Royals end K-Wings season

READING, PA – The Reading Royals did something Monday night that they did not do Sunday night in game four; they closed out their playoff series against the Kalamazoo Wings by winning in overtime 3-2 in a dramatic game five of the American Conference Quarter-Final Series. Reading’s Andrew Sarauer was the hero of the night by scoring the game winner with 2:52 remaining in overtime to give Reading the series. Sunday night the Royals blew a 3-0 and lost in overtime to send the series to the full five games. The Royals will now advance to the best-of-seven American Conference Semi-Finals against the Florida Everblades which starts Wednesday night at the Sovereign Center in Reading.   Reading ’s Matt Dalton made 36 saves on 38 shots while Kalamazoo’s Riley Gill made 52 saves on 55 shots, one of them on a penalty shot on Olivier Labelle 14:15 into overtime session. For the first time in the series, Kalamazoo scored the game’s first goal 1:33 into the contest. Yannick Riendeau was injured blocking a shot with his arm and dropped his stick on the ice. The stick stopped a break-out attempt by the Royals’ Aaron Brocklehurst that resulted in a turnover that ignited a mad scramble around the Royals’ net. Kalamazoo’s Brian McGuirk picked up the loose puck behind the Reading’s net and jammed it home at the right post for his second of the playoffs. Reading tied the game at one apiece, 6:39 into the second period.   Gavin Morgan and Daniel Steiner both had opportunities around the net, causing Gill to sprawl to the ice to keep the puck out of the goal, but the puck slid to the low right wing wall, where Alex Berry was waiting to step in to fire the puck past Gill before he could get back in the net. The two teams traded goals sending the game into overtime when a giveaway in front of the Kalamazoo net provided Andrew Sarauer with a clean chance to slide the puck backhand past Gill and give the Royals their first overtime victory of the playoffs, their fifth out of nine chances in team history. Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com