Royals tie longest shootout in team history and fall to Growlers, 3-2

Reading, PA – Jamie Phillips made ten saves in a 12-round shootout, but the Reading Royals were outlasted by the Newfoundland Growlers, 3-2, Saturday at Santander Arena. The 12-round bout tied the Royals’ longest shootout ever, matching the result from March 26, 2006 (3-2 win over the Trenton Titans). Growlers defenseman Garrett Johnston sent a wrister through Phillips in the 12th to give Newfoundland a win in the final game of the season series. Reading completed the series earning points in seven of 11 games against Newfoundland (4-4-1-2)Phillips stonewalled 33 of 35 shots, bested by Eamon McAdam (42 saves). The Growlers netminder blocked 11 of 12 shots in the skills competition.  Royals forward Matt Pohlkamp tallied the team’s only shootout goal in the top of the ninth round and struck for the game's opening goal with 3:42 left in the first period. Marcus Power beat Phillips with 7:09 left in the second frame to even the score.Thirty seconds later, Royals forward Kevin Goumas slid a shot through McAdam’s five-hole to regain the Royals’ lead. Growlers forward Matt Bradley answered Goumas’ tally midway through the second on a short-handed breakaway. In the third period and overtime, the Royals combined for 15 shots on McAdam but could not break the tie. The Royals wrap-up the three-in-three Sunday at 4:00 p.m. on Scout Night against the Worcester Railers at Santander Arena.BOX SCOREPohlkamp forced home a loose puck in the midst of a hectic scramble in McAdam’s crease to make it 1-0. Josh MacDonald recorded his 25th assist on the goal while Michael Huntebrinker tallied the secondary helper, his 22nd of the year.Both teams traded blows in the second period, first with Power slotting the puck behind Phillips to tie the score at one.Goumas scored his fourth in the last seven games after Frank DiChara hit him with a pass in the high slot for a quick breakaway. Then, Bradley took advantage of a Royals’ power-play turnover and beat Phillips on a breakaway with 9:02 left in the middle frame.Phillips forced the shootout by diving across his crease to rob Growlers forward Giorgio Estephan from point-blank range with 1:30 remaining in the overtime period. Pohlkamp beat McAdam with a blocker-side wrist shot in the ninth round of the shootout before Growlers forward Whittaker kept the game alive by beating Phillips with a snapshot.

Reading went 0-for-2 on the man up and killed the Growlers' only opportunity.