Weekly Release: Vol. 17, No. 16

Wednesday game for Royals before 9-day break

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (27-19-2-0, 56 pts., T-2nd North) have one game Wednesday at the Worcester Railers before a nine-day break through Fri., Feb. 16. The team has won two straight games and is 4-1-0-0 through the first five of a six-game road trip. Reading is tied for second place in the North Division with Wheeling and Adirondack. The Royals sit four behind Manchester for first.

The line of Matt Wilkins–Chris McCarthy–Matt Willows led the team to a weekend sweep over the Norfolk Admirals Feb. 2-3. Matt Willows extended his point streak to a career-long nine games, McCarthy recorded five points (2g, 3a) over the weekend and Wilkins has 23 points (9g) in 30 games. Mark Dekanich allowed one goal in two games, including a 22-save shutout Saturday.

Following the six-game road trip, the Royals have one of its largest weekends of the season Feb. 16-18. The games include Hockey ‘N Heels on Feb. 16, Pink In The Rink Night Feb. 17 and Paw Patrol, Battle of the Badges and Jerry ‘The King” Lawler on Feb. 18.

Upcoming Home GamesHockey ‘N Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs. CIN at 7:00 p.m.First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts. Bell Tower will be at the game for a ladies-only pampering session and gift card giveaway.

Pink in the Rink, Pink Ice, special jerseys on Sat., Feb 17 vs. BRM at 7:00 p.m.Pink knit scarf giveaway to the first 1,500 women, courtesy of Sweet Street Desserts. The Royals will wear special jerseys and play on pink ice.

PAW Patrol, Battle of the Badges, Faith and Family and Jerry “The King” Lawler on Sun., Feb 18 vs. WHL at 4:00 p.m.It’s PAW Patrol night! The Royals will wear special PAW Patrol jerseys from the popular Nickelodeon show.

Before the Royals drop the puck with the Nailers, the Reading Police and Fire Departments match up against the Allentown Police and Fire at 12:30 p.m. in the Battle for the FirstStates Cup XIII at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are available here to help raise money for the children of policemen and firefighters.

Meet WWE Hall-of-Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler on Pro Wrestling Night (Tower Health). Plus, it’s Faith and Family Night and dollar dog day, presented by Safe Berks, Berks Packing and Coca-Cola. First 1,000 kids (14 & under) will receive a Slapshot T-shirt thanks to Bethany Children’s Home. Also check out a postgame skate presented by Body Zone.

Call 610-898-PUCK or visit royalshockey.com/tickets to start your experience at Santander Arena. Group tickets are $11 for groups of ten or more.

Big 3 Storylines3) Taking care of business

Reading is 16-4-2-0 all-time against the Admirals and bested the club in back-to-back games Friday and Saturday. The Royals dusted the Ads for a 7-1 win Friday and 12 skaters had points. The next game, Matt Willows scored a game-winning strike for the second straight contest to move to a team-best five GWGs this season. Mark Dekanich made 48 of 49 saves last weekend.

2) McCarthy’s back Chris McCarthy recorded a professional-high four points Friday against the Admirals and added an assist Saturday in his first two games back from Lehigh Valley. The Collegeville, PA native had missed the previous two weeks while up with the Phantoms, where he played in one game. Head Coach Kirk MacDonald inserted McCarthy in between Matt Willows and Matt Wilkins, the same line he played on prior to the AHL call-up.

At least one member of the Wilkins-McCarthy-Willows line was on the ice for six of Reading’s nine goals over the weekend.

1) Bye bye!The Royals complete a six-game road trip Wednesday at Worcester and then receive a rare “bye” week – a nine-day hiatus between games Feb. 7-16. It’s tied for the longest mid-season break Reading has ever had. The Royals have had two other nine-day breaks: Dec. 18-27, 2005 and Dec. 19-28, 2004. Those times off were built around the ECHL’s December holiday break and were so lenghty because of travel. On Dec. 18, 2005, Reading dropped 3-2 vs. Fresno and was off until Dec. 27 for a trip to Stockton, CA and the beginning of a road trip. Similarly, in 2004, Reading lost in a shootout at Toledo on Dec. 19, enjoyed the holidays and returned Dec. 28 at Mississippi for a 5-2 win.

The last time the Royals have had a break longer than a week that didn’t involve the holiday break was Feb 3-11, 2007. Reading played consecutive road games at Johnstown and lost both.

Team Leaders (Active players)Goals: Matt Willows (17), Chris McCarthy (15), Michael Huntebrinker (14)

Assists: Matt Willows (29), Nolan Zajac (19), Adam Schmidt/Chris McCarthy/Nick Luukko (15)Points: Matt Willows (46), Chris McCarthy (30), Nolan Zajac (28)PIMs: Matt Willows (40), Jimmy DeVito (32), Matias Cleland/Scott Tanski (29)+/-: Frank Hora (14), Michael Huntebrinker (11), Matt Wilkins (10)

Practice scheduleMonday – PracticeTuesday – 8:30 a.m. practiceWednesday – TRAVEL to WorcesterThursday – OFFFriday – OFFSaturday – OFFSunday – OFF

Royals Radio Recon: Next Show Tues., Feb. 13Live from Jimmy G’s Railroad House from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.Meet Royals players and coaches at Jimmy G’s Railroad House from 152 Woodrow Ave. in Sinking Spring. Listen on rumbareading.com and Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio app).

This Week

Game 49 at Worcester: Wed., Feb. 7 at 7:05 p.m.

• Listen on Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio app). Watch on BCTV and ECHL.tv.

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 at 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.