Week Twenty-Four (March 28, 2017)
LAST WEEK’S GAMES
Wednesday March 22, 2017
Friday
March 24, 2017
Saturday
March 25, 2017
v Manchester Monarchs
v Adirondack Thunder
v Adirondack Thunder
Loss 1-5
OTL 1-2
Win 3-2 ot
TEAM RECORD
Overall
Home
Road
GP
66
33
33
W
37
19
18
L OTL SOL
24 3
2
13 1
0
11 2
2
PTS
79
39
40
WIN %
.598
.591
.606
GF
232
115
117
GA
197
91
106
STREAK
1-0-1-0
1-0-1-0
0-2-0-0
Place in Standings
t-3rd North Division
THIS WEEK’S GAMES
FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017
v Norfolk Admirals
Santander Arena – Reading, PA (7:00 pm)
Foam Finger
(First 2000 Fifteen and Older)
Digestive Disease Associates, LTD.
SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017
v Brampton Beast
Santander Arena – Reading, PA (7:00 pm)
FANdemonium – Prizes at Every Stoppage in Play
Team Poster Giveaway (First 2000)
Courtesy of Rieck’s Printing
“Jerseys Off the Players’ Backs” – Post-Game Raffle
Season Ticket Holders Only
SUNDAY, APRIL 2, 2017
@ Wheeling Nailers
WesBanco Arena – Wheeling, WV (5:05 pm)
Broadcast:
Broadcast Begins 30 Minutes Prior to Opening Face-Off
With Pre-Game Warm-Up Show
Digital Stream on iHeartRadio Rumba 1340 – Reading
Deibler Dental In-Arena Broadcast – 99.3 fm Inside Santander Arena
Road Games Only: BCTV Telecast in Berks County, PA
(Comcast Reading Cable Channel 15, Service Electric Cable Channel 19,
Comcast Southern Berks Channel 965)
Pay-Per-View Streaming Video at ECHL.TV
Weekly Notes
Last week, the Royals played three games on home ice beginning with a 5-1 shellacking at the hands of the Manchester
Monarchs last Wednesday. Reading scored a late-third period game-tying goal to bounce back and snag a point in a 2-1
overtime loss to the Adirondack Thunder on Friday; and then returned the favor to the Thunder on Saturday in a come-frombehind 3-2 overtime win.
Saturday’s overtime win snapped a four game winless streak for Reading (0-3-1-0) and pushed the team’s record back to
thirteen games over .500 at 37-24-3-2=79 through sixty-six games, which places the team tied for third place in the North
Division with the Manchester Monarchs—but only two points
behind the first place Adirondack Thunder in the hotly contested
divisional race.
Reading’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot in the North
Division currently stands at four with respect to the
Wheeling Nailers, i.e. any combination of four points gained
by Reading or lost by the Nailers would guarantee that the
Royals will claim one of the four available playoff spots in the
North.
Also, because of the tie-break format (with regulation and
overtime wins being the first tie-break), if the Royals were to
win in any form or fashion (regulation, overtime, or
shootout) this Friday against Norfolk and Wheeling were to
lose in any form or fashion (regulation, overtime or
shootout) against the Brampton Beast, Reading would clinch a playoff spot.
All three games played by the Royals last week were against teams within North Division. Reading has compiled a record of 2312-3-1 against teams in the North with two more games to be played against teams within the Division: (i) Saturday at home
against the Brampton Beast; and (ii) Sunday in Wheeling against the Nailers.
The twenty-three wins that the Royals have garnered within the North leads the Division.
Reading has four games left against the South Division (against whom the Royals have so far gone 5-11-0-0)—all against
the Norfolk Admirals, including this Friday night at Santander Arena.
Last Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to Manchester dropped the Royals record to 2-7-1-0 in the ten game season series against the
Monarchs. The Royals also completed the team’s eleven game season series against Adirondack with the two games played
this past week at Santander Arena. Overall this season, Reading went 7-2-1-1 against the Thunder (and 4-1-1-0 in the six games
played between the two teams in Reading).
This Saturday, the Royals will complete the team’s three game season series against Brampton. Reading went 1-0-1-0 in
the two games played in Brampton in early March.
Reading will also complete the team’s seven game season
series against the Nailers this Sunday in Wheeling. So far, the
Royals have compiled a 4-2-0-0 record against the Nailers.
Reading was held to just one goal in the first two games played
last week. In fact, Friday’s 2-1 overtime loss to Adirondack marked
the third time in a span of just four games that the team’s offense
was held to just one goal.
Overall this season, Reading has been held to one goal eleven
times, and Friday’s 2-1 overtime loss to Adirondack marked
the first time this season that the team has picked up at least
a point (0-10-1-0) in those games.
