Newton Scores Twice, Royals Take Series Lead To Reading, 3-2

Portland, ME - The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, defeated the Maine Mariners, 4-3, on Wednesday, April 26 at Cross Insurance Arena. The Royals took back their series lead and went up 3-2 in the series heading back to Santander Arena for game six on Saturday, April 29 at Santander Arena. Pat Nagle (24-7-1, 4-0-1) earned the win in net for Reading with 34 saves on 40 shots. François Brassard (19-15-2, 2-1-0) suffered the loss in net with 29 saves on 33 shots faced.

BOX SCORE 

Charlie Gerard struck first for Reading with the game’s opening goal 2:51 into the game on an unassisted breakaway. Gerard carried the puck from center ice in on goal and snapped a wrist shot past Brassard for his third goal of the series.

Tyler Hinam evened the score at the end of a stream of passes from Curtis Hall, to Cameron Askew, and lastly to Hinam who blasted the puck past Nagle 5:01 into the first period. Max Newton scored his first of two goals 13:58 into the game to put Reading in front after the opening frame, 2-1.

Alex Kile contributed to Maine’s offense with the primary assists on two Mariners goals in the second period. The pair of goals put Maine ahead heading into the third period, 3-2. Mitchell Fossier scored a power play goal 8:50 into the middle frame and Curtis Hall scored his second goal of the series 2:35 later to capture Maine’s first lead of the game. Fossier’s second goal of the series was the third power play goal scored by the Mariners in the playoff series. 

The Royals failed to score on their lone power play opportunity in the third period, but a game-tying goal by Newton and game-winning goal off of a deflection by Jacob Gaucher was all the offensive production Reading needed to earn the come-from-behind victory in game five. Newton scored on a rebound built off of a shot from Gerard that banked off of Brassard’s right pad straight out to Newton skating down the slot 47 seconds into the third period. Gaucher’s first Kelly Cup Playoff professional career game-winning goal came at the 5:28 mark into the final frame to put the Royals in front for good.

Will MacKinnon earned the primary assist on Gaucher’s third goal of the series and contributed on the defensive end with a pair of blocks in the final three minutes of play. Nagle stopped a game-high 21 shots on goal in the third period to preserve the lead and first win for the road team in the playoff series.

The Royals were outshot by the Mariners for a third-straight game, however prevailed victorious for the first time when being outshot in the series. Maine registered 43 shots on goal to Reading’s 33 in the game. 

The Royals earned their opportunity to clinch the North Division Semifinal series against the Mariners in game six of the best-of-seven series on Saturday, April 29 at 7:00 p.m. at Santander Arena. Tickets to the home are on sale now at royalshockey.com/tickets. See the full playoff schedule for the Royals available at ~ royalshockey.com ~ now!-

2022-23 & 2023-24 Season Memberships

Reading Royals season tickets, flex memberships and group tickets are available for the 2022-23 & now 2023-24 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 12 of the previous 13 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.