Royals Kick Off Road Trip with Comeback Win in Idaho, 3-2

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Teams     Per: 1          2          3

REA:              0          2          1 =3

IDA:               0          2          1 =2

Records

REA: 3-1-0-0 = 6 (t-1st North Division)

IDH: 1-3-1-0 = 3  (4th Mountain Division)

Goaltenders

REA: Ouellette (win 2-0-0-0) (32/34)

IDH:  Bow (loss, 1-2-1-0) (23/26)

Power Play:

REA: 0 – 1

WHL: 1 – 3

Boise, ID – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­­win, 3-1-0-0 = 6) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, defeated the Idaho Steelheads (loss, 1-3-1-0 = 3), 3-2, at Century Link Arena in Boise, Idaho.

In the opening game of a season-long eight game road trip, the Royals fell behind 2-0 in the second period only to bounce back from a two-goal deficit and pick up the two points for the second time on the road in this young season. Reading got goals in quick succession in the latter stages of the second period from Ryan Penny and Derrick Johnson to tie the game at two; and then early in the third, Mike Pereira’s first goal of the year proved to be the tie-breaking game winner. Reading also got an exceptional performance from goaltender Martin Ouellette who made 32 saves to push his record to 2-0-0-0.

After a scoreless first, the Steelheads struck on their third power play chance of the night when Rob Linsmayer controlled below the goal line to the right side of the Royals’ net. As Linsmayer drew the attention of Reading’s defenders, Will Merchant found a soft spot in front of the Reading net from which he took Linsmayer’s saucer feed and roofed it up and over Oullette for his first as a pro 8:10 into the second.

The Steelheads stretched the lead to two 12:38 into the second when the right-shooting Linsmayer carried below the goal line and behind the Royals’ net coming out in the deep left side, a position from which he ripped a sharp-angle short-side bullet that glanced off the right shoulder of Oullette and caught the cross-bar and then the back of the net for Linsmayer’s second of the year.

2:05 later, Reading finally broke through when Jesper Pettersson settled at the right point, danced his way through pressure, and dished to Ryan Penny, who had come up the right-wing wall to take the feed. Penny, a left-shot, cut to the middle of the ice and drilled a bullet over the blocker of goaltender Landon Bow for his second of the season.

Forty-one seconds later, the Royals tied the game when defenseman Derrick Johnson fired a low wrister from deep at the left point that appeared to glance off of traffic out in front and elude Bow five-hole for Johnson’s first of the year.

Reading got what proved to be the game winner 4:27 into the third, when Chris McCarthy pressed Idaho defender Joe Faust behind the Steelhead net as he was seeking to set up a controlled breakout. McCarthy kicked the puck free and then fed it right back up the gut to a wide open and all alone Pereira, who snapped it home on Bow’s glove side for his first of the year.

From that point forward, it was a hotly contested high-energy, high-pace finish with the Royals holding off the Steelhead charge to win for the second time in team history in Boise (2-1-0-0).

The Royals and Steelheads face off in the second of what is a three-game set this Friday (October 28 @ 9:10 pm Eastern). Friday’s game, as with all Royals’ road games, will be televised locally in Berks County, Pennsylvania on BCTV courtesy of Boscov’s Travel and Apple Vacations. The free audio broadcast can be found at iHeartRadio on Rumba 1340 in Reading. Fans can also purchase streaming video on ECHL.TV. More information on the Royals is available at www.royalshockey.com.

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