READING, PA – The Reading Royals soared to a 5-1 win over the Brampton Beast on Yannick Tifu Retirement Night Saturday at Santander Arena. Reading retired the former Captain’s number in a pregame ceremony. After allowing the first tally, Reading poured in three in the first, one in the second and an empty-netter in the third. Anthony Stolarz made 31 saves (1 goal against) and earned his first win of the season. Stolarz played in seven games with the Flyers last season. 5,163 fans packed Santander Arena.
Reading won the season series with the Beast, 5-4-0-0. The Royals earned wins in the last two games of the series. Reading has 76 points and is three points back of second place in the North.
Matt Wilkins (1 goal, 1 assist), Brian Morgan, Adam Schmidt (2 goals) and Chris McCarthy (1 goal, 1 assist) tallied. Schmidt and Wilkins have points in five straight games. Frank Hora had two assists and a plus-three rating.
Chris Driedger lost his first matchup against Reading (4 goals allowed, 23 saves).
Reading slammed in three straight in the first after allowing the initial strike. Wilkins backhanded in his 16th of the season at the left post to tie the game, assisted by McCarthy, his 100th career helper. The strike came at 7:50, just 47 seconds after David Vallorani opened the scoring.
On one of the next line rushes, the Royals struck 1:23 later to take their first lead. Brian Morgan ramped a shot from the slot over Driedger’s shoulder. Viktor Liljegren centered the feed for his second professional point in his second game played. Cleland recorded the secondary helper.
Reading’s three-goal first period ended with Schmidt’s breakaway goal and 2:33 to go in the frame. Nolan Zajac strung a pass 100 feet to Schmidt at the Beast attacking line. The right-handed shot gained speed before an overpowering wrist shot went in at the right post.
Stolarz rejected a couple of dangerous opportunities to preserve a 3-1 edge in the second. At the five minute mark of the second, he made a glove save on a Vincent Dunn breakaway. With about nine minutes gone in the frame, he swatted away a puck on his shoulder to save a goal. Reading came down the length of the ice and McCarthy spanked a power-play marker at 9:11 of the frame, assisted by Mark Bennett. Reading tossed it from the right dot to McCarthy at the left circle.
Schmidt bagged the game with an empty-net, short-handed goal and 15 seconds left the game. After the goal, Reading’s Wilkins and Brampton’s Dunn and Fournier received ten-minute misconducts.
The Royals were 0-for-2 on the man up. Brampton finished 0-for-4.
Reading plays next at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21st at Manchester.
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