Rookies key 4-1 win at Adirondack

Glens Falls, NY – Pascal Laberge scored the game-winning goal late in the second, Max Willman tallied his first professional goal in the third and Kirill Ustimenko denied 24 shots to jolt the Reading Royals to a 4-1 win over the Adirondack Thunder Friday at Cool Insuring Arena. Ustimenko blocked 18 combined shots in the second and third and was perfect after allowing the game’s first goal to Matt Salhany at 10:19 of the first.Reading rattled off the four unanswered goals; two in the second and two in the third, completing a three-game road trip with a 2-0-1-0 record. The Royals are 7-1-1-0 in their last eight games and first in the North Division with 20 points (9-4-2-0).Eamon McAdam blocked 22 shots (3 GA) in defeat.Frank DiChiara’s 8th of the season (PPG) tied the game at one halfway through the second. In the final two minutes of the second, Pascal Laberge (3rd of season) scored an unassisted goal to place Reading ahead by one going into the third. The lead held, and for insurance, Willman’s toe drag, cross over from right post to left doorstep and pitch in to cage (PPG) gave the Royals their first two-goal advantage.The Royals start a season-long six-game home stand Sat., Nov. 16 vs.  Wheeling for the annual Veteran’s 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 pregame performance by the band “Heaven’s Thunder.” Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the 7:00 p.m. game.Box ScoreRoyals score twice in unique second frameDown by one entering the second, the Royals’ Frank DiChiara scored on the power play to tie at 7:14. Standing at the left dot, he sniped it off Thunder blueliner Blake Thompson and the puck trickled by McAdam.In the next three minutes, the Royals had a goal waved off due to goaltender interference, Adirondack’s Ryan Walker had a penalty shot stoned by Kirill Ustimenko and David Drake was assessed a minor for holding the stick behind the play as Walker steamed in on a breakaway.Next, Pascal Laberge scored; the call on the ice was a goal and stood after video review with 1:35 to go in the second. He intercepted a slot pass and dumped it back bar over McAdam. He had last scored on Halloween vs. Newfoundland in a win; Friday’s goal was his first against a team other than the Growlers.Willman back-to-backMax Willman has tallied a point in back-to-back games; he generated an assist Wednesday at Maine and scored brilliantly on a deke to the left post while on the man up to jolt Reading ahead by two with :47 elapsed in the third.Willman scored one goal in each of his last two NCAA seasons.The Royals scored twice on four third-period shots; Corey Mackin potted an empty-net goal with 1:18 left to ice the game. He has points in four straight games for the first time in his career.The Royals went 2-for-5 on the man up and allowed one man-up tally on three Thunder chances.

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.