Royals Bag Dramatic Come-from-Behind OT Win Over Adirondack, 3-2

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Teams     Per: 1          2          3          OT

ADK:              1          1          0          0=2

REA:              1          0          1          1=3

Records

ADK: 35-20-7-4=81 (1, North Division)

REA: 37-24-3-2=79 (T-3, North Division)

Goaltenders

ADK: Anderson (OTL, 14-4-4-0) (28/31) (64:00)

REA: Ouellette (Win, 15-13-0-1) (27/29) (64:00)

Power Play:

ADK: 1-3

REA: 0-2

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­­Win, 37-24-3-2=79) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, defeated the Adirondack Thunder (OTL, 35-20-7-4=81), 3-2, in overtime at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania.

For the second night in a row, the Royals came back from a one-goal third period deficit to get to overtime against the Thunder; but in contrast to last night, it was Reading who bagged the big goal in front of a big crowd to take the two points in the standings. Tonight, it was Reading-native Steven Swavely who notched the OT GWG to complete the thirteenth come-from-behind win of the year for the Royals. The win, when combined with the regulation loss of the Wheeling Nailers, dropped Reading’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot down to four with respect to Wheeling.

For the first time in the last five games, Reading struck first—and actually held a lead—when Derik Johnson fired a shot out of the right circle that struck the shinpad of Adirondack’s Cam Brown, who was out in front of the Thunder net, and ricocheted into the net 5:57 into the opening frame. For Johnson, that was his seventh goal of the year.

Adirondack tied the game at one 16:08 into the first when a failed clear led to a mad scramble out in front of the Royals’ net, which ended when Gunnar Hughes slipped the puck across the top of the crease to a waiting Austin Orszulak, who found himself wide open and all alone to bury his first as a pro.

The Thunder took their lone lead of the game 1:27 into the second period on their second power play chance of the game, when Cullen Bradshaw stole the puck on the right half-wall and worked a perfect give-and-go with James Henry who was planted on the goal line and slid a return feed to Bradshaw as he cut across the top of the crease that slid under the blocker of goaltender Martin Ouellette directly to Bradshaw, who found himself with an easy slam dunk for his sixth of the year.

Reading tied the game at two 1:01 into the third period, when Matt Willows charged down the left side of the ice into the offensive zone and ripped a low bullet that buzzed across the body of goaltender J.P. Anderson and caught the far side of the net for Willows’ twentieth of the year—sixteen of which have come in forty-one games with the Royals.

The two teams played a tight possession-style strategic chess match in the early in stages of overtime, which shifted into a wide open high-throttle back-and-forth punch-and-counter punch approach as time ticked down; and, after a brilliant save by Ouellette on a charge up ice by the Thunder, the Royals threw one final counter-punch when Swavely took off on a two-on-one break with Matt Willows. Swavely carried deep into the left circle and, while using Willows as a decoy, uncorked a bullet that buzzed by Anderson for his fourteenth of the season to become the twenty-first different player to score a GWG for Reading this season with just a minute left in the extra session.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017

v Norfolk Admirals

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

Foam Finger Giveaway (First 2000 Fifteen and Older)

Courtesy of Digestive Disease Associates, LTD.

ROYALS BROADCAST

AUDIO: iHeartRadio – Rumba 1340 in Reading

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

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