Game 15 Preview: Newfoundland at Reading

Game 15 Preview: Newfoundland at Reading   Vets Day features hockey’s first-ever 3-D Jerseys in rematch vs. Growlers

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (5-3-2-4, 16 pts., 3rd North), proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, will wear hockey’s first-ever 3-D jerseys on the Royals’ Veterans Day Game vs. the Newfoundland Growlers (12-5-0-0, 24 pts., 1st North) Saturday at 7:00 p.m., featuring a rally towel giveaway (UGI Utilities) to the first 2,500 fans. The Royals will hand out 3,500 3-D glasses at the game against Newfoundland. Fans can bid on the jerseys by using the LiveSource App through Sun., Nov. 18 at 9:00 p.m.The Royals and Athletic Knit partnered to create hockey’s first-ever 3-D jersey, and the sweaters are presented by Classic Harley Davidson. Most-notably, the jerseys have been covered on NHL on NBC Sports, ESPN’s Uni Watch, NHL Network and TSN. Athletic Knit and the Royals also teamed up to create the first-ever “Ugly Christmas Sweater” jerseys in 2013.Reading will also have a special national anthem performance by Ron C. Brooks, the first double amputee Eagle Scout who has sung the Star Spangled Banner at Philadelphia 76ers games. Brooks will give a pregame speech to scouts in attendance Saturday for Scout Night.The 3-D jerseys were unveiled Nov. 8 in an article written by Sean Leahy of NBC Sports. Since then, the jerseys have been prominently featured on NHL Network, the Comeback, TSN and ESPN’s Uni Watch. Royals forward Steven Swavely and Josh MacDonald each scored two goals in a 5-4 overtime loss Friday.Listen to today’s game at Mixlr.com/ReadingRoyals, with coverage starting 15 minutes before puck drop.How to get the 3-D JerseysDownload the LiveSource App to bid on the 3-D Jerseys. They will be available until 9:00 p.m. Sun., Nov. 18.Swavely, MacDonald, Swavely, MacDonaldSteven Swavely and Josh MacDonald are the top-two goal scorers on the Royals. They each netted a pair in the Royals’ 5-4 overtime loss to the Growlers. Swavely has tallied back-to-back multi-goal efforts for a season total of 12 points (6g, 6a) in 14 games. MacDonald has collected nine points (7g, 2a) in 14 games.

Huntebrinker on the hunt

Michael Huntebrinker continued his career-long 12-game point streak with a secondary assist on Steven Swavely’s second goal of the contest. Huntebrinker holds the league’s longest point streak this season. Huntebrinker has 14 points (3g, 11a) in 12 games. The forward ended the 2018-19 regular season with 41 points (20g, 21a) in 65 games, including a 2018 ECHL All-Star Game appearance.

Lotz to see yetAustin Lotz denied 22 shots in defeat during his first appearance for the Royals this season. He appeared in two games for Reading in the 2016-17 season where he registered two wins and a .919 SVS%. Lotz has appeared in 56 ECHL contests throughout his career. Crazy jersey historyThe 3-D Jerseys are part of a long line of creative jerseys the Royals and Athletic Knit have partnered to create. Most notably, in 2013 the team and AK developed hockey’s first-ever Ugly Christmas Sweater jersey, which has been wildly successful and copied around the hockey world. The buzz from that jersey continues today, as the Royals will wear Ugly Christmas Sweater jerseys for the sixth straight season Dec. 15 vs. Allen during the annual Teddy Bear Toss.Unleash the BrockDefenseman Scott Dornbrock made his professional debut Friday vs. Newfoundland, generating two assists. A native of Harper Woods, MI, Dornbrock was claimed off waivers Oct. 9, but missed the last five weeks. The left-handed shot stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 230 pounds.Over four seasons at Miami University, Dornbrock pounded home six goals and 35 points (98 PIM). He played in every game during his junior campaign.He had one multi-point effort his senior season for the Redhawks and four over a four-year NCAA career.Winning and losing numbersThe Royals have averaged five goals a game and allowed three goals a contest in the team’s five victories. By contrast the Royals have scored 1.8 goals a contest in losses. Interestingly, of the six games that have been decided by a goal, not one has been decided in regulation. The Royals are 1-0-1-4 in games decided by a goal. The Royals have allowed three goals a game in losses.Royals shots/game numbers are consistent regardless of the game’s outcome. Reading pounds 32.8 shots per game on opposing netminders in both wins and losses. In Royals defeats, Reading netminders see slightly fewer shots per game (32.8 shots allowed/game) relative to Royals victories (33.6 shots allowed/game). Scouting NewfoundlandRiding a seven-game winning streak, the Growlers have outscored foes, 29-13, over the franchise’s longest-ever unbeaten stretch. Newfoundland has played 18 games, the most of any team in the ECHL.The team’s leading scorers, Brady Ferguson and Giorgio Estephan (now recalled to AHL Toronto) topped the Growlers in points before getting called up. Ferguson registered five goals and 12 points, while Estephan generated nine points (2g).In their stead, Josh Kestner is the active leader with seven goals. First-year Head Coach Ryane Clowe is a former New Jersey Devils assistant coach (2016-18) that played 491 games over 10 NHL seasons.Two top scorers called upThe Royals have avoided playing against two of the top-scoring rookies in the ECHL, as forwards Giorgio Estephan and Brady Ferguson were recalled by Toronto (AHL) on Wednesday. Ferguson skated in 16 games with the Newfoundland Growlers this season and totaled a team-leading 20 points (9g, 11a). Estephan followed with 18 points (9g, 9a) in 16 games.

NHL Defensemen on Growlers Former NHL blueliners Kyle Cumiskey and Adam Pardy are on the Growlers roster. Cumiskey has appeared in 139 NHL games, recording 35 points (9g, 26a). He was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in 2005 and made his NHL debut during the 2006-07 season with the Avalanche. He won the 2015 Stanley Cup during his only season with the Chicago Blackhawks. Pardy was drafted in 2004 by the Calgary Flames and has played in 342 NHL games, tallying 52 points (4g, 48a). 

Veteran’s Day Game with rally towel giveaway vs. Newfoundland: Nov. 17, 7:00 p.m.First 2,500 fans receive a rally towel, pres. by UGI Utilities. First 3,500 fans receive 3-D Glasses. First-ever 3-D jerseys. Double-amputee, Eagle Scout and Sixers anthem singer Ron C. Brooks will perform the Star Spangled Banner.

About the RoyalsThe Royals have been owned by serial entrepreneur Jack Gulati since 2014 and are entering their 18th 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 nine straight seasons and are four-time division champions.Listen to all Royals broadcasts at Mixlr.com/ReadingRoyals or by downloading the Mixlr App from the App Store or Google Play.