READING, PA – With revenge in the Reading Royals rear view mirror having dispatched the Cincinnati Cyclones in four games, it is on to Kalamazoo , MI to meet the Wings, or the K-Wings as they are affectionately known to the locals. You can bet however the Reading faithful will show no loveon Penn Street when the two teams meet up in the second round of the ECHL’s Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Royals and K-Wings met twice during the regular season, with each team picking up a win and were decided by identical 3-2 scores
For the Royals the goaltending duties might get a little muddled with the return of rookie Ben Scrivens, a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect who has a fantastic run in Reading during the regular season. Matt Dalton, a Boston Bruins prospect, has the playoff experience so look for Dalton to start the series with Scrivens available should Dalton have a poor showing.
This is the sixth time in the playoffs for the Royals who set franchise records for wins (44) and tied for team best in points (93). The Royals led the league in scoring (257 goals) and finished ninth in goals allowed (220). Against the Cyclones the Royals outscored Cincinnati 12-10. Kalamazoo finished tied second in scoring (255 goals) and 11th in goals allowed (225). Kalamazoo is ranked 5th in the league in power play percentage and finished second during the regular season. They rank second in goals per game in the post season (3.5) but Reading is right behind them in third at three goals per game.
This is the second year of existence in the ECHL for the K-Wings who have won the North Division crown both seasons. Prior to joining the E the Kwings spent two seasons in the IHL ( International Hockey League) and seven seasons in the UHL ( United Hockey League) prior to that winning a title in 2006. Last season the K-Wings lost in the first round to the Royals in five games (3-2). This season Kalamazoo got to the second round by defeating the Florida Everblades in four games. The K-Wings lost the first game of their first round series and then won three straight, including the last two at home. Ryan Nie led all ECHL goalies in wins during the regular season and played every game against the Florida Everblades in the first round. Trent Daavettila leads the K-Wings with seven points (2g, 5a) in the post season. Kalamazoo is getting a big boost on the blueline from the return of d-men Ryan McGinnins from the Manitoba Moose (AHL) and Jon Landy. McGinnis had 21 points (5g, 16a) in 31 games for Kalamazoo while Landry had 20 points (4g, 16a) in 39 games. The Royals are affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins while Kalamazoo is affiliated with the New York Islander.
Prediction: Royals in seven. This is going to be one long, high scoring series. Both teams are evenly matched but the tipping edge might be in net if Scrivens starts for Reading from game one. Dalton, like Nie is one of the top goaltenders but the K-wings don’t have a book on Scrivens the way they do Dalton. Still, last season’s bitter ending for Reading and Dalton was in the net for it. Any slip-ups in this series and it might be over quick.
Series Schedule
Game 1 – Fri Apr 15 7:05 PM Kalamazoo at Reading Game 2 – Sat Apr 16 7:05 PM Kalamazoo at Reading Game 3 – Wed Apr 20 7:00 PM Reading at Kalamazoo Game 4 – Fri Apr 22 7:30 PM Reading at Kalamazoo Game 5 – Sat Apr 23 7:30 PM * Reading at Kalamazoo Game 6 – Tue Apr 26 7:05 PM * Kalamazoo at Reading Game 7 – Wed Apr 27 7:05 PM * Kalamazoo at Reading
Contact the authors at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com
or at Ryan.Loren@prohockeynews.com
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