Game 15 Preview: Adirondack at Reading

Royals win matches team’s best home start ever

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (8-5-1-0, 17 pts., 5th North) are 6-0-0-0 at home and a win over the Adirondack Thunder (9-6-1-1, 20 pts., T-2nd North) Friday at 7:00 matches the team’s best start ever at Santander Arena. Tickets are available here.

Reading started 7-0-0-0 at home in 2005-06. The Royals are also home on Sun., Nov. 26 at 4:00 p.m. vs. Wheeling on a 4 for $44 Family Day.

Today’s Purple Friday game is “Penny Days”, where select Royals items will be on sale as “buy one, get one for a penny” (see below in bold). Also, it’s a PA Lottery voucher giveaway to the first 2,500 fans 18+.

Reading is coming off a 5-2 domination of the Thunder on Tuesday, moving the Royals to 3-0-0-0 this season against their rival. Five players scored and ten earned points.

Purple Friday Sale (Nov. 24 7am-12pm) at Team Store - 700 Penn Street!

• Hoodies, pucks: Buy 1, get 1 for a penny!
• Youth, ladies: Buy 1, get 1 50% OFF
• Ticket offer: Purchase a ticket to a weekday game, get the second for a penny! Call on Fri. (610) 898-7825.

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Bonanza!Purchase a Purple Pride Five-Game Pack through Nov. 30 and add any two games for free from the list of following dates: Jan. 10 vs. Worcester Jan. 24 vs. Toledo, Feb. 22 vs. Worcester, Mar. 14th vs. Fort Wayne and Apr. 4th vs. Worcester. Dinner is on us for the five-game pack!

It’s $69.65/ticket plus five free dinners to each game of the Purple Pride Five-Game Pack.

Call (610) 898-PUCK (7825) and ask for your ticket guys to learn about the best deal in sports! Details for the Purple Pride Five-Game Pack can be found here https://royalshockey.com/purple-pride-5-game-pack/.

All the home dominanceThe Royals require a win Friday to match the team’s best home start ever (7-0-0-0 in 2005-06). Reading averages five goals a game at home. The Royals have scored at least four goals in all but one at Santander Arena. The squad is 6-0-0-0 at home, outscoring opponents, 30-15. Three of those wins have come against the Thunder and the Royals are outmatching Adirondack in goals, 19-10.

In 2005-06, Reading outscored opponents, 34-13, in the 7-0-0-0 start. The team did not lose at Santander Arena until Dec. 2. The dominant run included a sweep of a six-game home stand.

Royals goaltender John Muse is 4-0-0-0 at home, allowing two goals a game.

Comrie WatchAdam Comrie remains one point away from matching Simon Tremblay’s mark for points by a Royals defenseman (86).Zajac matches career-best three pointsDefenseman Nolan Zajac emerged with a season-high three points (1g, 2a) Tuesday against the Thunder. The output matched a career high. Last regular season, Zajac had four games with three points. He also added a three-point game in the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

Zajac scored in the third period during Tuesday’s win. The strike came about six minutes after he had a goal disallowed.

In 75 AHL games, Zajac has 15 goals, 66 points and a plus-37 rating.

Adirondack road trip updateThe Thunder play their final game of a 12-game road trip Friday. Through the first 11 contests, the squad is 6-4-1-0. Adirondack hasn't played a home game since Oct. 28, when the team lost to Toledo.Adirondack has ventured more than 4,000 miles on the trip, the distance of two round trips from Santander Arena to Disney World. 

The Royals' longest road trip of the season is eight games (late February – early March).

Head-to-head

The Royals are 3-0-0-0 against the Thunder and the teams play 14 times this season. Ryan Penny has four goals to lead both teams in the season series. Matt Willows is best with seven points (1g, 6a). Defenseman Nolan Zajac has six points.

Also of note, goaltender John Muse is 2-0-0-0 against the Thunder and has two assists. He has three assists in seven games, a professional best.

Ty Loney scored Tuesday against the Royals and is best on Adirondack with three goals and five points.

Reading has allowed four power-play goals to the Thunder (PK: 12-for-16, 75%). The Royals scored on the man up last game and has recorded three goals on 11 chances.

About the RoyalsThe Royals have been owned by serial entrepreneur Jack Gulati since 2014 and are in their 17th ECHL season. Proudly affiliated with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Reading plays in the Santander Arena, located in downtown Reading, PA at 700 Penn Street. The Royals won the Kelly Cup in 2013, have made the playoffs in eight straight seasons and are four-time division champions.

Reading Royals Mobile AppHead to the App Store and Google Play to download the new Reading Royals app on your smartphone! Stay up-to-date with team news, receive notifications and purchase tickets for your next experience at Santander Arena.

Broadcast CoverageAll Royals game can be heard on Rumba 1340 AM and the iHeartRadio app by searching “Rumba 1340”. The pregame show starts 15 minutes before puck drop. Watch Royals games on ECHL.tv. Reading away games locally on BCTV.