Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (9-15-4-0), proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, defeated the Adirondack Thunder (11-11-0-1), 6-3, at Cool Insuring Arena on Saturday, December 21st. Goaltender Vinnie Purpura (3-2-0-0) earned the win in goal with 26 saves on 29 shots faced. Thunder goaltender Jeremy Brodeur suffered the loss for the Thunder with 21 saves on 26 shots faced through two periods. David Fessenden came in relief for Broduer for the third period and surrendered one goal on five shots faced.
Reading scored a pair of goals in the first period in response to a game-opening goal from Adirondack’s T.J. Friedman (4) 63 seconds into regulation. Brock Caufield (2) received a pass from Matt Brown to blast a one-timer past Brodeur at 14:05 to tie the score, 1-1. Connor Walter’s (1) provided Reading the lead after 20 minutes with his first goal as a Royal, and first of two goals in the game at 16:52 of the opening frame.
After Dylan Wendt (1) evened the score, 2-2, with his first professional career goal at 8:52 into the second period, Walters (2) flicked a wrist shot past Brodeur for his second goal of the game at 11:50. The goal put Reading in front, 3-2, and registered Walters’ first professional career multi-goal game.
Lou-Felix Denis (4) and Matt Brown (4) tallied back-to-back power play goals for the Royals at 16:33 and 18:22 of the second period, respectively, to extend Reading’s lead, 5-2.
Jake Smith (5) buried a breakaway feed from Ryan Leibold past Fessenden at 14:15 into the third period to net his fifth goal of the season and Reading’s sixth goal of the game. Tag Bertuzzi (5) scored Adirondack’s lone power play goal on five Thunder man-advantage opportunities in the game at 18:09 of the final frame.
Reading recorded a single-game season-high three power play goals (3/7) in the victory and came within one-goal of matching their single-game season-high for the most goals set at seven, which also came against Adirondack on November 17th (7-1 W).
The Royals return home to open a two-game series with the Worcester Railers at home on Friday, December 27th at 7 PM at Santander Arena, before taking on the Railers at the DCU Center on Saturday, December 28th at 6:05 PM.
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