Although the Royals currently average 3.52 goals per game
(tenth best in the league), over the last fifteen games (6-8-1-0)
the team has scored just a total of 41 goals, which is an average of 2.73 goals per game.
During the Royals recent four game winless streak, the team scored just five total goals on 151 shots, which translates into a
3.3% scoring ratio.
In fact, during the past fifteen games (6-8-1-0), Reading has shot at just a 7.2% ratio (41 goals on 570 shots). In the fifty-one
games prior to that, the Royals shot at an 11.5% ratio.
Overall, Reading is currently shooting at an 10.4% ratio (232 goals on 2226 shots).
After giving up five goals to Manchester on Wednesday, the Royals held Adirondack to just two goals in each of the games
against the Thunder on Friday and Saturday.
Reading has held the opposition to two goals or less thirty-one times this year, and the team has gone 26-4-1-0 in those
games.
Overall, the Royals have allowed 197 goals against, which translates into a 2.98 goals against average per game (eighth
best in the league).
After the back-to-back overtime games this past
Friday and Saturday against Adirondack, Reading has
now played in ten games that have gone beyond
regulation time this year—five of which have been
against the Thunder.
The Royals won two in OT and suffered one OTL
against Adirondack this year. The two teams also
split a pair of games that went to the shootout
for conclusion).
Overall, the Royals have gone 5-5 in games that
have gone beyond regulation for resolution,
compiling a record of 4-3 in overtime and 1-2 in
the skills competition.
Saturday’s game was the 212th game in the
sixteen year history of the team (out of 1146
regular season games) that has gone beyond regulation for resolution. Reading has gone 102-110 in those games (52-52 on
home ice).
The Royals have played in 89 regular season games that have ended in overtime. The team has gone 42-47 in those games
(and 21-19 on home ice).
In Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Monarchs last Wednesday, the Royals were outscored 3-0 in the third period. In the thirteen
games leading up to and including Wednesday’s loss, Reading had been outscored in the third period (9-17) (-8)
However, on Friday, the Royals entered the third period trailing 1-0 and scored a late third period game-tying power play
goal to get to overtime (which ended—in rather sour fashion—when Adirondack with just 29.6 seconds left in OT).
And, on Saturday, the Royals trailed 2-1 entering the third period against the Thunder and tied the game at two 1:01 into
the final frame. Reading won that game on an OT GWG by Steven Swavely with 1:00 left in OT.
Saturday’s game marked the fifth time this season that Reading has entered third period trailing the opposition and still
come up with a win (5-19-2-0).
Saturday’s game was the thirteenth come-frombehind win of the year for Reading—and the
second time this year that Reading has comefrom-behind to beat the Thunder.
The Royals are currently playing to a plus-11
(+11) in the third period (78 goals for – 67 goals
against). But at one point in the season, Reading
led the league in third period goal differential;
and as late as fifty games into the season were
playing at plus-21 (+21) in the third.
Reading snapped a string of 21 consecutive power
play chances without a goal when Ryan Penny
bagged a critical PPG with just 6:13 remaining in
regulation to tie Friday’s OTL to the Thunder at one.
Nonetheless, Reading’s power play has been
blanked in five of the last six games (1-20) and in
eight of the last ten played (2-37 = 5.4%). In the last fifteen games, the Royals’ PP has scored at a 5.5% ratio (3 for 55).
Although the Royals penalty kill was touched up for a power play goal against 1:27 into the second period on Saturday to give
Adirondack a 2-1 lead, the penalty kill has knocked off 24 of the last 26 (92.3%) power play chances for the opposition over the
past seven games.
The Royals recent penalty kill successes included knocking off 1:41 of five-on-three power play against 8:59 into the second
period of Friday’s 2-1 overtime loss with Adirondack leading in the game 1-0.
As late as sixteen games into the season, Reading’s PK was dead last in the league, killing at a 69.4% clip; and now
currently stands at tied sixth best in the league at 84.0%--just 2.0% below the top PK team in the league (Toledo).
Robbie Czarnik, who has registered seven points in his last eight games (3g-4a), leads the Royals with fifty-four points (22g32a) in sixty games. Czarnik also leads the Royals with 205 shots on goal this season.
Matt Willows snapped a six game goal scoring drought
with his twentieth goal of the year (sixteen of which have
been scored with Reading) 1:01 into the third period to tie
Saturday’s game against Adirondack at two.
Willows also assisted on the Royals’ other two goals
in that game—including the overtime game winner
by Steven Swavely—to record his tenth multi-point
performance of the season with Reading.
Saturday’s game marked the third time this
season that Willows has recorded three or more
points in a game for Reading.
Willows, who has fifty-three points (20g-33a) in fiftyeight total games this season, has recorded forty-two
of his points (16g-26a) (and played plus-6) in fortyone games for Reading.
