This week’s Reading Royals notes
This past week, the Royals completed the southern portion of the team’s season-long seven game road trip with three in a row against the Florida Everblades at Germain Arena in Estero, Florida. The Royals got at least a point—in a variety of ways—in each of the games played this past week (1- 0-1-1): (i) falling in a shootout (3-2) on Wednesday; (ii) earning a point in comefrom-behind fashion in overtime (3-2) on Friday; and (iii) winning in regulation (2-1) on Saturday.
Reading has compiled a record of 3- 6-1-2 in the team’s last twelve games and 2- 5-1-1 in the last nine road games. Overall, the Royals record is at one game over .500 (11-101-2=25), which places the team in fourth place in the East Division and tied for ninth place (with the Orlando Solar Bears) in the Eastern Conference.
Reading has compiled a record of 2-2-1-1 through six games of the current seven game road trip with the final game of this roadie to be played on Wednesday in Norfolk, Virginia, when the Royals make the first trip in team history to The Scope.
The Royals 2-1 win on Saturday in Florida snapped what was a three game winless streak (01-1-1) and converted the team’s current streak to three in a row without a regulation loss (1- 0-1-1).
Wednesday’s 3-2 shootout loss in Florida marked the Royals fifth—and second consecutive—“blown lead” loss of the season. In that game, Reading held a 2- 0 lead entering third period, but gave up a pair of goals to the Everblades in the third and ended up losing in a six round shootout.
Wednesday’s game marked the first time this year that Reading has led entering the third period and failed to win (9-0-0-1).
The shootout loss to Florida marked the second time ( in two tries) this season that Reading has lost in the skills compet i t i on. Reading did not beat goaltender Daniel Altshuller on any of the six shootout attempts the team took on Wednesday. In fact, the Royals shooters are yet to score in the shootout this season, going 0 for 9 so far in the skills competition.
In a mirror image to Wednesday’s game, on Friday in Florida, it was the Royals who came up with a pair of third period goals to erase a two-goal deficit and force the game beyond regulation time—although the basic end result proved to be the same with Florida winning 31 seconds into the extra frame. That game marked the third time this season that Reading has trailed the opposition entering the third period and come away with at least one point in the standings (1-8-1-1).
Friday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Everblades marked the first time in team history that Reading has had a game resolved in the new (to the ECHL, at least) three- on-three overtime format.
Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Everblades is the first road game all season that has been resolved by a one-goal differential that Reading has won (1- 4-1-1). Overall, Reading has compiled a record of 4-5-1-2 in one-goal decisions.
Reading has scored exactly two goals in each of the last four consecutive games—and in five of the last six played. Over the course of the last ten games, Reading has scored a total of 22 goals (2.20 goals per game average). Reading has compiled a record of 2-7-1-1 in the eleven games in which the team has scoerd two or fewer goals. Overall this season, Reading is
averaging 3.08 goals per game, which is tied eighth in the league.
Saturday ’ s game marked the eighth time this season that Reading has held the opposition to one goal or less. The Royals have gone 7-10- 0 in those games. Overall, Reading’s team goals against average sits at 2.79, which is eleventh best in the league.
Reading was credited with just four shots in the first period of Wednesday’s SOL in Florida. That tied the season low for shots in a single period for the team. The Royals generated 23 shots in Friday’s OTL to the Everblades. That marked the sixth time this season that Reading has been held to twenty-five or fewer shots this year (1- 4-1- 0). Overall, Reading is averaging 30.29 shots per game— thirteenth in the league.
Florida generated a total of 95 shots in the three games played last week, an average of 31.67 shots per game. Overall, Reading is allowing shots at an average of 26.58 per game, fourth best in the league.
Reading’s power play came through forty-four seconds into the third period against the topranked penalty killing team in the league to spark the two-goal comeback effort in Friday’s 3-2 OTL in Florida. That was only the sixth power play goal allowed by the Everblades on home ice all season. Overall, Reading is scoring PPGs at a 19.6% clip, which is tied ninth in the ECHL.
Florida scored the game’s first goal in Friday’s OTL while playing with the man advantage. That was only the fourth PPGA that Reading has allowed on the road, where the Royals are killing at a 90.7% clip (third best in the league). Overall, the Royals PK is seventh best (85.7%).
Justin Crandall picked up an assist in each of the two games in which he played in Florida this past week and now has at least one point in nine of his last ten games played (3g8a=11pts). Crandall, who did not play in Saturday’s 2-1 win due to injury, leads the Royals with 24 points (7g-17a) in twenty games, which places him tied for ninth in the overall ECHL scoring race and third in the rookie scoring race.
Mike Pereira scored his team-leading twelfth goal of the season, which is tied for fourth most in the ECHL, in Saturday’s 2-1 win. That goal proved to be Pereira’s third game winner of the year, which leads the Royals and is tied for third most in the league. Pereira, who has seven goals in his last eleven games, is tied for thirteenth in the league scoring with twenty-two points ( 12g-10a) in 24 games. He leads the Royals in plus-minus at plus13 (+13).
