Sandström blanks Mariners, 5-0

Portland, ME - Five Reading Royals scored and Felix Sandström earned his second career North American shutout with 23 denials to stonewall the Maine Mariners, 5-0, Friday at Cross Insurance Arena. Sandström blocked five in the third period for the Royals’ third team shutout of the season; he and Kirill Ustimenko (1 SO) each have blanked opponents this season.In a 4:45 span midway through the second, Trevor Yates, Thomas Ebbing and Jeremy Beaudry scored in three ways. First, Yates, placed it top shelf from the right slot by Brassard (7:23 of 2nd). Next, Ebbing scored on a laser-beam slapper from the left slot three minutes later. Beaudry completed the explosion with his first strike of the season on a wrister from the left circle. Reading scored the three goals on six shots.Brayden Low generated three assists to lead all players in points, including the helper on the Yates game-winning strike. Rob Michel and Luke Stork scored in the third period.Francois Brassard blocked 25 shots in defeat (5 GA).The Royals are at Adirondack Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and visit Brampton Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The next Royals home game is Tues., Dec. 31 at 4:00 p.m. vs. Maine and the Royals will give away a 2019 Jeep Compass Limited to one lucky fan, courtesy of Savage Auto Group, if a Royals player registers a hat trick.Box ScoreThrees wild in Forest CityTrevor Yates started the Royals’ three-goal second period run with a strike at 7:23 of the game, his third even-strength goal of the season and seventh overall. Brayden Low pried the puck at the right-wing circle and slung it to Yates. He turned it through Brassard. The Royals led by three after the second, with follow-up strikes from Thomas Ebbing and Jeremy Beaudry.Entering the game, the Mariners had outscored foes, 14-5, in the second period over their last eight games.Beaudry’s firstAfter scoring six times for Wichita last season, Jeremy Beaudry tallied his first as a Royal with a rip from inside the left-wing circle to provide a 3-0 edge with 7:52 to go in the middle period. Beaudry had last scored in Feb. 2019 with the Thunder.A third-year defenseman, Beaudry won the ECHL’s 2017-18 Community Service Award while with Wichita and was  named to the 2018 All-Star Classic.Michel’s “first” in college stateA graduate of the University of Maine, defenseman Rob Michel scored his second career goal and first pro tally in Portland to provide the Royals 5-0 edge late in the third. Michel scored 17 goals while attending college.Michel has scored both his goals against the North Division; he tallied his first pro goal at Brampton earlier in the month.Single-game tickets and mini-plans are on sale by visiting royalshockey.com/promotions, calling 610-898-7825 and visiting Santander Arena and The Weidenhammer Box Office at 700 Penn Street, Reading, PA.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.