Game 30 Preview: Worcester at Reading

Holiday gifts continue with $5 Green Zone tickets and APHILLYation night        

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (14-13-2-0, 30 pts., 4th North) proudly celebrate their affiliation with the Philadelphia Flyers by wearing special orange jerseys on APHILLYation Night and take on the Worcester Railers (12-10-2-2, 28 pts., 6th North) Thursday at 7:00 p.m. It’s also $5 Green Zone tickets and postgame player autographs, presented by Rieck’s Printing. $5 Tickets are available here.

The Royals return from the holiday break after dropping a pair of games to Manchester Dec. 22-23. On Dec. 23, Jimmy DeVito scored his first goal with the Royals in a 6-2 defeat.

Despite Worcester’s last-place mark, the Railers have defeated the Royals in three of four matchups this season. This is Worcester’s first-ever trip to Santander Arena.

Join Reading on Sat., Dec. 30 for Hero Night. The 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. Fans are encouraged to dress up as their favorite hero for a chance to win prizes.

DeVito’s Reading welcomeRookie Jimmy DeVito scored his first Royals goal on Saturday against Manchester. He has played in three games with the Royals. Reading acquired the RPI graduate from Rapid City on Dec. 19 for future considerations. In 24 games, he has six goals and 17 points.

DeVito’s professional start has revealed his scoring flair relative to his collegiate numbers. In 121 NCAA games, DeVito recorded seven goals and 26 points. He is one goal and nine points away from matching his four-year collegiate total. Remarkably, the Bloomingdale, IL native hasn’t recorded more than six goals in a season since notching eight in 2011-12 with the USHL’s Chicago Steel.

Similar to DeVito, rookie Michael Huntebrinker has boosted his scoring with respect to his NCAA statistics. Huntbrinker leads Royals rookies with seven goals (12 points) and never scored more than seven in a season at Minnesota State.

Getting off the schneidThe Royals have dropped a season-high five straight games. Despite this, the Royals have had more power-play opportunities than opponents (14 vs. 12). Reading has generated 33 shots per game. With goaltender John Muse recalled in Lehigh Valley, Mark Dekanich has appeared in ten straight games and posted a 3.02 GAA and .919 save percentage.

Reading has been without regulars Tyler Brown and Matt Wilkins due to injury. Reading has allowed 22 goals and scored eight over the skid.

Head-to-headThe Royals are 1-3-0-0 against the Railers this season. Worcester defeated Reading, 1-0, in the last meeting Dec. 20. Former Royals forward Barry Almeida scored the only goal. Mark Dekanich had 28 saves last time the teams met and has given up six in three games. Mitch Gillam shut out Reading with 26 saves and is 2-0-0-0 against the Royals this season (1 GA on 53 shots).

Reading bested Worcester, 3-1, Nov. 5 for the Royals’ only victory ever against the Railers. Mark Naclerio has two goals against Worcester.

Pat McNally recorded an assist last game and has five points (1g, 4a) in the series to lead all players.Scouting WorcesterThe Railers had five players score in a 5-3 victory at Adirondack in their last game before the holiday break. Pat McNally scored his 11th of the season and tops the team and league defensemen in goals. He ranks second on the team with 22 points. Chris Langkow leads the squad with 24 points and has five goals in seven games.

Goaltender Mitch Gillam has two shutouts this season, tied for the league lead. In 10 games, he is 5-5-0-0 with a 2.51 goals against average and .901 save percentage. Eamon MacAdam (7-5-2-2 record) comes in with a 2.67 GAA and .918 save percentage. MacAdam is 1-1-0-0 against the Royals.

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.

Tickets to three of our biggest games for $30Get 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.

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.