Royals Complete Two-Game Sweep in Manchester, 7-4

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Teams     Per: 1          2          3

REA:              1         3          3=7

MAN:             1         2          1=4

Records

REA: 30-23-5-3 = 68 (t-6th Eastern Conference)

MAN: 36-18-3-5 = 80 (2nd Eastern Conference)

Goaltenders

REA: Morrison (Win) 6-5-2-2 (20/24)

MAN: Stevens (Loss) 15-6-1-0 (25/32)

Power Play:

REA: 2-6

MAN: 1-3

Manchester, NH – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­­Win, 30-23-5-3 = 68) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, defeated the Manchester Monarchs (Loss, 36-18-3-5 = 80) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League, 7-4, at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.

In the team’s final game of the regular season at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, the Royals came back from three separate deficits to bag the team’s thirtieth win of the season. Kevin Goumas led the offensive charge with a six point performance (3g-3a), as the Royals pulled away down the stretch to win the team’s third straight—and for the third consecutive time in Manchester. Kevin Sundher, playing in his first game for Reading since early November, scored the third period game winner to push the team’s record to seven games over .500, which ties the season high. Goaltender Adam Morrison, playing in his first game since December 31, 2015, pushed his personal unbeaten streak to six straight (3-0-2-1).

Manchester struck 6:28 into the first when Morrison settled the puck behind the net and rimmed a hard pass toward a Reading defender on the wall. The puck buzzed by the defender and was picked off on the right half-wall by Derek Arnold, who quickly fired the puck back towards the net as Morrison was attempting to scramble back in. The puck slid between Morrison’s legs and into the net for Arnold’s sixteenth of the year.

Reading tied the game 13:12 into the first on the team’s second power play chance of the game, when a perfect tic-tac-toe passing sequence from Cam Reid to Goumas to BrandonAlderson, sprang Alderson hard down the right wing side where got the edge on a Manchester defender and cut to the top of the crease, blowing by goaltender Colin Stevns and slipping a back-hand home for his tenth of the year—nine of which have come in his last fifteen games.

Twenty-seven seconds into the second period, the Monarchs took their second lead of the game when they hit for a perfect tic-tac-toe passing sequence of their own, which was started by Maxim Kitsyn, who fed Michael Boivin deep on the right wing side. Boivin in turn fed it back to the top of the crease, where Joey Diamond stepped in for a re-direct and his seventeenth of the year.

Forty-two seconds later, Reading re-tied the game at two when Brandon Alderson fed Goumas for a charge down the right wing. Goumas carried deep towards the net and then fed the puck back up into the mid slot where defenseman Jesper Petterson was set for a quick one-time swipe that bulleted by Stevens for his fourth of the year.

Manchester took their third lead of the game (3-2) 6:53 into the second when Alex Lintuniemi snuck a snap shot from deep on the left wing side through Morrison on the short-side for his first as a pro.

From there, Reading took control of the contest. First, the Royals tied things at three on the team’s second power play goal of the game, when Goumas flew down the left wing side, got to a spot just above and outside the dot in the left circle, and uncorked a bomb that blew by Stevens for his first of the night and third of the year 9:55 into the second.

Goumas gave the Royals the team’s first lead of the game (4-3) with a beautiful breakaway finish that began when Kevin Young slid a lead out pass to the neutral zone that was tapped ahead by Brandon Alderson (who ended up with four points, 1g-3a, on the night),to Goumas who picked the puck up on the fly, charged down the middle of the ice, protected the puck with one hand on the stick, pulled the puck to his forehand, and then chipped the it back against the grain into the upper right corner of the net for his fourth of the year.

Reading got what proved to be the game winner 9:08 into the third, when Kevin Sundher got a wide open look straight down the gut and didn’t waste it, blowing the puck by Stevens high glove side for his fourth of the year.

1:13 later, the Royals stretched the lead to three (6-3), when Nick Luukko fired a shot from the right point that hit a body out in front and fell to the mid-slot, where Cam Reid swiped a long-range back-hand behind Stevens for his seventeenth of the year.

Manchester made it 6-4 with a late game power play goal that came directly at the conclusion of twenty-five seconds of five-on-three when Alex Roach fired a long-range shot that whistled by a maze of players and goaltender Morrison for his sixth of the year 17:29 into the third.

Goumas capped the hattrick performance—and iced the game—when he picked off the puck at the offensive blue line with 1:37 left, carrying in basically uncontested on Stevens for a backhand-forehand stuff and his fifth goal—and eleventh point—in just four games with Reading.

Tomorrow (Sunday, March 12 @ 7:00 pm), the Royals continue the team’s five game road trip with an historic visit to Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York, where the team will face the Adirondack Thunder for the twelfth and the final time of the regular season. The game night broadcast for Sunday’s matchup can be heard 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. Please note that there will be NO television coverage in Berks County, PA on BCTV or streaming video on ECHL.TV because of a lack of the availability of the required computer equipment at Herb Brooks Arena. Streaming audio is available free of charge on the Royals website.

For more information about the Royals, call 610-898-7825 or log onto www.royalshockey.com.

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