Game 27 Preview: Brampton at Reading

Gritty is here, Affiliation Night, Teddy Bear Toss and Mascot Mania 

Reading, PA – It’s Affiliation Night, the Teddy Bear Toss and Mascot Mania Saturday at 7:00 p.m. as the Reading Royals (14-8-4-0, 32 pts., 2nd North) host the Brampton Beast (15-9-1-0, 31 pts., 3rd North). Affiliation Night is pres. by The Works in Wyomissing.   Flyers Mascot Gritty will be at the game to celebrate the Royals affiliation with Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.It’s also the annual Teddy Bear Toss; throw bears on the ice after the Royals score their first goal. The first 1,500 fans receive a plush teddy bear, courtesy of Artistic Toys in Allentown.        The Royals and Beast played for the third straight game Friday and Reading came from behind with four unanswered goals for a 5-2 win; Max Willman tied the game in the second period and then tallied a 5-on-3 goal for Reading’s final strike. Reading went 2-for-5 on the power play. The Royals are at Worcester Sunday at 3:05 p.m. The next Royals home game after Saturday is Tues., Dec. 31 at 4:00 p.m. vs. Maine. The Royals will give away a 2019 Jeep Compass Limited, pres. by Savage Auto Group, if a Royals player registers a hat trick.      Today’s promotions: Toss Bears on the ice after the Royals’ first goal | Plush Bear giveaway to first 1,500 from Artistic Toys | Slapshot invites local mascots including Flyers Mascot Gritty to the game | Gritty Meet and Greet Add Ons Available | Philadelphia Flyers Theme Affiliation Jerseys - Game Worn Jersey Auction Online | Coat Drive pres. by the Salvation Army | $1 Frozen TreatsBroadcast Coverage: Listen to the Deibler Dental In-Arena Broadcast at 99.3 FM and Mixlr.com/ReadingRoyals.Royals leadersGoals: Cuddemi (21)Assists: DiChiara/Knodel (19)Points: Cuddemi (34)PIM: Mitchell (69)+/-: Knodel/Gaudreau (12)Beast leaders Goals: Sparks (14)Assists: Leavens (17)Points: Sparks (29)PIM: Petgrave (49)+/-: Leavens (16)A Royals win would…Move Reading to 11-2-1-0 at home… Be Reading’s second straight victory…Keep Reading second place in the North.Four in a rowFollowing Saturday’s game, the fourth straight between the clubs, the Royals and Beast play four more times the entire season.Reading is 1-2-0-0 in the season series; Matthew Gaudreau had a helper Friday and tops Reading with three points  vs. Brampton this season. Max Willman scored twice Friday, his first ECHL multi-goal game. He is the only Royals player with more than one goal in the series.Both teams have scored nine times in the series. Lindsay Sparks tops all players with four goals and five points; he generated his fifth pro hat trick in the series opener a week ago in Brampton.Kirill Ustimenko has allowed six goals in two games to the Beast (1-1-0-0 record). Alex Dubeau (1-1-0-0) has allowed eight vs. Reading. Felix Sandström denied 19 shots (2 GA) in his first game against Brampton last Sunday.         Teddy Bear Toss goalsBrayden Low scored a breakaway goal a year ago today, the Teddy Bear Toss goal in a 5-2 win over Allen. It was the first Teddy Toss goal in Low’s career.In 2017, Adam Schmidt scored the game’s first goal.The Royals are 1-1-0-0 in the Kirk MacDonald era on Teddy Toss Night.This Day in Royals History  On Dec. 14, 2003, forward Judd Medak scored his first overtime winner of the season in a 2-1 final vs. the Toledo Storm at Santander Arena. It capped a stretch of consecutive games that went to overtime (Reading outslugged Trenton in a shootout, 3-2, the night before).For Medak, it was his first of two straight game winners; he defeated Cincinnati Dec. 19 with his only career hat trick as a Royal.The Royals all-time winningest goaltender Cody Rudkowsky denied 42 shots for his fifth straight victory.Upcoming Home Games Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 4:00 p.mm. vs. Maine (Car Giveaway) Royals giving away a  2019 Jeep Compass Limited if a player records a hat trick | Register to win the car at  the game | Balloon Drop and Countdown | Tuxedo Royals Jersey | Live New Year’s Celebration in other Countries | $1 Champagne SodaAbout 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.