Game 15 Preview: Reading at Adirondack

Final road game of the month   

Glens Falls, NY – The Reading Royals (8-4-2-0, 18 pts., 1st North) complete a three-game road trip and look to move to 2-0-0-0 against the Adirondack Thunder (6-4-0-2, 14 pts., T-3rd North) in the season series Friday at 7:00 p.m. Through the first two games of the three-game trip, Reading is 1-0-1-0. Wednesday at Worcester, Ralph Cuddemi scored twice and tallied three points to help Reading spring by Worcester, 6-4. The Royals are 3-3-2-0 on the road this season and Friday marks Reading’s first trip to Cool Insuring Arena.The Royals and Thunder last played 12 days ago to open the series; Cuddemi potted the game’s only goal and netminder Felix Sandström made 27 saves for his first North American professional shutout in the 1-0 win. It was the first time the Royals notched one goal and won since Mar. 2016 at Adirondack.The Thunder last played Nov. 10 vs. the Railers and trounced Worcester, 6-2. Defenseman Jake Linhart generated a career-best four assists (+5 rating) and rookie Ara Nazarian registered his first multi-goal game.The 2019-20 season is pres. by Tower Health UPMC Health Plan.Reading begins a season-long six-game homestand Sat., Nov. 16 at Santander Arena vs. Wheeling for the Royals’ annual Veterans Day Game. Saturday’s promotions include $1 domestic draft specials, a UGI Utilities Rally Towel Giveaway, special military jerseys, postgame photos on the ice with the players and a performance by the band “Heaven’s Thunder.”Broadcast Coverage: Watch: BCTV (Ch. 15 Comcast, Ch. 19 Service Electric) and ECHL.tv | Listen: mixlr.com/readingroyalsRoyals leadersGoals: Cuddemi (10)Assists: Gaudreau/Cuddemi (9)Points: Cuddemi (19)PIM: Mitchell (24)+/-: Gaudreau (12)Thunder leadersGoals: Pierro-Zabotel (4)Assists: Verbeek (9)Points: Verbeek (10)PIM: Verpaelst (24)+/-: 3 w/ +5 Partners +/- Defensive partners Eric Knodel (1a, +5) and Garret Cockerill (1a, +4) earned the top plus-minus games of the Royals season Wednesday at Worcester. Knodel was on the ice for all six goals and moved to second on the team with a plus-six rating. The effort tied a career-best number; he was also a plus-five on Dec. 9, 2015 vs. Alaska when he skated for Utah. Cockerill’s number also matched an ECHL-best number.

Willman’s first pointMax Willman assisted Ralph Cuddemi’s power-play goal in the first period Wednesday at Worcester for Willman’s first career point. The Barnstable, MA native has played in two games this season and Wednesday was his first game since Oct. 15. The 24-year-old registered one goal and six points in 36 games for Boston University in 2018-19. A former 5th-round selection of the Buffalo Sabres in 2014 (121st overall), Willman signed with the Royals in September.Series historyEach team has 25 wins in the all-time series; Reading’s 1-0 win Nov. 3 moved the squad to 24-20-2-3 against the Thunder. Royals coach Kirk MacDonald and Thunder coach Alex Loh go head to head for the 14th time (REA: 6-6-0-1 mark). MacDonald has led Royals to a 13-12-1-1 against Adirondack during his 2+ seasons as head coach.Lights out at Cool Insuring The Thunder have started this season 3-1-0-1 at Cool Insuring Arena this season, continuing a trend of home dominance established since the Thunder joined the ECHL in 2015-16. Adirondack is 85-45-10-8 all time at home. Over the last three seasons, Adirondack has won 68 home games.The Royals have generally curbed that dominance, going 3-3-0-1 last season and 2-3-1-0 in 2017-18 for a 5-6-1-1 road mark in the Kirk MacDonald era. The Royals won this preseason at Cool Insuring Arena as well and in their last regular season trip Apr. 5, 4-1. Jacob Graves scored the first goal and Nick Luukko scored his final career goal. Luukko played 47 career games against Adirondack and scored in his first career game at Glens Falls and his last.A Royals Win Would…Move Reading to 7-1-1-0 in their last nine games…Be Reading’s second straight…Be Kirk MacDonald’s 85th career winAbout 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.