McCarthy strikes for pair in 4-3 loss to Cincinnati

Cincinnati, OH – Chris McCarthy scored twice, but the Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, allowed three goals in the second period and lost to the Cincinnati Cyclones, 4-3, Wednesday at U.S. Bank Arena. The Royals are 10-7-1-0 this season, good for third in the North Division with 21 points.

McCarthy scored goals on nearly-identical spots. He sniped both while nearly stationary. The first gave the Royals a 1-0 edge on a high-slot shot. The next came ten feet to the left at the top of the left circle in the second frame.

Scott Tanski scored with 6:28 left to pull Reading within one. Jonas Johansson made 27 saves in victory and had seven stops in the third.

Reading allowed three straight goals before McCarthy pulled Reading within a goal midway through the second. Justin Danforth scored on the final shot of the second period with 29 seconds left to provide insurance and a 4-2 Cincinnati edge.

Mark Dekanich (loss, 20 saves) is 5-4-0-0 this season. Reading plays its next three games against the Wheeling Nailers, starting this Friday and Saturday in West Virginia.

Box Score

McCarthy scored on a shot from the high slot, assisted by Nick Luukko and Matt Willows, to give the Royals a 1-0 edge at 7:17 of the first. Willows and Luukko both tried to get pucks on cage, but it bounded to McCarthy. While stationary and shooting while leaning back, he generated enough strength to lift it top shelf.

Reading allowed a short-handed goal to Brandon McNally with 9:07 to go in the first, evening the score.

The Cyclones struck for three goals in the second and McCarthy sandwiched one in between. With Reading down two, McCarthy received a pass from Michael Huntebrinker, walked to the left circle and sniped it through Johansson. The goal at 12:39 of the second cut Cincinnati lead to 3-2.

Justin Danforth extended the lead back to two with 29 seconds to go in the second, speeding by the defense and shooting it to the top right shelf.

Tanski tapped it in at the left post to get Reading within a goal. With 6:28 left, Nick Luukko centered it to Tanski, who recorded his first of the season.

Adam Comrie finished with an assist, tying him for the most points by a Royals defenseman ever (Simon Tremblay, 86 points).

After two road games at Wheeling, the Royals host a special postgame autograph session and take on Wheeling on Wed., Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m., presented by Rieck’s Printing. Tickets are available here.

Great deals!

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 $69.95 for the pack 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/.

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:

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.

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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, channel 15 Comcast, channel 19 Service Electric.