James de Haas “helps” Royals melt Icemen, 5-1

Reading honors vets with clothing drive

Reading, PA – James de Haas had a professional-best four assists and the Reading Royals (6-3-1-0, 13 points) swerved away from the Jacksonville Icemen, 5-1, Saturday at Santander Arena. Reading honored veterans on Veterans’ Appreciation Day, collecting clothing for vets in need and handing out rally towels. The Royals scored twice in the second and poured in two more in the third.

Matt Wilkins gave Reading a 2-0 edge five minutes into the second. Jacksonville scored at 12:42 of the second, but Adam Schmidt (1g, 1a) potted his first ECHL goal 43 seconds later. In the third, Matt Willows and Alex Krushelnyski (ENG) tallied. Steven Swavely (1g, 1a) tallied in the first period.

Krushelnyski and de Haas are tied for a team-best seven assists.

John Muse had 25 saves in victory and is 3-1-0-0 this season. Colton Phinney (0-1, loss, 4 GA) had 31 saves.

Box Score

Swavely potted the first goal on a deflection at the center slot with 3:44 to go in the first. de Haas fired it from the left point and it ricocheted off of Swavely. Schmidt earned the secondary assist.

The Royals held a 3-1 lead through 40 minutes. At 5:19 of the second, Wilkins smacked in a rebound from the right slot, assisted by de Haas. The second-year forward has one goal this season and had ten tallies last campaign.

After a man-up goal from Jacksonville’s Emerson Clark, the Royals continued to press and found daylight less than a minute later. Starting from the defensive zone, de Haas dished to Frank Hora. Next, Schmidt received a pass from Hora and walked to the right slot. Because Schmidt is a left-handed shot, he had the long post open and fired it in.

Willows opened the game up and made it 4-1 Reading with 11:29 left. He back-handed it in from the slot and the puck hit the right top pocket. Krushelnyski iced the game with an empty-net goal with 1:01 to go. The Royals power play was 0-for-7 and allowed one power-play goal (1-for-1).

Reading embarks on a three-game road trip and plays at Manchester at 10 a.m. on Wed., Nov. 15. The Royals are in Brampton for two games against the Beast on Fri., Nov. 17 and Sun., Nov. 19.

Watch the Royals on Tues., Nov. 21 at 7:00 p.m. against Adirondack and meet the players after the game with special postgame autographs, brought to you by Rieck’s Printing. Tickets are available here.

The Best Deal in SportsCall the Royals office at 610-898-PUCK (7825) and ask for your ticket guy to learn about the best deal in sports! It’s a five-game pack to Reading’s five-biggest games for $69.95, plus we’ll buy you dinner. Information: https://royalshockey.com/purple-pride-5-game-pack/.

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 App

Head 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 Coverage

All 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 are shown locally on BCTV.