Robbie Czarnik started the come-back effort for the Royals forty-four seconds into the third period of Friday’s game with his team-leading sixth power play goal of the season, which is tied for second most in the league. Czarnik, who leads the Royals with 82 shots on goal, also recorded the primary assist on Pereira’s game winner on Saturday.
Despite being held off the score sheet this past week (although he did have a goal waived off in the third period of Saturday’s win for a teammate’s ‘ inadvertent contact’ with the goaltender), Adam Comrie still leads all defensemen in the league with nine goals (and is tied for the league lead amongst d-men with twenty points).
Cam Reid snapped a fourteen game goal scoring drought (and a four game span without registering a point) when he scored the game’s first goal in Wednesday’s SOL. Reid followed that up by scoring the third period gametying goal in Friday’s OTL. Reid, who also picked up an assist on the first goal (by Yannick Tifu) in Saturday’s win, is riding a three game point streak (2g-1a).
Yannick Tifu, who is riding a three game point streak ( 1g- 2a), played in his 200th game as a Royal on Friday. He is just the third player in team history to reach the 200 game plateau, joining Ryan Cruthers (278 games) and Oliver Labelle (228 games). In Friday’s game, he picked up a helper on the third-period game-tying goal by Cam
PHOTO BY BRAD DREY OF PURDON HOUSE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTO BY BRAD DREY OF PURDON HOUSE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Reid. In Saturday’s win, Tifu scored the game’s first goal, which was his seventieth career goal as a Royal. Tifu is the third leading scorer in Royals history with 188 points (70g-118a) in 201 games. He is thirteen points behind Labelle (101g-100a=201pts) for second place.
Ian Watters snapped a fourteen game streak without a point, when he picked up an assist on Czarnik’s power play goal in Friday’s 3-2 OTL.
In Friday’s 3-2 OTL, Matt Hatch was awarded a short-handed penalty shot at 11:50 of the third period with the scored tied at two. Goaltender Anthony Peters stopped Hatch’s penalty shot attempt. That was first penalty shot of the year for Reading and the thirty-third penalty shot in team history. It was also the second PS for Matt Hatch, who scored on a penalty shot against Wheeling’s Franky Palazzese on January 9, 2015 (in a 6- 5 loss for the Royals to the Nailers). It was the eighth short-handed penalty shot in the 15 year history of the team.
Defenseman Jordan Heywood returned to the Royals’ lineup on Friday after missing three games due to injury and promptly recorded the primary assist on the third period power play goal by Robbie Czarnik in the 3-2 OTL.
Pavel Padakin recorded his first multi-point performance as a pro when he picked up an assist on each of the two goals scored in Saturday’s 2-1 win.
Derik Johnson racked up his first pro point when he assisted on Reading’s first goal ( by Cam Reid) in Wednesday’s 3-2 SOL. Johnson then proceeded to rack up his first multipoint game as a pro by assisting on the Royals’ second goal in that game (by Scott Tanski). This weekend marked the first time for Johnson to play three consecutive games for the Royals, and he played to a plus- 3 (+3) collectively over the three-game set, which included playing to a plus-2 (+2) in Saturday’s win. Johnson also recorded his first shot on goal in seven games with the Royals in Saturday’s win.
Scott Tanski recorded his first goal as a Royal (and first of the season) 5:14 into the second period to give the Royals a 2- 0 lead in Wednesday’s 3-2 SOL. Sam Windle engaged in his second pro fight (against Florida’s Corey Cowick) 12:24 into the second period of Friday’s game with the Royals trailing 2- 0. That fight seemed to serve as a substantial spark the Royals to the team’s eventual twogoal third period comeback.
Goaltender Connor Knapp was exceptional in his two games played this past week, making 32 saves on 34 shots in the 65 minutes of hockey— and then stopping five of six in the shootout— on Wednesday. He followed that up with a brilliant 29 save performance in Saturday’s 2-1. That win, which marked the third time this season that he has held the opposition to one goal or less, was his thirtieth career win as a Royal. He is only the fifth goaltender in team history to win as many as 30 in his time with the team, joining Cody Rudkowsky (56), Matt Dalton (42), Brandon Anderson (33), and Barry Brust (30). Overall this season with Reading, Knapp is 6- 5- 0-1 with a 2.79 goals against average and a .904 save percentage with one shutout.
Goaltender Adam Morrison was equally brilliant in his lone game last week, the 3-2 overtime loss to the Everblades on Friday, making 27 saves in 60:31 of game time. Several of his big stops came late in the second period with the Royals trailing 2- 0, each of which was instrumental in giving Reading the chance to mount the twogoal third period comeback. In six appearances for the Royals this year, Morrison is 1-3-1-1 with a 2.66 goals against average and .902 save percentage with one shutout. (Overall,
he is 3- 5-1-1, 3.09 gaa, .892 save percentage)
Saturday’s win was the 280th victory in the coaching career for Larry Courville in his 494th game win the Royals (280-17120-23).