Justin Crandall, who has four points (3g-1a) in his last six games, recorded his thirty-second assist of the season—which ties him
for the team lead with Robbie Czarnik—on the late third-period game-tying power play goal by Ryan Penny in Friday’s OTL to
Adirondack. Crandall leads all forwards on the team in plus-minus at plus-21 (+21).
Ryan Penny snapped a five game goal scoring drought when he bagged his twenty-third of the year (which is tied for the team
lead with Olivier Labelle) with just 6:13 remaining in the third period of Friday’s 2-1 OTL to the Thunder. For Penny, that was his
fifth power play goal of the season, which is tied for second-most on the team (with Robbie Czarnik) to the eight PPGs scored
by Olivier Labelle this season.
Florian Iberer, who registered the primary assist on
Reading’s lone goal against Manchester last Wednesday,
is currently fourteenth amongst defensemen in scoring
with thirty-nine points (9g-30a) in sixty-four games.
On Wednesday, Steven Swavely returned to the Royals
lineup for the first time since February 9 (a span of
seventeen games) when he was recalled to the Lehigh
Valley Phantoms of the AHL. Swavely had not played at
all since being injured in the AHL on February 19. He
promptly proceeded to score the lone goal for the Royals
in Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Monarchs.
On Saturday, Swavely scored his first game winner as
a pro when he bagged the overtime game winner
with just 1:00 left in OT. Swavely, who played to a
personal season-best plus-3 on Saturday, also picked up an assist on Reading’s first goal in Saturday’s win to register his
seventh multi-point performance of the season with Reading.
With his overtime game winner, Swavely became the twenty-first different skater to bag a GWG for the Royals this season.
In his last ten games with the Royals, Swavely has twelve points (6g-6a).
Evan Bloodoff, who picked up the secondary assist on Reading’s lone goal on Wednesday, has three points (1g-2a) in six games
played for Reading since being acquired from the Florida Everblades on March 9.
Defenseman Derik Johnson’s goal 5:57 into the first period of Saturday’s game marked the first time that Reading had scored
first—and held a lead of any type whatsoever—in a span of five games. For Johnson, who leads the Royals in plus-minus at plus22 (+22), that was his seventh goal of the season.
On Saturday, Johnson also picked up a helper on the Royals’ second goal (by Matt Willows) to register his second multipoint performance of the season.
Michael Huntenbrinker picked up his first point
as a pro when he recorded the primary assist
on the third period game-tying goal by Matt
Willows on Saturday
Goaltender Martin Ouellette registered his
fifteenth win of the season (15-13-0-1)—and his
third overtime victory of the year—when he
made 27 saves in 64 minutes of play on
Saturday. Through thirty-one games this year,
Ouellette, who has held the opposition to two
goals or fewer fourteen times, has compiled a
2.82 goals against average, which is thirteenth
best in the league. Ouellette has made 795
saves on 877 shots for a .906 save percentage.
Goaltender Mark Dekanich made thirty-six
saves to hold the opposition to two goals or
less for the seventeenth time this year in Friday’s 2-1 OTL to Adirondack. That game marked the third overtime loss this season
for Dekanich (who also recorded an overtime victory on March 4 against Manchester). In thirty-four games with Reading this
season, Dekanich has compiled a record of 17-11-3-1 with a 3.02 goals against average (nineteenth in the league) and .909 save
percentage.
LAST WEEK’S TRANSACTIONS
03/20/17
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03/21/17
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03/22/17
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03/23/17
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03/24/17
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03/25/17
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03/26/17
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End. 17 03-28
Michael Huntebrinker (f)
Michael Huntebrinker (f)
Signed to ECHL Standard Players Contract
Placed on ECHL Reserve List
Rob Mann (d)
Signed to Amateur Tryout Agreement
Steven Swavely (f)
Michael Huntebrinker (f)
Johnny McInnis (f)
Loaned from Lehigh Valley (AHL)
Activated from ECHL Reserve List
Placed on ECHL Reserve List
Justin Danforth (f)
Released from Amateur Tryout Agreement
Jesper Pettersson (d)
Johnny McInnis (f)
Chase Golightly (d)
Michael Huntebrinker (f)
Matt Salahany (f)
Assigned by Philadelphia (NHL) from Lehigh Valley (AHL)
Activated from ECHL Reserve List
Placed on ECHL Reserve List
Placed on ECHL Reserve List
Suspended by Team (Removed from Active Roster)
Michael Huntebrinker (f)
Adam Brace (f)
Activated from ECHL Reserve List
Placed on ECHL Reserve List
Rob Mann (d)
Sean Flanagan (d)
Released from Amateur Tryout Agreement
Released from Amateur Tryout Agreement