Forward MIke Pereira Returned to Reading

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, today announced that forward Mike Pereira has been returned to the Royals from the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League. In separate transactions, forward Pavel Padakin and goaltender Martin Ouellette have been recalled to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. In other transactions, the Royals: (i) released forward Andrew Ammon from his Standard Players Contract; and (ii) released Nick Niedert as the team’s Emergency Back-Up Goaltender and signed him to a Standard Players Contract.

Pereira, a second year pro from West Haven, Connecticut, was loaned to Utica on January 9. He scored one goal in six games with the Comets. In twenty-eight games with the Royals this year, Pereira has recorded twenty-seven points (14g-13a) and played to a team-leading plus-12 (+12). Padakin, a first year pro from Kiev, Ukraine, was loaned to Reading on December 6. He has played seventeen games with the Royals this season (5g-8a=13pts). In twenty-three games with the Phantoms this year, Padakin has recorded four assists. This is the fourth time Ouellette has been recalled to Lehigh Valley. He has appeared in two games for the Phantoms, compiling a record of 0-2-0-0 with a 5.40 goals against average and a .842 save percentage. In eighteen games with Reading, he has gone 8-7-2-0 with a 2.00 goals against average (fourth best in the league), a .916 save percentage and three shutouts. Ammon, a second year pro from Anchorage, Alaska, registered four penalty minutes in six games with the Royals. Niedert has appeared in one game for Reading this season (0-0-0-0, 4.95, .727).

The Royals return to action tonight (Wednesday, January 27 @ 7:05 pm) at First Arena in Elmira, New York, where Reading will face the Elmira Jackals for the tenth time this season. Tonight’s game night broadcast can be heard on CBS Sports Radio 1240 am and 98.5 am in Reading beginning with the pre-game warm-up show presented by Highmark Blue Shield at 6:35 pm. As with all Royals road games this season, Wednesday’s game will also 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; 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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