Game 30 Preview: Newfoundland at Reading

Game 30 Preview: Newfoundland at Reading   APHILLYATION Night, Royals finish back-to-back with Growlers   

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (15-8-2-4, 36 pts., T-2nd North), proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, look for their fifth straight home victory and tangle with the Newfoundland Growlers (19-9-1-1, 39 pts., 1st North) on APHILLYATION Night to honor Reading’s affiliation with the Flyers. The Royals will wear specialty orange uniforms. The Royals have won eight of nine games (8-1-0-0).Reading is also offering a special ticket deal for Saturday’s game, available by calling 610-898-7825. Purchase four purple zone tickets for $15 each.The Royals are coming off a 4-1 victory Friday at Santander Arena over Newfoundland. Chris McCarthy (1g, 1a) and Josh MacDonald (2a) factored in on multiple goals for the fifth straight game. McCarthy is riding a six-game point streak and has 16 points (6g) over that span. The Royals have received at least a point in four of six season-series games (3-2-1-0). Following Saturday’s matchup, the clubs next match in Newfoundland Mar. 5-6. The Growlers are also at Santander Arena to complete the series Mar. 22-23.Following Saturday’s game, Reading is at Wheeling for a New Year’s Eve battle Monday at 6:00 p.m.Listen to today’s game on the Mixlr App and Mixlr.com/ReadingRoyals, with pregame coverage starting 15 minutes before puck drop.Next home gamesReading is home to face the Norfolk Admirals for the first time this season on Fri., Jan. 4 at 7:00 p.m. The Royals are also home on Wed., Jan. 9 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Adirondack.Frankie almost thereFrank DiChiara scored his eighth goal of the season Friday, rifling a power-play marker with eight minutes to go in the third to extend Reading’s advantage to 3-1. DiChiara scored nine goals (23 pts.) in 62 games for Worcester in his rookie season. This campaign, he is up to 17 points.The Ronkonkoma, NY native has three goals and five points in six series games, notching one point in all but one contest. At Yale, DiChiara scored 30 goals over four collegiate seasons from 2013-17.He stands 6-foot-1, 238 pounds.Roos’ December Flanking leading goal scorer Josh MacDonald and top point-getter Chris McCarthy, forward Alex Roos has registered four goals and eight points over the last six games. He scored Reading’s opening goal Friday, part of a four-unanswered-goal stretch that allowed Reading to scoot to a 4-1 win.Roos registered four points (2g) on Dec. 21 at Manchester, his first four-point game since his junior career. The rookie from Prairie Grove, IL is third on the team with a plus-eight rating.Weekend warriorsThe Royals have taken five of their last six games played on Saturday and Sunday, the team’s best stretch of the season. Reading is 5-3-1-2 on Saturdays, with a 4-0-0-1 record away from Santander Arena.Last Saturday, Reading had a five-game “weekend” winning streak snapped at Worcester.Reading has also excelled to a 5-1-0-0 record in the second game of a back-to-back vs. the same opponent. The only loss came to Newfoundland, 5-2, Nov. 17..500 at home and best on the roadThe Royals have won four straight home games, outscoring opponents, 18-8, over the span. Prior to the four-game run, Reading was 2-6-2-1 at Santander Arena. The recent pick up, matched with a recent four-game road winning streak, also gave Reading the best road record in the league (9-2-0-3). At Santander Arena, Reading 49 goals (53 GA).Post-Christmas turn upThe Royals have used the holiday break to increase their level of play in four of the last five years. Last season, the squad came back from break after dropping five straight games and went 25-11-7-0 the remainder of the campaign. Reading only lost consecutive regulation games twice from Dec. 28 through the end of 2017-18.In 2016-17, the squad went 13-3-0-1 after returning from Christmas to boost to 28-14-1-2 and second in the North Division. The run included a five-game win streak. Nick Luukko was a team-best plus-17 from Dec. 26 – Feb. 4.During 2014-15, the Royals accrued a team-record 12 consecutive wins in an 18-4-0-0 stretch after the holidays. The 2013-14 team demolished opponents during a 10-3-0-0 post-Christmas jaunt which included a seven-game winning streak. During the 2012-13 Kelly Cup Championship season, Reading went 10-3-2-2 after coming back from the holiday break.Next up: WheelingThe Royals and Nailers face each other on New Year’s Eve Monday at 6:00 p.m. Reading is 2-0-0-1 vs. Wheeling this season. Going back to last campaign, the Royals are on a seven-game point streak vs. the Nailers (5-0-1-1). Since facing off the 2016 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Reading is 14-4-3-1 vs. Wheeling.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.