Royals Notch Win Number Twenty in Elmira, 8-2

Click Here for Box Score

Teams     Per: 1          2          3

REA:              6          1          1=8

ELM:              0          2          0=2

Records

REA: 20-12-1-1 = 42 (3, North Division)

ELM: 7-21-5-0 = 19 (6, North Division)

Goaltenders

REA: Ouellette (Win, 5-3-0-0) (28/30)

ELM:  Isles (Loss, 3-13-3-0) (30/38)

Power Play:

REA: 0 – 3  

ELM: 1 – 2

Elmira, NY – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­­Win, 20-12-1-1 = 42) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, defeated the Elmira Jackals (Loss, 7-21-5-0 = 19), 8-2, at First Arena in Elmira, New York.

In the first road game of Calendar Year 2017 for the Royals, Reading came storming out of the gate, tying a team record with six first period goals and then essentially boat-raced the Jackals to the finish line. For Reading, this was the sixth win in the last seven games played and the fourteenth win in the team’s last eighteen games (14-4-0-0). This victory, which was the twentieth overall win for Reading this season, pushed the team’s record to eight games over .500 for the first time this season. The Royals are now 4-0-0-0 against Elmira with six more games to be played in the season series, including the next two games for both teams.

Individually, fourteen of the sixteen Reading skaters were credited with at least a point on the final game sheet, and five players had multi-point nights, including Olivier Labelle (2g-1a), Chris McCarthy (1g-2a), Matt Willows (1g-2a), and Justin Crandall (1g-2a). Fifteen skaters played to a plus in the game, with five skaters playing to a plus-3 and defenseman Florian Iberer leading the way at plus-4.

Reading wasted little time taking control of this one. 3:16 in Kevin Sundher made a pin-point pass out of the left corner to Willows who was wide open and all alone on the right side of the crease. Willows made quick work of that chance for his eighth of the year—and fourth in twelve games with Reading.

In relative short-order, Reading went up 2-0 when Crandall threaded a pass down the slot towards a charging Olivier Labelle, who deftly angled the puck to the low right corner for his first of the night and fourteenth of the year 6:57 into the first.

The Royals then blew things open with back-to-back goals separated by only seventeen seconds when Matt Wilkins and Ryan Penny got free in front of the Elmira cage for their seventh and ninth goals, respectively, of the season at the 8:21 and 8:44 marks of the first period.

Labelle notched his second of the night 12:18 of the first on another deflection—this one of a Steven Swavely shot from the deep on the left side to make it 5-0; and Reading capped the six-goal outburst in the first on a late period burst by Chris McCarthy, who charged into the offensive zone and snapped off a thirty-five footer that beat goaltender Andy Isles high to the glove side.

In the second, the Royals stretched the lead to seven (7-0) directly at the conclusion of the team’s second power play chance when Florian Iberer uncorked a water-bottle busting blast from right along the goal line deep on the right wing side 6:48 into the period. For Iberer that was his eighth of the year, which leads all defensemen on the team.

Elmira finally broke through on the team’s first power play chance of the night 12:22 into the second period when newcomer Sam Provorozniuk, ripped a bullet from the left half wall that buzzed across the body of goaltender Martin Ouellette and caught the upper right corner of the net for his twelfth of the year—and first with the Jackals.

The Jackals also picked up a goal with just 5 seconds left in the second period, when defenseman Steven Kaunisto caught the Royals napping with a long stretch pass from the defensive zone, sending Sebastien Sylvestre behind the Reading defense and into the offensive end. Sylvestre did not waste the chance, ripping a bullet over the catching glove of Ouellette for his ninth of the year.

Reading got the only goal of the third relatively early in the period when Nick Luukko fired a long stretch pass from deep in the defensive zone to Crandall who was waiting at the center red line. Crandall knocked the puck down with his glove and took off on a breakaway where he laid down a beautiful forehand-backhand chip for his eleventh of the year—and his twenty-seventh point (10g-17a) in his last eighteen games.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14

@ ELMIRA JACKALS

First Arena – Elmira, NY (7:05 pm)

MONDAY, JANUARY 16

v ELMIRA JACKALS

Santander Arena – Reading, PA (1:00 pm)

Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Matinee

Buy One Ticket – Get One Free

Second in a Series of Four Bobblehead Giveaways: Olivier Labelle

Courtesy of Reading Health System

ROYALS BROADCAST

AUDIO: iHeartRadio – Rumba 1340 in Reading

TELEVISION: Royals’ Road Games are televised locally in Berks County, Pennsylvania

on BCTV, which Can Found at Comcast Reading Cable Channel 15,

Service Electric Cable Channel 19, Comcast Southern Berks Channel 965

Courtesy of Boscov’s Travel and Apple Vacations

STREAMING VIDEO: ECHL.TV powered by NeuLion (Pay-Per-View)

End 17 01-13