READING, PA – Six players scored for the Reading Royals and Callum Booth made 33 saves in a 6-1 victory over the Manchester Monarchs Sunday at Santander Arena.
Joe Houk opened up the scoring at 2:36 of the first with a wrister that beat Manchester goaltender Cole Kehler glove-side (25 saves, 6 goals against, loss). Two minutes later, Adam Schmidt slid the puck home after Steve Johnson’s shot bounced off the boards onto Schmidt’s stick. Reading led, 2-0, four minutes into the game. Reading scored three times in the first and added two more in the third.
The Royals went 2-for-2 on the power play. Kehler made 25 saves on 21 shots compared to Booth’s 33 saves on 34 shots.
The game settled down, but Frank DiChiara sniped a shot short-side on Kehler during the power play to make it 3-0 with 2:47 remaining in the first.
Brayden Low added to the goal party and made it 4-0 on the power play with eight minutes remaining in the second. He fought his way towards the low slot before backhanding a shot past Kehler’s glove.
Seventy seconds later, Manchester’s Spencer Watson flung the puck from the blue line and caught Booth by surprise as it flew into the back of the net to put the Monarchs on the board.
Midway through the third period, Jack Riley scored off a beautiful behind-the-back pass from Low, who rolled his wrists and spun his body to tap the puck into the slot. Riley buried it.
With five minutes to go, Tyson Fawcett pounced on a loose puck in the crease and slotted it by Kehler for his first goal with the Royals.
The Royals return to the ice on Wednesday, February 6th when they visit the Norfolk Admirals for the first of two game at The Scope. Reading’s next home game is on Saturday, February 9th for a:Pink in the Rink contest against Brampton at 7 p.m.
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