Royals Take Game Five in Toledo, 5-3

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Teams     Per: 1          2          3

REA:              2          2          1 =5

TOL:              0          3          0 =3

Records

REA: 3-2-0

TOL: 2-3-0

Goaltenders

REA: Ouellette (win) (3-0-0) (34/37)

TOL: Paterson (loss) (2-1-0) (7/11) (32:17)

            Lerg (No Decision) (8/9) (24:35)

Power Play:

REA: 2-3

TOL: 2-4

Toledo, OH – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­­win, 3-2-0) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, defeated the Toledo Walleye (2-3-0), affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL, 5-3, in Game Five of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Quarterfinal playoff matchup at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio. The win for the Royals gives Reading the lead in the series (three games to two) for the third time. Game Six will be held at Santander Arena in Reading on Sunday (@ 4:00 pm).

Reading struck first and held three separate two-goal leads—the third of which the team made hold up under heavy pressure from the Walleye in the third period. After Toledo had tied the game at two with back-to-back power play goals in the second period, Reading turned to Brandon Alderson, who ended up running off the final three goals for Royals—including the game winner. Toledo came with an explosive attack generating a series-high thirty-seven shots, but goaltender Martin Ouellette was nothing short of spectacular to pick up his third win in the series.

Reading struck 6:49 into the first when Alderson chipped one from behind the center-red line into the offensive zone and Justin Crandall outraced everyone to nullify icing. Crandall then tracked the loose puck behind the Toledo net and threaded it to Cam Reid, who was planted low in the right circle, where he turned wheeled and fired a short-side bullet for his second of the playoff season.

The Royals took the team’s first two-goal lead 9:43 into the first period on the team’s first power play chance. Kevin Goumas and Brandon Alderson went to work behind the Toledo net and fed the puck to the high slot where Mike Marcou ripped a blast that may have nicked off a Toledo defender and buzzed behind goaltender Jake Paterson for his second of the playoff season.

Toledo fought back to tie the game at two with back-to-back power play goals in the second. The first came 4:02 into the period, when Scott Czarnowczan took a shot off the left half-wall that slipped through traffic causing Ouellette to make a difficult save. However, he was not able to control the rebound and the loose puck fell directly to Shane Berschbach at the top of the crease on the right side. Berschbach swiped it behind a sprawled out Ouellette, who got a chunk of the puck but not enough to keep it above the goal line.

The Walleye tied the game at two at the 9:57 mark of the second period with their second consecutive power play goal, which came when Kyle Bonis just blew down the left wing side, flew by a Reading defender, cut from deep on the left side and barreled his way to the top of the crease where he stuffed the puck behind Ouellette for his fourth of the playoff season.

Reading bounced back in relative quick fashion—twenty-eight seconds to be exact—when Reid carried to into the offensive zone and dropped to the trailing Alderson, who criss-crossed with Reid and ripped a hot rivet from the high slot that blew by Paterson for his first of the night and fourth of the playoff season.

1:52 after that the Royals re-took the two goal advantage at 4-2, when Ian Watters dug the puck out with an aggressive forecheck in the right wing corner and fed Maxim Lamarche at the point. Lamarche fed the puck to the front of the net where Alderson was wide open and all alone for a bar-down back-hand up and over the left shoulder over Paterson, which served to chase the young goaltender in favor of Jeff Lerg.

Toledo cut the lead back to one at 4-3 with 1:09 remaining in the second period when Tyler Spink gained possession on the goal line at the left side of the Royals’ net and bounced one into the low slot where Bonis came crashing in and swiped a one-timer by Ouellette for his second of the night and fifth of the playoff series. Bonis had one more bid in him before the end of the second on another rush up ice led by the Spink twins; on this one, however, Bonis’ shot out of the right circle clanked iron with less than two seconds remaining in the period, allowing the Royals to get out of the second with a one-goal advantage.

Reading re-built the team’s two-goal cushion on the second power play chance of the night 6:03 into the third on a brilliant high deflection by Aldreson. Jesper Pettersson threw a no look snap pass to the mid-slot where Alderson was able to angle the puck up and over the catching glove of Lerg for his third in a row and sixth of the playoff season.

From that point forward, the Walleye released the hounds, but Reading was able to keep them at bay to take the team’s third lead in the series at three-games-to-two.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

Game Six Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Best-of-Seven Playoff Series

Reading Royals v Toledo Walleye

@ Santander Arena – Reading, PA

Sunday, April 22, 2016 (4:00 pm Eastern Time)

NEXT UP: The Royals and Walleye travel back to Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania, for Game Six in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal matchup on Sunday (April 24, 2016 @ 4:00 pm). The first round playoff showdown can be heard live on CBS SportsRadio 1240 AM and 98.5 FM in Reading, Pennsylvania, starting with the pre-game warm-up show presented by Highmark Blue Shield at 3:30 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.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Best-of-Seven Series

Friday, April 15 (7:35 pm) – Huntington Center (Toledo, OH) Royals 4 – Walleye 3          Reading Leads Series 1-0

Saturday, April 16 (7:35 pm) – Huntington Center (Toledo, OH) Walleye 4 – Royals 3      Series Tied 1-1

Tuesday, April 19 (7:00 pm) – Santander Arena (Reading, PA) Royals 4 – Walleye 2         Reading Leads Series 2-1

Wed., April 20 (7:00 pm) – Santander Arena (Reading, PA)            Walleye 3 – Royals 1             Series Tied 2-2

Friday, April 22 (7:35 pm) – Huntington Center (Toledo, OH) Royals 5 – Walleye 3          Reading Leads Series 3-2

Sunday, April 24 (4:00 pm) – Santander Arena (Reading, PA)

Tuesday, April 26 (7:35 pm) – Huntington Center (Toledo, OH) – if necessary

End 16 04-22