Game 52 Preview: Reading at Adirondack

Royals 3-1-0-0 to open series

Glens Falls, NY – The Reading Royals (31-15-5-0, 67 pts., 2nd North) and Adirondack Thunder (20-23-8-5, 55 pts., 5th North) match for the first of three times in the next week Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Reading is 3-1-0-0 to open the series and the teams meet four more times. A Royals win Sunday guarantees Reading will earn at least a split in the series. The squad has won eight of nine games and had a season-long, eight-game winning streak snapped vs. Brampton, 5-1, Saturday.Coverage of Sunday’s game begins on mixlr.com/readingroyals 15 minutes before puck drop. BCTV (Ch. 15 Comcast, Ch. 19 Service Electric) will have the game on television.The eight-game winning streak was the longest of the Kirk MacDonald era and Reading scored 39 goals in the eight games. Adirondack had an unconventional four-game point streak of 2-0-2-0 snapped Saturday vs. Maine, 2-1.The Royals have played Adirondack 53 times ever and Reading has won 27 of those (ADK, 26 wins).Both teams are completing three-in-three weekends. Next Fri-Sat., the Royals return to Glens Falls for the first two games of a three-in-three. Reading then continues the road weekend with a March 1st showdown at Worcester. The Royals are in the midst of three straight weeks where the squad plays Friday, Saturday and Sunday.Reading is home to face Maine on Wed., Feb. 26 at 7:00 p.m., with free souvenir cup refills at the concession stands. Broadcast coverage: Watch on BCTV (Ch. 15 Comcast, Ch. 19 Service Electric) and ECHL.tv. Listen mixlr.com/readingroyals.A Royals win would…Extend the team’s road winning streak to a season-best five games…Give Reading a 2-1-0-0 record in Glens Falls.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.8-game and “9-game”Defenseman Eric Knodel had an assist on Corey Mackin’s second-period goal Saturday vs. Brampton. The Royals had won their last nine games with Knodel in the lineup prior to Saturday’s loss dating back to December.The 29-year-old from West Chester, PA has been in somewhat of a rotational role, seeing a number of recalls to Lehigh Valley. While with Reading, he’s scored six goals and 33 points in 35 games.Royals leadersGoals: Cuddemi (21)Assists: DiChiara (32)Points: DiChiara (49)PIM: Mitchell (106)+/-: Knodel (22)Thunder leaders Goals: Pierro-Zabotel (23)Assists: Szmatula (24)Points: Szmatula (44)PIM: Payne (54)+/-: Nazarian (13)Season seriesThe Royals lead the season series, 3-1-0-0, with four games to go. Both teams have scored the game’s opening goal twice and the Royals have one come-from-behind win (Nov. 15). In the last meeting Jan. 17, Corey Mackin scored  two goals for his first career multi-goal performance.Felix Sandström is 1-1-0-0 (6 GA) against the Thunder; he generated his first North American shutout against Adirondack Nov. 3.Tom McCollum played five games with Adirondack in the Thunder’s 2016-17 campaign, delivering a 3-1-0-0 mark. Later that season, McCollum landed with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers and won the March AHL Goaltender of the Month award.Fourteen Royals players have at least one point against Adirondack this season, while 13 Thunder players have done so to Reading. Each teams’ series goals leader (Corey Mackin, James Henry) has three goals. Henry and Matt Salhany top all skaters with five head-to-head points. Despite a 1-3-0-0 record vs. the Royals, Eamon McAdam has a 2.28 goals against average and .935 save percentage against Reading this season. Last season, he went 2-0-0-0 against Reading as a member of the Newfoundland Growlers. For his career against Reading, the Perkasie, PA native is 6-6-1-0 (30 GA in 11 GP).Royals-Thunder head-to-head leaders this seasonRoyals goals – Mackin (3)                  Thunder goals –  Henry (3)Royals assists – DiChiara (3)             Thunder assists – Salhany (3)Royals points – DiChiara (4)              Thunder points – Henry/Salhany (5)Royals PIM – Mitchell (16)                Thunder PIM – Henry (8)Royals +/- – Yates (3)                         Thunder +/- – Verpaelst (3)All-time seriesReading has 27 wins ever and Adirondack has 26 all time against the Royals (27-21-5). In the Kirk MacDonald era, the Royals are 15-13-2 (15 wins, 15 losses). The nearly-even all-time split has nearly held true in the home-to-road split. Reading has won 15 of 25 games at  Santander Arena against Adirondack. Meanwhile, the Royals sit at hockey .500 (12-12-1-3) in games at the CAA  Centre. Sunday’s game is the first of the season and second in the last two years played on a Sunday afternoon.Upcoming Home Games: royalshockey.com/promotions Wed., Feb. 26 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Maine Free Souvenir Cup Refills at the concession standsSun.,  Mar. 8 at 4:00 p.m. vs. Brampton (First Responders Game, Pres. by Met-Ed)Game pres. by Met-Ed - the Reading Fire/Police squads face the Allentown squads before the game at 12:30 p.m. - 1 ticket includes admission to both games |  $1 Hot Dogs, Sodas and Nachos | Touch a Truck Event for Kids | Faith & Family Night - Church Group Rates Available | Heaven’s Thunder music performance | Last Postgame Party of the season with players at Cheers! Restaurant at the DoubleTree Hotel.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.