WORCESTER, MA – Nick Luukko gave the Reading Royals (5-2-0-0, 10 points) a two-goal advantage early in the third to power the club to a 3-1 win over the Worcester Railers Sunday at the DCU Center.
Joining the rush, the defenseman found a rebound and whipped it in from the right post at 4:39 of the third, assisted by Steven Swavely. The Royals allowed a goal with six minutes left, but Mark Naclerio (1 goal, 1 assist) earned his second point with an empty-net goal at 18:41 of the third.
Matt Willows scored in the first period to give the Royals a 1-0 edge. Mark Dekanich (3-1-0-0) stopped 25 shots and secured the win with nine stops in the third. Eamon McAdam lost despite 33 saves.
The Royals will fly to South Carolina Monday and take on the Stingrays at the North Charleston Coliseum on Tuesday, Nov. 7 and Wednesday, Nov. 8 for 7:05 p.m. puck drops.
Reading struck first on a fortunate bounce at 11:49 of the first. Alex Krushelnyski centered the puck from the top of the right circle and it ricocheted off Willows and went in to the left post. Naclerio received the secondary assist. Krushelnyski leads the Royals with nine points. Willows has three goals and eight points this season.
Twenty seconds after the goal, Worcester’s Mike Cornell was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for cross checking, a five-minute major penalty for fighting and a game misconduct. The Royals did not score on the ensuing seven-minute power play. Both teams were 0-for-3 on the man up.
Mark Dekanich made 11 saves in the second, denying 16 through two periods.
The goaltender’s strong performance set the stage for the Royals to take a 2-0 lead. Luukko’s game-winning tally was the third of his career and first in 366 days (11/4/16 at Rapid City).
After Matty Gaudreau’s goal with six minutes left, the Royals iced the game with 1:20 to go. Naclerio shot it from the outside of the left circle and in.
The next Royals home game is Saturday, Nov. 11 vs. Jacksonville at 7 p.m.
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