Royals Fall in Overtime to Norfolk, 3-2

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Teams     Per: 1          2          3          OT

NOR:              0          1          1          1=3

REA:              1          1          0          1=2

Records

NOR: 26-37-4-0=56 (7, South Division)

REA: 37-24-4-2=80 (3, North Division)

Goaltenders

NOR: Kilar (Win, 2-0-0-0) (37/39) (60:24)

REA: Ouellette (OTL, 15-13-1-1) (31/34) (60:24)

Power Play:

NOR: 0-2

REA: 0-1

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­­OTL, 37-24-4-2=80) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, were defeated by the Norfolk Admirals (Win, 26-37-4-0=56), 3-2, in overtime at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania.

For the third consecutive game, the Royals found themselves tied with the opposition after regulation time and, for the second Friday night in a row, it was the opposition—in this one the Norfolk Admirals—who bagged the decisive overtime game winner. Repeating a theme the Royals have experienced in a string of recent games, Reading ran into another hot goaltender—in this one it was rookie Brett Kilar—who kept the Royals at bay despite creating a heavy bombardment of quality scoring chances. In contrast to last Friday night, when it was the Royals who came from behind to get to OT against the Adirondack Thunder, in this one, it was Norfolk who came back from a two goal deficit, notched the game-tying goal late in the third period, and then completed the come-back win just twenty-four seconds into the extra session.

Despite suffering the OTL, the Royals picked up a critical point in the standings, which served to push the team into sole possession of third place in the North Division and reduce the team’s ‘magic number’ to clinch a playoff spot to three with respect to the Wheeling Nailers.

Reading struck first 5:39 into the first period when defenseman Florian Iberer forced a turnover and began a quick counterpunch attack for the Royals. Robbie Czarnik carried up ice and slipped the puck to Justin Crandall, who settled in the high slot and ripped a low, hot rivet that beat Kilar low blocker for Crandall’s twentieth of the year.

The Royals stretched the lead to two (2-0) 2:02 into the second period, when Crandall dug a puck off the end wall and started the rush with a pass to Czarnik, who in turn led out Mike Pereira for a power move into the offensive end. Pereira sped through the right circle and to the right side of the Norfolk net where he was able to get off a one-hand-backhand that slipped under and through Kilar for his sixteenth of the year.

Thirty-five seconds later, the Admirals broke through when Norfolk’s Tommy Giroux won a puck-battle in the left wing corner of the offensive zone and slipped the puck to the top of the left circle where Domenic Alberga was able to drill a quick snap shot that beat goaltender Martin Ouellette high to the blocker side for Alberga’s eleventh of the year.

The third period featured a series of back-and-forth, punch-and-counter-punch rushes at both ends of the ice with the two teams creating a number of quality scoring chances. Norfolk finally tied the game at two with just 4:42 left in regulation when defenseman Frankie Simonelli fired a sharp angle shot from deep on the left wing side that Ouellette rejected with his upper body. The puck fluttered up in the air and appeared to be arcing out of harm’s way towards the right side of the net; but the puck hit the leg of a Reading player and bounced back towards the top of the slot, where Norfolk’s Ben Murphy quickly swiped the puck home for his fifteenth of the year.

Norfolk ended things on their first rush in overtime. Reading had the puck first but turned it over deep in the offensive zone, resulting in a long counter-punch rush for the Admirals, which was led by John Dunbar who carried deep into Reading’s defensive zone down the right wing side. Dunbar slipped the puck back into the low slot where a hard-charging T.J. Foster took it in full stride and ripped a bullet that went off the left pipe and into the upper portion of the net for his twenty-fifth of the year.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017

v Brampton Beast

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

FANdemonium with Giveaways at Every Stoppage of Play

Team Poster Giveaway (First 2000)

Courtesy of Rieck’s Printing

“Jerseys Off the Players Back” Raffle for Season Ticket Holders

Season-Ending Fans’ Choice Awards Presentation

ROYALS BROADCAST

AUDIO: iHeartRadio – Rumba 1340 in Reading

Deibler Dental In Arena Broadcast: 99.3 fm Inside Santander Arena

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)

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