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Royals Stumble Again in Norfolk, 4-2

Saturday, March 18th
Royals Stumble Again in Norfolk, 4-2

Click Here for Box Score

Teams     Per: 1          2          3

REA:              0          0          2=2

NOR:              1          2          1=4

Records

REA: 36-23-2-2=76 (2, North Division)

NOR: 24-34-4-0=52 (7, South Division)

Goaltenders

REA: Dekanich (Loss) (17-11-1-2) (29/33)

NOR: Desrosiers (Win) (13-8-0-2) (35/37)

Power Play:

REA: 0-4

NOR: 1-5

Norfolk, VA – The Reading Royals (­­­­­­­­­loss, 36-23-2-2=76) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, were defeated by the Norfolk Admiral (win, 24-34-4-0=52), 4-2, at The Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.

For the second consecutive night, the Royals fell behind the Admirals early and dug a 3-0 hole in the second period before mounting some form of a comeback, which never got any closer than two. The loss was the fourth in the last five games played against the Admirals—with four of Reading’s last nine games to be played against Norfolk. The loss, when combined with the win for the Brampton Beast, served to drop the Royals out of first in the North Division.

Playing on green ice for the second night in a row, the Admirals tapped into the luck of the Irish early in the game when Frankie Simonelli ripped one from the high slot that was blocked defenseman Nick Luukko but fluttered high into the air and arced over goaltender Mark Dekanich—who lost sight of the puck—and landed in the net for Simonelli’s fourteenth of the season.

The Admirals pushed the lead to 2-0 twenty-nine seconds into the second period after Reading created an early scoring chance, but got caught above the puck for a quick counter-punch odd man rush in the other direction for the Admirals. Joey Benik carried deep down the right wing side and threw a cross-ice saucer to T.J. Foster who ripped it home for his twenty-second of the year.

Norfolk pushed the lead to 3-0 7:03 into the second after the Royals coughed one up at the defensive blue-line, resulting in a quick re-entry attack for the Admirals with Tommy Giroux carrying through the mid-slot and slipping a perfect diagonal down wrist-pass to a waiting Kyle Dutra, who angled the puck up and over the catching glove of Dekanich for his first as a pro.

Reading cut the lead to two (3-1) early in the third when Adam Brace, playing in his second game for the Royals snapped one off from the mid-slot. Goaltender Phillippe Desrosiers stretched his left leg way out to make the save, but the puck trickled off his pad and sat next to the goal-line where Even Bloodoff reached in and poked it across the line for his first as a Royal (in his third game with the team) and ninth of the year 1:51 into the third.

The Admirals regained the three goal advantage with a power play goal 3:19 into the third period. The Royals had clean possession at the defensive blue line for what looked like an easy clear. But the Admirals’ Domenic Alberga forced a turnover, controlled after the steal, carried deep down the left side and then threw a cross-ice saucer to Giroux who snuck up on the weak side for an easy tap in and his third of the year.

Reading pushed back quickly drawing back within two twenty-two seconds later when Robbie Czarnik ripped a snapper out of the left circle that went in and out of Desrosiers’ glove and fell in the crease, where a crashing Justin Crandall punched it home for his nineteenth of the year.

But that would be it for the comeback effort, as the two teams traded chances with the Royals creating a number of quality looks that would come up empty, as Reading fell to 18-11-2-2 through thirty-three road games.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

WEDNESDAY, March 22, 2017

v Manchester Monarchs

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

Magnetic White Board Giveaway – First 1000 Adults 18 and Older

Courtesy of Ehrlich Pest Control (A Rentonkil Steritech Company)

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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