Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (0-0-1-0, 1 PT), proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, fell to the Trois-Rivières Lions (1-0-0-0, 2 PTS), 6-5, in overtime at the Colisée Vidéotron in their 2025-26 season opener.
Goaltender Yaniv Perets (0-0-1-0) suffered the overtime loss in goal for Reading, stopping 25 of 31 shots faced, while Trois-Rivières’ netminder Hunter Jones (1-0-0-0) backstopped the Lions’ home opener win, saving 23 of 28 shots faced.
Brandon Saigeon (1) and Jordan Frasca (1) gave Reading a two-goal lead to open the game with goals at 14:02 and 15:34 into play, respectively. Trois-Rivières’ Darick Louis-Jean (1) cut the Lions’ deficit in half with a blue-line blast 51 seconds before the first intermission, at 19:09, 2-1.
Both clubs exchanged a goal in the middle frame with Jacob Frasca (1) delivering a power play goal for Reading at 3:20 before Egor Goriunov (1) recorded a goal in his professional debut at 8:28 to keep it a one-goal game, 3-2.
Trois-Rivières scored two goals in a 30 second span to begin the third period from Joe Dunlap (1) and Mark Estapa (1) at 4:42 and 5:12 to lead, 4-3. Reading responded with a pair of goals in a 15-second span from Jordan Frasca (2) and Yvan Mongo (1) at 9:38 and 9:53, respectively, to reclaim the lead, 5-4.
With 38 seconds remaining in regulation, Trois-Rivières’ leading-scorer during the 2024-25 season, Anthony Beauregard (1) tied the score, 5-5, on a net-front scramble to force the season opener into overtime. 1:24 into the extra frame, Beauregard (2) beat Perets to claim the second point for the Lions, 6-5.
With the overtime loss, the Royals fell to 9-11-4-0 all-time in season openers with a 6-9-3-0 record in season openers on the road.
The 24th season of Royals hockey continues on the road against the Maine Mariners on Sunday, October 19th at 3:00 p.m. at Cross Insurance Arena. Reading’s seven-game road-trip to open the season continues against the Maine Mariners for one game on November 2nd, two games against the 2025-26 expansion franchise Greensboro Gargoyles on October 24th and October 25th, as well as two games against the Worcester Railers on October 31st and November 1st.
The Royals are next at home on November 8th for Opening Night, presented by Supportive Concepts For Families, at Santander Arena at 7:00 p.m. against Trois-Rivières. The home opener opens a two-game series with the Lions which concludes on Sunday, November 9 at 3:00 p.m.
For tickets to all regular season home games, visit: Single Game Tickets
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