Royals stymied in Jacksonville, 6-1

Jacksonville, FL – The Reading Royals allowed five goals in the first period and suffered a 6-1 defeat to the Jacksonville Icemen Friday at the Veterans Memorial Arena. Ryan Penny scored Reading’s only goal at 1:20 of the third on a right-circle shot, assisted by Chase Golightly and Mark Bennett. Branden Komm (loss, 4-1-0-0) allowed three goals on eight shots and Mark Dekanich (15 saves, 3 GA) replaced him midway through the first.  Austin Lotz denied 20 shots in victory.

The Royals are at Orlando to finish the three-game Florida set on Sun., Mar. 4 at 1:30 p.m.

Box Score

Jacksonville scored three goals in 1:23. Jimmy Lodge (PPG), Cody Fowlie and Bobby McIntyre recorded the strikes. McIntyre’s goal forced Komm from the game 12:29 of the first. The next goal came two minutes later from Dajon Mingo, who jammed in a rush chance on a net-front pass from Fowlie on the first shot Dekanich faced.

The Icemen scored their fifth goal on Elgin Pearce’s 20th of the season at 18:42 of the first, meaning the five goals came in a span of 7:36. Jacksonville registered the first four goals in 3:15.

Reading had four power-play chances in the second period and Jacksonville had the only goal. With 3:41 left in the second, Lodge carried the puck into the zone up the right wing, toe dragged and fired it through Dekanich’s legs to make it 6-0.

The Royals also had two fights in the second period and three in the game. Tyler Brown had his first fight in five years and eight days, dropping the gloves against Tyson Fawcett in the second.

Reading was 0-for-7 on the man up. The Icemen managed a power-play goal on three chances. The Royals (27 PIM) and Jacksonville (35 PIM) combined for 62 penalty minutes, the most in a Reading contest this season.

Reading is next at home on Wed., Mar. 14 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Fort Wayne, with four players hosting a postgame photo and autograph session, courtesy of Rieck’s Printing.

Enter for a chance to win $10,000 with the Reading Royals as the team hosts Brampton on St. HatTrick’s Day Sat., Mar. 17 vs. the Brampton Beast at 7:00 p.m. It’s an easy process; Step 1: purchase tickets to the game here | Step 2: Register to be entered into the contest here | Step 3: Watch a Royals player score a hat trick vs. Brampton.

Additionally, meet WWE’s Million Dollar Man and celebrate the holiday with the Royals, presented by Met-Ed! Royals legend Yannick Tifu will have his #10 retired to the Diamond Credit Union Wall of Honor during the game as. The first 5,000 fans will receive a Yannick Tifu poster, courtesy of Rieck’s Printing and Diamond Credit Union. The Royals will wear special St. Patrick’s Day jerseys. Tifu captained Reading to the team’s first Kelly Cup in 2013 and played in 245 Royals games, third-most in team history. Tickets are available here.

Season tickets for 2018-19 now available: Early Renewal through Mar. 15Call 610-898-7825 to join the Royals family or renew season tickets for the 2018-19 season. Early renewal and registration runs through Mar. 15. Top Early Renewal Benefits include: Extra chance to win jerseys-off-our-backs | Chance to win Owner's Suite | Chance to watch warm-ups from bench and high-five tunnel experience.

Royals Awards Banquet at Santander Arena Mar. 26Register here. Get a pregame pep talk from Royals Head Coach Kirk MacDonald, behind-the-scenes tour of the Royals locker room and buffet meal at Santander Arena Mon., Mar. 26 from 6-8 p.m. for the Royals Awards Banquet. We will hand out the best awards from the 2017-18 season.

Postgame autograph session Wed., Mar. 14 vs. FW at 7:00 p.m.Stay after the game for a special postgame autograph session on Wed., Mar. 14 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Fort Wayne, presented by Rieck’s Printing. It’s the only chance of the season to see the Komets.

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.