Muse blanks Railers for 3-0 win

Goaltender has won six straight games

Reading, PA – Reading Royals goaltender John Muse made 28 saves and recorded his second shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over the Worcester Railers Sunday at Santander Arena. Ryan Penny scored twice and Chris McCarthy had the game-winning goal 1:18 into the first.

After recording five saves in the first period, Muse registered 14 in the second. Worcester applied nine shots in the third frame, all shuttered aside by Muse for his sixth straight win. Since returning from Lehigh Valley (AHL) on Dec. 28, Muse is 5-0-0-0 with a 1.59 goals against average and .955 save percentage. He’s 9-1-0-0 at home this season and 11-3-1-0 overall. Mitch Gillam lost his first game against the Royals (2-1-0-0) and made 25 saves.

The Royals scored two goals in the first period. Penny scored in the final two minutes of the frame and added another in the opening half of the third. He has twelve goals this season and strikes in three straight games (4g). It’s the third time in his career he has tallied goals in three straight. McCarthy also tallied in all three contests this weekend.  

Reading plays the final two games of its five-game home stand next week, starting Wednesday with a third straight matchup against the Railers at 7:00 p.m.

Box Score

McCarthy ripped a power-play goal from the left face-off circle past the netminder Gillam to take the 1-0 lead at 1:18 of the opening frame. Matt Willows and Nick Luukko were given the helpers and Willows recorded his 30th point this season, becoming the first Royal to break 30 points this season.

The second goal of the night surprised Gillam as Scott Tanski threw up a high-flying pass which dropped into the offensive zone. Penny out-fought the defenseman and quickly flicked it top shelf to make it a 2-0 game at 18:52 of the first.

The Royals killed off two Worcester power-play chances in the game. The Railers are 0-for-21 in the season series against the Royals. Reading’s man up was 1-for-3.

Reading earned more insurance 5:10 into the third to take a 3-0 edge. Penny attempted to settle a pass from Mark Naclerio in front of the net and batted the puck over the goal line for a 3-0 lead and his second of the night. Naclerio received the lone assist on the final goal.

Dollar Dogs and Postgame skate Jan. 7Sun., Jan 7 vs. WOR at 4 p.m.: Dollar dog day presented by Safe Berks, Berks Packing and Coca-Cola, and a postgame skate presented by Body Zone.

$5 Green Zone Tickets, Post-game photo and autographs Jan. 10Wed., Jan 10 vs WOR at 7 p.m.: Post-game photo and autograph session with four players (players TBA) thanks to Rieck’s Printing.

Gym Bag giveaway on Jan. 12 vs. ADK at 7 p.m.– First 2,000 fans receive a gym bag (Tower Health).

THON, Scout and Star Wars Night Jan. 20Sat., Jan. 20 vs BRM at 7 p.m.: THON Night, Scout Night, and Star Wars Night. First 2,000 fans will receive a Slapshot bobblehead. The Royals will wear Star Wars jerseys.

Purple and Black three-game pack on sale 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.

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, channel 15 Comcast, channel 19 Service Electric.