NORTH CHARLESTON, SC –The Reading Royals (win, 1-1-0-0=2) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, defeated the South Carolina Stingrays (win, 1-1-0-0=2), 6-0, at North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South Carolina Sunday afternoon.
The Royals offense exploded for six goals from five different players, including three in a span of 2:58 relatively early in the first period, and got a shutout performance from goaltender Martin Ouellette to register the team’s first win of the year. Every Royal in the lineup played to a plus. Every player also had at least one shot on goal. And every player but two picked up at least one point.
Reading started the scoring 4:58 into the first when Todd Perry threw a 120 foot strike from deep in the defensive zone to a breaking Kevin Goumas high in the neutral area. Goumas turned on the jets, blew down the left wing side, cut across the top of the crease and buried a back-hand to greet rookie goaltender Vitek Vanacek with his first goal of the year.
1:13 later, Reading took a 2-0 lead when Nick Luukko fired a wrister from the right point that Vanacek stopped; but the rebound bounced out front and Joe Rehkamp swiped it home for his first as a pro.
1:45 after that, the Royals stretched the lead to three (3-0) on another rebound goal. On this one, it was Brandon Alderson who threaded one through from the perimeter. But once again the puck bounced to the low slot, and Cam Reid corralled the loose change and drilled it up and over for his first of the year.
15:44 into the second, Reading converted a South Carolina turnover into a 4-0 lead. David Pacan of the Stingrays misplayed a puck directly to Justin Crandall who was wide open and all alone in the low slot on the right hashmark. Crandall didn’t wasted the gift, gunning the puck home for his first of the year.
In the third, Reading pushed the lead to five (5-0) when Cam Reid and Geoff Walker converted an odd-man rush into Reid’s second of the game. Walker carried into the offensive zone on the right side and landed a perfect saucer for the breaking Reid, who buried a bullet high glove.
The Royals capped the scoring with the team’s first power play goal of the year. Eight seconds into the man advantage resulting from a five-minute major (and game misconduct) for elbowing assessed against Wade Epp, Brandon Alderson set one on a tee in the high slot for Robbie Czarnik, who uncorked a bullet that blew by Vanecek for his first of the year.
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