Game 12 Preview: Wheeling at Reading

Royals host “Harry Potter” Night with $1 butterbeer and $1 domestic drafts

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (6-4-1-0, 13 pts., 1st North) welcome the Wheeling Nailers (5-3-1-0, 11 pts., T-3rd Central) to the magical realm of Santander Arena for “Harry Potter” Night Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The game concludes a home-and-home with Wheeling; the teams played Friday at Wesbanco Arena and the Nailers stymied Reading, 4-1. The Royals have won four straight home games, taking each by one goal in regulation. The Nailers are 0-3-1-0 on the road this season.Reading hosts home games every Saturday this November.At tonight’s game: student tickets are $5 for those that purchase with a valid student ID at the box office. 

Saturday’s promotions - $1 butterbeer special/$1 Domestic Drafts  | First 100 people dressed as a “Harry Potter” character will receive a Reading Royals Wizard Scarf | A golden puck will be hidden in the arena. Whoever finds it first will get a replica golden snitch and will drop the golden puck for the ceremonial puck drop at 7:00 p.m. | Fans will be selected to participate in Wizard Broomball during intermission | There will be “Harry Potter” Themed photo-op stations throughout the concourse | Sorting Hat on the concourseBroadcast Coverage: Listen on the Deibler Dental In-Arena Broadcast at 99.3 FM and on mixlr.com/readingroyalsRoyals leaders Goals: DiChiara/Cuddemi (6)Assists: Mitchell (6)Points: Cuddemi/DiChiara (11)PIM: Mitchell (20)

+/-: Gaudreau (10)Nailers leaders Goals: Drozg (5)Assists: Saracino (8)Points: Hirano/Cam Brown (11)PIM: Hawkins (19)

+/-: Cam Brown/Siebenaler (5)A Royals Win Would…Provide the Royals their fifth straight win at Santander Arena, two away from tying the longest streak in the Kirk MacDonald era.

All-time series  The Royals are 100-65-17 ever against the Nailers, with 45 wins coming in road games. Reading has won 55 games and lost 36 in rivalry games contested at Santander Arena.Saturday concludes the 42nd time the Royals and Nailers are playing in back-to-back games against each other. However, this is only the 10th time Reading and Wheeling are playing on consecutive days in each city. The last time the Royals and Nailers had a home-and-home on consecutive days was Apr. 8-9, 2016 (final two games of the regular season) and Wheeling won both of those games.Saturday is the 183rd meeting ever between Reading and Wheeling.Switch-a-rooWheeling has accumulated a number of former Royals players in the first few weeks of the season; D Cam Heath (trade with Reading), D Steve Johnson (trade with South Carolina) and D Nick Minerva (signed). Minerva was in training camp with the Royals, Johnson skated in 20 Reading games last season (2g, 7 pts.) and Heath was brought in by Reading in training camp. On Reading’s side, forward Trevor Yates is the only former Nailers player.The three current Royals-turned-Nailers (Heath, Johnson, Minerva) are part of a long line of players that have played in both Pennsylvania and West Virginia, joining recent names such as G John Muse, D Dan Milan, F David Marshall and F Mikael Bedard.Bedard is perhaps most-famous for what he did against the Nailers; he joined Reading from Wheeling midseason in 2011-12 for Matt Schepke and Bedard went on to score a hat trick on “St. Hat Trick’s Day” at Santander Arena on an overtime goal, allowing a fan at Santander Arena to win $10,000. Marshall won the 2013 Kelly Cup with Reading.Numbers to watchDespite owning a 4-0-0-0 home record, the Nailers have started the season with four straight road losses (0-3-1-0). The squad has been outscored 23-11 away from Wesbanco Arena. Wheeling has allowed the first goal in three of four road games. By contrast, Reading has scored the first goal in four straight games at Santander Arena, all wins.About the RoyalsThe Royals are in their 19th ECHL season and are proudly affiliated with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Royals won the Kelly Cup in 2013, have made the playoffs 14 times, and are four-time division champions. The Berks County Convention Center Authority (BCCCA), founded in 1996, owns the Royals and oversees operations at Santander Arena and the Santander Arena Performing Arts Center.Listen to all Royals broadcasts at Mixlr.com/ReadingRoyals or by downloading the Mixlr App from the App Store or Google Play. All Royals away games are broadcasted on BCTV (Ch. 15 Comcast, Ch. 19 Service Electric) and Mixlr.