McNally is overtime hero in 3-2 Royals win

The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, won their first of two games on the road this weekend, 3-2, over the Adirondack Thunder Saturday, Oct. 30th at Cool Insuring Arena. Royals goaltender Pat Nagle saved 31 of 33 shots, while Admirals goalie Mareks Mitens saved 23 of 26. 

BOX SCORE

Matthew Strome got the Royals on the board early with a wrist shot that ripped over the blocker of Mitens 6:26 into the first period. Thomas Ebbing forced a turnover in the Thunder’s zone and chipped the puck up to Patrick Bajkov who fed Strome in the slot and fired across Mitens’ body to make it 1-0. 

Minutes later, the Thunder struck back. Nick Rivera cashed in off a juicy rebound off the right pad of Nagle. Patrick Grasso’s wrist shot from the top of the zone led to the scoring chance. This was Rivera’s first of the season, and it tied the game, 1-1. 

Halfway through the 2nd period, Dominic Cormier went tape-to-tape with Brayden Low who chipped the puck past Mitens, glove-side. Low scored his first of the season to put Reading back up with a one-goal lead. 

Late in the 2nd period, Adirondack answered the one-goal deficit once again. Forward Pete MacArthur sent a shot through traffic in front of Nagle's cage on a power play, which forced Nagle out of his crease after making a butterfly save. The puck slid behind the net and wound up on Grasso's stick. He fed MacArthur, who was positioned back in front of the net, to score the easy game-tying goal and make it 2-2.

A scoreless 3rd period sent the Saturday night game to overtime. 5:07 into post-regulation play, Patrick McNally became the hero for Reading. The Royals’ defenseman carried the pick straight to Mitens’ crease, beating the Thunder’s defensemen and netminder’s poke check attempt with a beautiful deke move and backhand shot into the back of the net for the game-winning goal, 3-2. 

The Royals are back on the road against the Maine Mariners Sunday, Oct. 31st at 3:00 p.m. at Cross Insurance Arena.

Reading Royals season, flex memberships and group tickets are available for the 2021-22 season by visiting the Royals’ box office at Santander Arena or by calling 610-898-7825.

About the RoyalsThe Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, are entering their 20th season in the ECHL. They won their first Kelly Cup championship in 2013 and have clinched playoff berths in 10 of the previous 11 seasons. They are four-time division champions. The Berks County Convention Center Authority (BCCCA), founded in 1996, owns the Royals and oversees operations at Santander Arena.