Game 27 Preview: Reading at Worcester

Royals tie for second in North with win at Railers

Worcester, MA – The Reading Royals (14-10-2-0, 30 pts., T-3rd North) swing up to Massachusetts for a divisional battle at the Worcester Railers (10-9-2-2, 24 pts., 6th North) Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. It is the fourth matchup of the season series and all have been in Worcester. The Royals are 1-2-0-0 against the Railers this season.

The North Division remains closely contested, with ten points separating first (Manchester, 34 pts.) and last-place Worcester. Reading ties Wheeling for second in the North with a win.

Reading is looking to get out of a two-game blip; the Royals were 1-2-0-0 last week and dropped consecutive contests to end the weekend. Derek Whitmore and Adam Schmidt scored in a 6-2 loss to Adirondack Sunday.

Wednesday’s game is Reading’s last road game until New Year’s Eve. The Royals play four straight home games starting Fri., Dec. 22 vs. Manchester. Stay after the game Friday for the Royals’ holiday carol video. On Sat., Dec. 23rd, Reading rematches the Monarchs and it is the postgame ham shoot! Come down after the game on the ice, shoot a puck in to the net and take a holiday ham home with you.

Head-to-Head

The Royals won the last game of the series, 3-1, against the Railers on Nov. 5. Worcester bested Reading in the opening two games Nov. 3-4.

Eleven Royals earned points in the three games. Alex Krushelnyski (now in the AHL with Lehigh Valley) led the team with three points in three games (1g, 2a). Nick Luukko scored the game-winning goal Nov. 6.  Mark Naclerio has two goals against the Railers.

Worcester defenseman Patrick McNally (1g, 3a) leads all Railers with four points in the series. Matty Gaudreau and Woody Hudson each have two goals.

Mark Dekanich has allowed five goals in two starts vs. the Railers (1-1-0-0). Eamon McAdam, now in Bridgeport (AHL), is 1-1-0-0 against the Royals and has allowed four goals. Mitch Gillam made 26 saves in a 2-1 win over Reading Nov. 4.

Schmidt consistentAdam Schmidt has goals in consecutive games for the second time this season. In 24 games, the first-year Royals forward has five goals and 16 points. He has recorded points in 15 contests.

This is Schmidt’s first full season playing in North America. From 2014-17, the 27-year-old played in Sweden overseas. After playing four seasons with The College of the Holy Cross, he took his talents across town to finish the 2013-14 season and skated in 14 games with the Worcester Sharks (AHL).

Lot of home ones leftThe Royals and the Railers have ten matchups remaining after Wednesday’s tilt and eight are at Santander Arena. Reading is home to Worcester for the first time on Thurs., Dec. 28 with $5 Green Zone tickets. The Royals play the Railers in three straight home games from Jan. 6-10.

Reading’s newest additionDue to call ups and minor injuries, the Royals have reworked their roster on the fly and Monday acquired forward Jimmy DeVito from Rapid City in exchange for future considerations. DeVito is 23 years old, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate and will wear #23 with the Royals.

The rookie accumulated five goals, 15 points, 25 penalty minutes and three fighting majors in 21 games with Rapid City. The native of Bloomingdale, IL has four multi-point games. DeVito captained RPI in 2016-17.

Scouting WorcesterWorcester scored a season-high five goals Saturday in a 5-1 win over Adirondack. In contrast, Reading has scored at least five goals in five games. The Railers rank 25th of 27 ECHL teams scoring 2.74 goals a game.

Patrick McNally scored four goals last weekend and boosted to a league-defenseman-best ten goals. The Harvard graduate leads the team in goals and is second with 20 points. Former Royals forward Chris Langkow tops Worcester with 22 points and scored two goals Saturday against Adirondack. Langkow has five goals and nine points over a season-best five-game point streak.

Goaltender Eamon MacAdam was recalled from loan by Bridgeport and Joe Spagnoli was added as an emergency back-up goaltender. Mitch Gillam is 4-4-0-0 with a 2.77 goals against average and .893 save percentage.

Hero Night on Sat., Dec. 30The Royals will wear Captain America jerseys and meet your favorite hero on the concourse on Sat., Dec. 30 at 7:00 p.m. Reading battles the Adirondack Thunder, who will wear Ultron Jerseys.

Meet Jerry “The King” Lawler on Wrestling Night Jan. 5Meet wrestling legend Jerry “The King” Lawler at Santander Arena and watch the Royals battle the Brampton Beast on Fri., Jan. 5 at 7:00 p.m.

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 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 (orange Royals jerseys to pay tribute to the Flyers on 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 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 are shown locally on BCTV.