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Gahagen Saves 39, Smith Scores Twice in Royals Season Series Finale Victory Over Thunder, 5-2

Saturday, March 30th
Gahagen Saves 39, Smith Scores Twice in Royals Season Series Finale Victory Over Thunder, 5-2

Reading, PA - The Reading Royals (27-33-5-2), proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, defeated the Adirondack Thunder (39-18-5-3), 5-2, on Saturday, March 30th at Cool Insuring Arena. Parker Gahagen (8-3-0-0) earned the win in net for the Royals with 39 saves on 41 shots faced. Goaltender Tyler Brennan (5-5-0-2) suffered the loss for Adirondack with 12 saves on 16 shots faced. 

BOX SCORE

The Royals opened up scoring in the opening frame at 4:05 when Tyson Fawcett snapped a wrist shot off of a centering feed from Tag Bertuzzi past Brennan. Yvan Mongo and Bertuzzi earned the helpers on Fawcett’s 10th goal of the season. Justin Michaelian followed 3:46 later with a shot from the bottom of the right face-off circle that squeaked through the pads of Brennan for an early two-goal Reading advantage, 2-0. The unassisted goal at 7:71 for Michaelian was his 5th goal of the season.

Devon Paliani capped off the flurry of goals for Reading with his 16th of the season on a deflection past Brennan to cap off a 2-on-1 rush with Mongo. Tristan Ashbrook answered the three-straight Royals’ goals with the first of the game for Adirondack at 14:10. Ashbrook forced a puck away from Reading on the Royals power play and scored on a shorthanded breakaway for his team-leading 27th goal of the season.

54 seconds into the middle frame, Jake Smith fired a wrist shot past Brennan to restore Reading’s three-goal lead, 4-1. Powell Connor and Joe Nardi earned the helpers on Smith’s 18th goal of the season, and first of two goals in the game. At 13:19, Matt Welsher beat Gahagen from the middle of the face-off circle with a wrist shot for his second goal of the season. Connor Blake and Brendan Less earned the assists on Blake’s goal that brought the score differential back to two, 4-2.

The final frame remained scoreless until 19:26 when Royal’s Smith scored on Adirodnack’s empty net for his second goal of the game. Reading concluded the season series with Adirodnack with a record of 4-6-1-1 through 12 meetings.

The Royals continue their season-long six-game road stretch in Norfolk for a three-game series opener against the Norfolk Admirals on Wednesday, April 3rd at 7:05 p.m. 

​​The Royals return home for their final two games of the regular season on Friday, April 12th and Saturday, April 13th. Both games are 7:00 p.m. puck drops at Santander Arena.

The home games feature the Royals Youth Hockey Night on the 12th and Fandemonium Night on the 13th. Fans can enjoy a 'Youth Hockey Jamboree' and a pre-game Happy Hour from 6-7:00 p.m. on the 12th before we celebrate our amazing fans with giveaways and prizes at every stoppage for Fandemonium Night on the 13th!

To order tickets, visit royalshockey.com/tickets

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2024-25 Season Memberships

Royals365 Season Memberships, six-game plans, ten-game plans, and group tickets are available for the 2024-25 season now 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 22nd 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.