (SOL) 5-5-2-2 (39/40) (65:00) (1/3 in SO)

ADK: Appleby (Win) 11-6-1-1 (26/27) (65:00) (2/2 in SO)

Power Play:

REA: 0-1

ADK: 0-2

Glens Falls, NY – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­­SOL, 15-11-2-3=35) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, were defeated in a shootout by the Adirondack Thunder (Win, 18-7-1-1=38), affiliate of the Calgary Flames of the NHL, 2-1, at Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, New York.

In the Royals first game ever in Glens Falls (and against the Thunder) and the last game of Calendar Year 2015, the Thunder snapped a streak of seven straight in which Reading had scored first by striking 17:15 into the opening frame; but defenseman Nick Luukko bagged his first as a pro late in the second to tie things up at one, which is how things would end in regulation. It stayed that way through overtime—thanks in no small part to the acrobatics of goaltender Adam Morrison—but the Thunder were able to solve Morrison in the shootout, while the Royals’ continued a stretch of ‘0-for’ in the skills competition (0-3 in shootout games; and 0-11 in shootout attempts).

With the shootout loss, the Royals, who have gained at least one standings point in nine of the last ten games (5-1-2-2) extended the team’s unbeaten streak to five (3-0-1-1) and the road unbeaten streak to eight (4-0-2-2).

Adirondack broke through late in the first when Michael Kirkpatrick gained possession behind the Royals’ net and fed it to the low slot where Peter MacArthur found a soft seam below the Royals’ defenders. MacArthur took a quick snap shot that Morrison rejected with his right pad; but the rebound kicked right back to MacArthur, who took one stride across the top of the crease and stuffed the second bid home for his first since returning to North America from Austria five games ago.

For the rest of regulation, the two teams played a close-to-the-chest chess match with the two respective goaltenders neutralizing any chances that did materialize.

That style went by the wayside in overtime when the Thunder made it rain, creating chance-after-chance only to be rejected by the spectacular stylings of goaltender Adam Morrison, who was credited with nine saves in the extra frame.

In the skills competition, Adirondack’s Dana Fraser and Peter MacArthur laid down perfect moves to hit pay-dirt; while the Royals shooters (Justin Crandall and Cam Reid) were rejected by Appleby, continuing a streak of eleven straight shootout attempts that have fallen short for Reading.

Reading opens up the New Year on Saturday (January 2, 2016 @ 7:00pm) at Santander Arena where the team will face Adirondack Thunder for the second of what are three consecutive games. That night, the Royals will celebrate ‘Royals Resolution’ Night and giveaway a winter trapper hat to the first 1500 fans fifteen years of age and older courtesy of Deibler Dental. 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 6:30 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.

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