Royals dominate Thunder, 5-2

Reading is 6-0-0-0 at home

Reading, PA – Five players scored for the Reading Royals to crush the Adirondack Thunder, 5-2, Tuesday at Santander Arena. The Royals are 6-0-0-0 at home this season, the second-best home start ever (7-0-0-0 in 2005-06). Reading is 3-0-0-0 against the Thunder.

Matt Wilkins netted the game-winning goal at 7:34 of the second, deflecting a perfect feed at the left post from Nolan Zajac (1g, 2a). Reading poured in two goals in the third. Zajac scored in the third. Mike Huntebrinker tallied his third of the season to put the game out of reach with a deflection goal at 10:56 of the final frame.

The Royals are 8-5-1-0 (17 points), three points behind Wheeling and Adirondack for the North Division lead.

Reading had a season-high 44 shots to best Nick Riopel (39 saves). John Muse made 24 stops in the win. He also added his third assist of the season.

The next Royals game is Penny Days on Friday against the Thunder at 7:00 p.m. Check out the Purple Friday Sale details below! Reading will also hand out 2,500 PA Lottery Vouchers to fans 18+.

Box Score

While on the man up, Mark Naclerio seized a rebound at the right post and whacked it in for Reading’s first goal at 7:34 of the first. Zajac’s initial try hit off of Riopel. Alex Krushelnyski was credited with the second assist. Naclerio is tied with Krushelnyski for a team-best seven goals.

Adirondack scored three minutes later on the power play to tie it, 1-1. The Royals were next. Standing at the slot, Ryan Penny sniped a goal through Riopel’s five-hole seconds after Reading’s next man up expired. Matt Willows and Muse earned the helpers. The goaltender Muse has three assists this season, leading all ECHL goalies.

After the Thunder tied it at 2 in the second, Wilkins responded five minutes later. Assisted by Zajac and Leduc, Wilkins netted his third of the season with a clean tip-in goal.

Zajac sniped his first goal of the game from to extend the lead to 4-2 at 6:47 of the third, assisted by Willows and Wilkins. Nick Luukko put the icing on the cake with a pass to Michael Huntebrinker, who deflected it in with nine minutes to go.

Reading (1-for-4) and Adirondack (1-for-5) both scored on the power play.

Following Thanksgiving, the Royals are home on Black Friday, Nov. 24, for another game against Adirondack at 7 p.m. It’s Penny Days, where select Royals items will be on sale as “buy one, get one for a penny” (details forthcoming). Also, it’s a PA lottery voucher giveaway game to the first 2,500 fans 18+. Tickets are available here.

Sunday, Nov. 26, the Royals host the Wheeling Nailers at 4 p.m. and are pleased to announce:

• 4 for $44 Family Day (4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 drinks)
• Kids mini-stick to the first 1,000 kids 14 and under, presented by Deibler Dental.
• Free postgame skate with the players, presented by Body Zone.

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.

Purple Friday Bonanzas!

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.

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, channel 15 Comcast, channel 19 Service Electric.