Bears fly but Nailers take game, 4-2

Reading, PA – Adam Schmidt scored halfway through the third to make the bears rain on Teddy Bear Toss night, but the Wheeling Nailers scored the first three goals and defeated the Reading Royals, 4-2, Saturday at Santander Arena. The Royals will visit Tower Health on Mon., Dec. 18 to hand out bears and brighten children’s’ faces. Reading will pass out bears to needy children at more than a dozen locations before the holidays.

The Royals scored two goals in last 11 minutes of the third period but failed to tie despite 39 shots on Will King (win, 37 saves). The win moves Wheeling two points ahead of Reading (30 points) for second in the North Division.

Wheeling’s Kevin Schulze scored the opening goal on the power play in the final minute of the second. It was the 20th shot Mark Dekanich faced. Including Friday’s shutout (50 saves), Dekanich made 69 straight saves. He lost despite 24 stops.

Reading plays Adirondack Sunday at 4 p.m., featuring $5 Green Zone tickets, magnet photo frame giveaway and dollar dogs, presented by Tower Health.

Box ScoreSchmidt made the teddy bears fly with a snipe from the right circle to make it 3-1 Wheeling with 10:21 left. The first-year Royals player has four goals this season. Ryan Penny and Mark Naclerio netted the helpers. Brian Morgan pulled the Royals within one with 5:14 remaining for his first ECHL goal. Again, the Royals picked on King’s short-side with a right-circle shot. Morgan has two points in his first two ECHL games.

Schulze pelted a power-play goal from the high slot over Dekanich’s right shoulder with 42 seconds left in the second to make it 1-0 Nailers. The Nailers’ Reid Gardiner scored again at :58 of the third. Troy Josephs scored the game-winning goal at 7:44 of the third. Cody Wydo had the empty-net goal to stunt the Royals in the final minute.

The Reading man up was 0-for-3. Wheeling was 0-for-1 on the power play.Santa Sacks Holiday GiftStuff the stocking with Santa Sacks! Get an autographed Royals puck and come out to three of our biggest games for just $30.- Sat., Jan. 20 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Brampton (Slapshot bobblehead giveaway, THON Night, Star Wars jerseys)- Fri., Feb. 17 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Brampton (Pink in the Rink, knit scarf giveaway)- Sat., Mar. 17 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Brampton (Yannick Tifu number retired, Meet WWE Million Dollar Man)- Sat., Mar. 24 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Worcester (Kelly Cup Tribute puck giveaway, Autism Awareness jerseys)- Sat., Apr. 7 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Norfolk (FANdemonium, fan appreciation, fan’s choice giveaway)- Call 610-898-PUCK and tickets are available here.

More $5 TicketsThe Royals are pleased to announce $5 tickets in the Green Zone to two more upcoming games in December!- Sun., Dec. 17 at 4:00 p.m. vs. Adirondack (dollar dogs and player photo) | Thurs., Dec. 28 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Worcester (special Flyers jerseys, aPHILLYation night)- Call 610-898-PUCK (7825) and tickets are available here.

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.