Royals Bag First Win Ever in Adirondack, 3-2

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Teams     Per: 1          2          3

REA:              1          0          2=3

ADK:              0          1          1=2

Records

REA: 20-17-4-3 = 47 (t-3rd Place East Division)

ADK: 26-11-2-2 = 56 (2nd Place East Division)

Goaltenders

REA: Ouellette (Win) 9-8-2-0 (25/27)

ADK: Simpson (Loss) 6-2-1-1 (21/24)

Power Play:

REA: 1-5

ADK: 1-6

Glens Falls, NY – The Reading Royals (Win, 20-17-4-3=47) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, defeated the Adirondack Thunder (Loss, 26-11-2-2=56) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Calgary Flames, 3-2, at Glens Falls Civic Center.

The Royals claimed the team’s first win ever in Glens Falls Civic Center on a tie breaking game winner from Mike Pereira with just 1:05 left in regulation. After getting shutout in the last two games in Glens Falls, the Royals broke up the shutout streak early on but needed the one at the other end of the game to take the two points. In between, the two teams—as they have for the most part in the seven games played so far in the regular season series—traded chances and physical scrums in another tightly fought contest.

Reading, who entered the game riding 143:58 of consecutive shutout time against, snapped that streak in relative short-order when Jesper Pettersson sprang Robbie Czarnik with a perfect cross ice pass through the neutral zone. Czarnik carried down the left side—his off wing—got to the face-off dot and uncorked a bullet that blew by goaltender Kent Simpson on the far side for his team-leading eighteenth of the year 2:58 into the first.

It appeared that the Royals had taken a 2-0 lead 4:20 into the second when Kevin Young sprang Brandon Alderson for a breakaway bullet; however…Reading was called for too many men on the ice. So not only was the Royals’ apparent goal waived off; but also Adirondack was sent on the power play—and they didn’t waste it. Patch Alber set Michael Kirkpatrick for a hard snap shot out of the left circle that sniped goaltender Martin Ouellette on the short-side for his sixteenth of the year 4:42 into the second.

Reading re-took the lead 5:21 into the third with the team’s first power play goal of the year against Adirondack in twenty-two tries with the man advantage. Mike Pereira made a power move along the goal line and slipped the puck across the body of Simpson and under his right arm for his fifteenth of the season.

Adirondack re-tied the game at two 7:49 into the third with a bounce-back rebound goal. Jeff Silengo ripped one from the left point that Ouellette kicked out with the right pad; but James Henry was right on the doorstep for the punch back and his fourth of the year.

Reading got the late third-period tie-breaking game winner with just 1:05 left in regulation time. Cam Reid won an offensive zone face-off, and Brandon Alderson dug the puck out of the right wing corner; but it was Pereira who corralled it off the wall, cut to the slot, feigned one shot, pulled the puck deeper into the slot and drilled a hot laser glove side one Simpson for his fifteenth of the year—and the first win ever for Reading in Glens Falls.

The Royals return home to Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday (February 3 @ 7:00 pm), when the team will face the Manchester Monarchs. The Royals will celebrate the activities associated with the annual Penn State University THON fundraising effort in conjunction with the Berks County Chapter of the PSU Alumni Association. Wednesday’s game night broadcast on CBS Sports Radio 1240 am and 98.5 fm will kick off with the pre-game warm-up show presented by Highmark Blue Shield at 6:30 pm. 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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