Game 13 Preview: Reading at Maine

Royals start three-game North Division road swing  

Portland, ME – The Reading Royals (7-4-1-0, 15 pts., 1st North) look to take the season-series edge on the Maine Mariners (4-4-0-1, 9 pts., 5th North) in Reading’s first trip to Cross Insurance Arena this season Monday at 7:00 p.m.The Royals and Mariners split the first two games of the season series Oct. 19-20 at Santander Arena; since dropping to the Mariners, 5-3, Oct. 19, Reading has rattled off five straight home wins. The Royals are 5-1-0-0 at Santander Arena, the best home mark in the division.Reading has won five of six games; Saturday at Santander Arena, Ralph Cuddemi and Matthew Gaudreau ripped two goals for a 6-4 victory vs. Wheeling. The Royals maintain a one-point lead on Newfoundland for the top spot in the North Division.The next three Royals games are on the road; Monday, Wednesday at Worcester and Friday at Adirondack. Following the trip, Reading begins a season-long six-game homestand Sat., Nov. 16 at Santander Arena vs. Wheeling for the Royals’ annual Veterans Day Game.Reading hosts home games every Saturday this November.Broadcast Coverage: Watch: BCTV (Ch. 15 Comcast, Ch. 19 Service Electric) and ECHL.tv | Listen: mixlr.com/readingroyalsRoyals leaders Goals: Cuddemi (8)Assists: Mitchell/Cuddemi (7)Points: Cuddemi (15)PIM: Mitchell (20)+/-: Gaudreau (12)Mariners leaders Goals: Fox (6)Assists: Cammarata (7)Points: Fox (12)PIM: Adams-Moisan (13)+/-: Crevier-Morin (6)Series historyMonday’s Veterans Day matchup marks the 11th meeting all time between the Royals and Mariners as both teams are 1-1-0-0 against each other this season. All-time, Reading is 6-4-0-0 vs. Maine with a 3-1-0-0 mark at Cross Insurance Arena. In the last matchup at Maine Apr. 3, Josh MacDonald scored twice and the Royals defeated Maine, 4-1, to win the season series.Frank DiChiara is the most-prolific Royals point producer against the Mariners with nine points (3g) in his career. This season, Matthew Gaudreau bests Reading with a series-high four assists and five points. Ty Ronning (recalled to Hartford) has five points to top Maine. Dillan Fox has scored four goals and ten points in six career games against Reading. 

The coaches Kirk MacDonald and Riley Armstrong have opposed each other in every game of the series; Armstrong left his post as Wheeling assistant coach to take the job in Maine for the 2018-19 expansion season.  After Monday’s matchup between the Royals and the Mariners both teams won’t see each other until December 27th when the Royals are back on the road in Maine.Plenty of Highs  Reading has had a player score at least three points six times this season; three players scored at least three Saturday vs. Wheeling – Ralph Cuddemi (2g, 2a), Matthew Gaudreau (2g, 1a)  and Steven Swavely (3a).All those efforts either tied or set personal highs. Cuddemi’s four-point night was his best in a game. Swavely tied a career-high with points and it was the first time he had three assists in a game. Gaudreau matched his best ever outings in goals and points.A Royals Win Would…Move Reading to .500 on the road this season…Be the fourth Royals win vs. Maine in the last five series games.

Scouting Maine The Mariners are coming off a 5-1 win Saturday at home vs. Adirondack. Jake Elmer potted his first career hat trick. The rookie scored a team-high 39 points (81 pts.) for Lethbridge (WHL) last season and is on an NHL contract with the New York Rangers.Maine has scored the game’s first goal a league-low three times this season, but the squad has two wins when allowing the first goal. Reading has tallied the opening goal in eight of 12 games (6-1-1-0 record), the most in the North Division.The Royals attempt 34 shots a game and surrender 28 a contest, both in the league’s top-ten rankings. On the flip side, the Mariners rank in the league’s bottom five with 26 shots a game (25th in ECHL) and 35 allowed per game.Connor LaCouvee (1-2-0-1, 2.71 GAA, .915 sv.%) and Tom McCollum (3-2-0-0, 3.19 GAA, .910 sv. %) alternated decisions through the first five games of the season. LaCouvee got the reins for back-to-back games Oct. 25-26 and McCollum has won the last two Maine games.Weekly scheduleMonday – Game at Maine, 7:00 p.m.Tuesday – Practice at WorcesterWednesday – Game at Worcester, 10:00 a.m.Thursday – Practice at AdirondackFriday – Game at Adirondack, 7:00 p.m.Saturday – Game vs. Wheeling, 7:00 p.m.

Sunday – OFF DayMonday – TBDAbout 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.