Reading Royals Reading Royals
Schedule
Get Tickets
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Royals Seek Series Win on New Years Eve in Wheeling

Royals Seek Series Win on New Years Eve in Wheeling

Saturday, December 31st
Royals Seek Series Win on New Years Eve in Wheeling

Wheeling, WV - The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, close their three-game series against the Wheeling Nailers on the road in the final game of the calendar year tonight at 6:10 p.m. at WesBanco Arena.

The Royals return home on Saturday, January 7th for their first game of 2023. The game features the Star Wars and Pediatric Cancer promotional game which includes appearances by Star Wars characters, youth padawan training classes, Chewbacca voice and costume contests as well as the debut of specialty Star Wars themed jerseys worn by the Royals in the game.

Star Wars replica jerseys are available for purchase in the Lions Den team store as well as on the Royals team store site here! Specialty game worn jerseys by Royals players are available in a live auction post-game auction following the conclusion of the game.

Five dollars from each ticket ordered through one of the links below will go towards that selected local organization which supports families affected by pediatric cancer.

See the full promotional game schedule at royalshockey.com/promotions.

Reading hoists a 17-8-1 record after defeating Wheeling in their previous game, 4-2, on Friday, December 30th. Max Balinson led the way for Reading with three points (2 G, 1 A) while multi-point games were also earned by Jacob Gaucher (1 G, 1 A), Brendan Hoffmann (1 G, 1 A), and Jordan Timmons (2 A). Josh Boyko earned the win in his Royals debut in goal. The rookie nteminder made a professional career high 35 saves on 37 shots faced for his second win of the season (2-1-1).

The Royals boast an all-time record of 112-86 against Wheeling and are even with the Nailers in the season series, 2-2. Each team has won their respective road game in this three-game series as Wheeling took the series opener in Reading on Wednesday, December 28th, 2-1, while the Royals downed the Nailers in game two at WesBanco arena on Friday, December 30th, 4-2.Reading stands in third place in the North Division with a .673 win percentage. The Royals have two games fewer played than Newfoundland and four games fewer played compared to Worcester. The Growlers (19-8-1-0) and Railers (18-11-1-0) sit atop the North Division and Eastern Conference standings. Newfoundland surpassed Worcester for the divisional lead following their overtime victory over Kalamazoo while Worcester fell to Adirondack and suffered their fourth consecutive loss on Friday, Decmeber 30th. Behind Reading, Maine (14-11-1-1) stands in fourth and Trois-Rivières (13-13-1-1) holds fifth place in the standings. Adirondack lands in sixth with a .370 win percentage while Norfolk ranks at the bottom of both the North Division and Eastern Conference with a 5-22-1-1 record (.207 win percentage).Wheeling fell to 13-14-1-0 and had their three-game point streak snapped by Reading in their previous game. The Nailers have won two of their last three games after they earned a point in an overtime loss to Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 18th. The Nailers have dropped their last three games at home. Forward Justin Addamo leads the team in goals (11) and holds tow points in the series (1 G, 1 A). while defenseman Josh Maniscalso leads in assists (17) and points (25). Samuel Tremblay leads the Nailers in goals with two in the series while Jacob Gaucher and Max Balinson each enter the series finale with two goals and three points for Reading's leading goal scorers in the series.

A few Royals are on streaks and captured milestones in the first face off of the season at WesBanco Arena: 

  • Streaks:           

    • Forward Jacob Gaucher is on a six-game point streak (6 G, 3 A)
    • Forward Jordan Timmons is on a two-game point streak (3 A)
  • Milestones:
    • Forward Jacob Gaucher set a new career high point streak at games after scoring a goal and earning an assist
      • The two points made for Gaucher's fifth multi-point game of the season
    • Defenseman Max Balinson earned a professional career high three-points (2 G, 1 A) as well as his first multi-goal game of his professional career
    • Forward Brendan Hoffmann earned his first multi-point game of his professional career (1 G, 1 A)
    • Forward Trey Bradley skated in his 175th ECHL career game
    • Goalie Josh Boyko earned his first win as a Royal in his Royals debut (35 svs/37 shots)
  • Player Rankings:
    • Forward Max Newton is among the top 25 skaters in the league in points (26)
      • Among rookies, Newton is third in goals (13) and fourth in points.
    • Defenseman Colin Felix is second among rookies in penalty minutes (65), tied for first in fighting majors (5).

-

Today's game will be streamed on the Royals Broadcast Network available on the following platforms: 

-Upcoming Games:      

  • Star Wars Night - Jan. 7 vs. Worcester
    • Join the Royals and your favorite characters from a galaxy far, far, away at Star Wars night!
    • Youth padawan training classes
    • Costume contest
    • Chewbacca impression contest
    • Specialty jersey debut
    • $2 off craft beers 6-7:00 PM
  • Wizards Night - Jan. 13 vs. Adirondack
    • Royals Players' house competition
    • Chase the snitch on the concourse
    • $2 off domestic drafts 6-7:00 PM
    • Butterbeer
    • Wizard-themed games
    • 4 for $60 deal including 4 tickets, hot dogs, drinks, and thundersticks presented by Deibler Dental
    • Job fair
  • Flintstones Night - Jan. 14 vs. Adirondack
    • Yabba dabba doo! Join the Royals for Flintstones night, and bid on their game-worn specialty jerseys!
    • Double Tree post-game party
    • $2 off craft draft beers 3-4:00 PM
    • Yabba-Dabba-Doo voice contest
    • Flintstone costume contest
    • Rubble pudding eating contest

Four-Game Plan

Join the Reading Royals for FOUR of our biggest games of the year at home! Four-game plan ticket package includes tickets to the following specialty games:

Affiliation Night - January 28th @7:00 p.m.

Pink in the Rink - February 4th @7:00 p.m.

St. Hattrick's Day - March 18th @7:00 p.m.

Fandemonium - April 15th @7:00 p.m.

In addition to a ticket to each game, you will get a burger and soda per ticket, as well as a Royals hat. Contact the Royals front office for pricing details. Quantities are limited so reserve your seat now!2022-23 Season Memberships

Reading Royals season tickets, flex memberships and group tickets are available for the 2022-23 season by visiting the Royals’ box office at Santander Arena or by calling 610-898-7825. 

About the Royals

The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, are in their 21st season in the ECHL. They won their first Kelly Cup championship in 2013 and have clinched playoff berths in 11 of the previous 12 seasons. They are five-time division champions and were the 2021-22 Eastern Conference champion. The Berks County Convention Center Authority (BCCCA), founded in 1996, owns the Royals and oversees operations at Santander Arena.