Royals Tie Semifinal Series with 4-2 Win in Wheeling

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Teams     Per: 1          2          3

REA:              1         0          3=4

WHL:             0         2          0=2

Series

REA: 1-1-0

WHL: 1-1-0

Overall Playoff Record

REA: 5-4-0

WHL: 5-3-0

Goaltenders

REA: Morrison (Win) 1-2-0 (29/31)

WHL: Foster (Loss) 4-2-0 (34/38)

Power Play:

REA: 1-6

WHL: 1-4

Wheeling, WV – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­­win, 5-4-0) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, defeated the Wheeling Nailers (win, 5-2-0) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League, 4-2, in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinal best-of-seven playoff series at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia. With the win, the Royals tied the second round series 1-1 with Game Three in Reading on Wednesday.

In the first game in three years in the month of May for the Royals, Reading struck first, but needed a heavy push in the third period to come-from-behind and claim the win. This marked the first come-from-behind win of the post-season for the Royals, who trailed 2-1 entering the final frame but came up with three goals in a span of 5:28 to win for the fourth time in this post-season on the road. This game continued a couple of trends for the Royals, including winning all five games in this playoff season in which the team has scored first, as well as an unusual streak of alternating a win with a loss with a win (etc…) for the last sixteen consecutive post-season games.

Reading struck 14:06 into the first when the Royals, who fell victim to a bad bounce off the glass in Game One of the series last Friday night, got a bounce in their favor. Yannick Tifu, who was playing in his 100th career pro playoff game, and Justin Crandall conspired to dig a puck out of the left corner in the offensive zone. As the puck rimmed up the wall, it hit a suspect joint in the boards and ricocheted towards the top of the right circle, where Kevin Goumas took a swipe that resulted in a change-of-pace knuckler that dipped under the catching glove of goaltender Brian Foster and just caught the right corner of the Wheeling net for Goumas’ fourth of the playoff season.

Wheeling took back the lead with a pair in the second. The first came 3:54 into the period when Derek Army, who was just added to the Wheeling roster today, took a snap shot from the mid-slot that buzzed wide of the Royals’ net but ricocheted off the end wall and directly back towards the left side of the Royals’ net where Matt Tabrum stepped up and tapped the puck between the legs of goaltender Adam Morrison, who was in the midst of a big power push to his right in an attempt to cover the short side bid. For Tabrum, that was his first of the playoff season.

The Nailers took a 2-1 lead 10:57 into the second with a five-on-three power play goal. Back-to-back penalties to Reading’s Cam Reid and Scott Tanski gave the Nailers 1:14 worth of two-skater advantage 10:08 into the period. They only needed 49 seconds before Clark Seymour threaded a seeing eye wrister from just inside the blue line that floated by Morrison, who was well-screened, and found the low right corner for Seymour’s first of the playoff season.

Reading tied things at two on the team’s fourth power play chance of the night 8:12 into the second period, when Maxim Lamarche settled in the high slot and fired a hot snapper towards the Wheeling net. Justin Crandall, who was cutting in front of the Nailer cage, got just enough of the puck to deflect it behind Foster for his second of the playoff season.

1:57 after that, Reading got what proved to be the game winner, when a misplay at the right point by a Nailer defender turned into a two-on-one rush for the Royals led by Goumas, who carried into the offensive zone down the left wing side before sending a cross-slot saucer that landed flat for the hard-charging Brandon Alderson, who buried his team-leading seventh of the playoff season—and what proved to be his second game winner.

Reading got a little insurance 13:40 into the final frame, when Nikita Kashirsky battled his way to a loose puck below the goal line and fed it back up into the mid-slot where Ian Watters, who had just stepped onto the ice, found a soft seam for a hot bullet that buzzed by Foster low on the stick side for his second of the playoff season.

From that point forward, the Royals were able to hold the Nailers at bay and win for the fourth time in seven tries in the team’s playoff history (4-3-0) at WesBanco Arena.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

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

Reading Royals v Wheeling Nailers

@ Santander Arena – Reading, Pennsylvania

Wednesday, May 4, 2016 (7:00 pm Eastern Time)

NEXT UP: The Royals and Nailers face-off in Game Three of their Eastern Conference Semi-Final matchup on Wednesday (May 4 @ 7:00 pm) at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania. Game Three 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 (7:00 pm) – Santander Arena (Reading, PA)

Thursday, May 5 (7:00 pm) – Santander Arena (Reading, PA)

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

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

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

End 16 05-02