Royals Fall in Triple Overtime to Wheeling, 2-1

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Teams     Per: 1          2          3          ot         2ot       3ot

WHL:             0         1          0          0          0          1=2

REA:              0         0          1          0          0          0=1

Series

WHL: 2-2-0

REA: 2-1-1

Overall Playoff Record

WHL: 6-4-0

REA: 6-4-1

Goaltenders

WHL: Palazzese (Win) 2-1-0 (42/43) (104:03)

REA: Ouellette (OTL) 4-2-1 (50/52) (104:22)

Power Play:

WHL: 1-4

REA: 0-5

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­­overtime loss, 6-4-1) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, were defeated in triple overtime by the Wheeling Nailers (win, 6-4-0) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League, 2-1, in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinal best-of-seven playoff series at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania

With the win, the Nailers have tied the second round series at two games apiece with Game Five scheduled for Saturday at Santander Arena.

In what proved to be the longest game in Royals’ team history, Reading fell behind on a second period power play goal, but battled back to tie the game in the third period and get to overtime, which kept going and going until Wheeling’s Cody Wydo buried a breakaway in the third overtime 104:22 after the opening face-off. Reading had ample opportunity to end this one, particularly in the second overtime, but goaltender Franky Palazzese successfully kept Reading’s OT attack at bay. The Royals’ goaltender, Martin Ouellette, made 50 saves but ended up as the hard-luck loser in Reading’s twentieth playoff overtime game (12-8) in the fifteen year history of the organization.

After a scoreless, if somewhat lethargic first period, the Nailers struck on their first power play chance of the night 4:20 into the second period when Clark Seymour fired a snapper from the left point that was deftly deflected by Ty Loney causing the puck to catch the low left corner, while a well-screened Ouellette searched for the shot. The goal was Loney’s fourth of the playoff season.

Reading found their collective legs in the third and finally hit pay-dirt 13:02 into the final frame when Yannick Tifu led out Brandon Alderson down the right wing side into the Nailers’ defensive zone. Alderson turned on the jets and beat a Wheeling defender on the edge, cutting from deep on the right hand side hard across the top of the crease, slipping the puck under and through Palazzese for his league-leading eighth of the playoff season.

From that point forward it was a repeated sequence of ebb and flow, and punch and counter-punch, which extended through the first two overtime sessions, with Wheeling holding much of the zone time in the first OT, and the Royals pounding the pressure in the second.

Early in the third overtime, Reading got a great look off the rush on the left side for Austin Farley, but Palazzese responded with a brilliant left toe splits save; and in relative short-order John McCarron fired a 110 foot stretch pass to the offensive blue line where a waiting and wide open Cody Wydo pivoted on receipt of the puck and was off to the races. Wydo didn’t waste the chance, backing Ouellette down, and chipping the puck over his extended right pad. The puck just caught the interior portion of the left pipe and ricocheted into the net for his sixth of the playoff season and his first pro overtime game winner.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

Game Five Eastern Conference Semi-final Best-of-Seven Playoff Series

Reading Royals v Wheeling Nailers

@ Santander Arena – Reading, Pennsylvania

Saturday, May 7, 2016 (7:00 pm Eastern Time)

NEXT UP: The Royals and Nailers face-off in Game Five of their Eastern Conference Semi-Final matchup on Saturday (May 7 @ 7:00 pm) at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania. Game Five can be heard live on CBS SportsRadio 1240 AM and 98.5 FM in Reading, 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.

Eastern Conference Semifinal Best-of-Seven Series

Friday, April 29 – @ Wheeling                                  Nailers 4- Royals 1                  Wheeling Leads Series 1-0

Monday, May 2 - @ Wheeling                                   Royals 4 – Nailers 2                Series Tied 1-1

Wednesday, May 4  - @ Reading                            Royals 4 – Nailers 1               Reading Leads Series 2-1

Thursday, May 5 - @ Reading                                Nailers 2 – Royals 1 (3ot)      Series Tied 2-2          

Saturday, May 7 (7:00 pm) – Santander Arena (Reading, PA)

Monday, May 9 (7:05 pm) – WesBanco Arena (Wheeling, WV)

Wednesday, May 11 (7:05 pm) – WesBanco Arena (Wheeling, WV) if necessary

End 16 05-05