Photo Credit: The Reading Royals

With the Fall weather rolling in and cooling off the northeast things are just now heating up in Reading, Pennsylvania. Before the Summer, the Royals officially hired Jason Binkley as their Head Coach and General Manager. In addition, they have hired Ryan
Anderson as their Assistant Coach.

Anderson has 15 years of professional coaching
under his belt. His time spent in the ECHL was with the Norfolk Admirals as their Assistant Coach and Video Coach. Collectively Anderson has spent eight seasons in the North American Tier lll Hockey League and the North American Hockey League with the Texas Jr. Brahmas (NA3HL) and the Corpus Christi Ice Rays, Lone Star Brahmas, Amarillo Wranglers (NAHL).

Some familiar faces you will see from the 2023-24 Reading Royals season include Kenny Johnson, Shane Sellar, Yvan Mongo, Parker Gahagen, Tony Malinowski, and Tyler Gratton. A couple of new faces include goalie Vinnie Purpura and Forward Dominicks Marcinkevics. Purpura
and Travis Broughman both came from a player rights deal made with the Adirondack Thunder in exchange for the player rights of Tag Bertuzzi. Marcinkevics signed back in August, and he is in his second professional year. Spending time in the SPHL with the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs and winning the President’s Cup Championship with them back in 2023. Marcinkevics, the Latvian native is no stranger to Santander Arena or the Royals. Eight
of his thirteen games spent in the ECHL with the Adirondack Thunder were against the Royals. Four of his five ECHL points were also against the Royals. Small in stature, but a plowed source on the ice, Marcinkevics is sure to make an impact this upcoming season.

Former teammates Defenseman Kenny Johnson and Forward Connor McMenamin are back together since their time together at Penn State in 2019-23. Moreover, former teammates goalie Vinnie Purpura and Forward Nolan Welsh from Long Island University in 2020-23
are also back together for the first time professionally.

Royals fans may also feel a sense of familiarity with the coaching style between the Flyers’ Head Coach John Tortorella and Reading’s own Jason Binkley. Both Head Coaches have earned the respect of colleagues, players, and fans across the league with their straightforward approach. There’s always results and methods to their madness. The pre-season is just around the corner, and the Royals are set to take on the Adirondack Thunder in Glen Falls, New York on October 11.

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Photo Credit: Reading Royals

Meet Reading Royals electric defenseman, Koletrane Wilson. Hardcore defenseman
and certified family man. Wilson credits a lot of his success to his family. Especially his
father and older brother.

Edmonton, Alberta native Koletrane threw on the skates when he was three years old. “It’s kind of like second nature. I live in Edmonton, so watching the Oilers play. And my brother before me went through hockey and ended playing in the east coast as well.” Koletrane’s brother, Klarc Wilson played 17 games for the Indy Fuel and 28 games for the Stockton Thunder, also totaling 190 penalty minutes in his 45
games. “Kind of lived vicariously through him and wanting to be like my big brother.” Starting off strong with the impact his brother had on him, I asked him who his biggest inspiration was and to my surprise, he had three strong candidates. “I can’t pick one. Between my dad, brother, and grandfather. Those three have been in their own ways very inspirational and pivotal in my life,” made it clear that he had three all star role models in his life.

Talking about when he knew he was going to start taking hockey seriously, he states he knew around eight or nine years old. “I want to say around eight or nine, I think, honestly I never really thought about it until I was a teenager, like playing junior hockey.” With continuing with when you watch the NHL as a kid you dream of playing in that league one day, “you kind of realize that you have the ability in other things
than the NHL to make a living out of it.”

Wilson is no stranger to challenges with a couple recent injuries and one that kept him
out most of the season last year, he has a positive outlook on the growth. “I think anytime you face an injury, you got to find your way back physically, but also mentally, you know?” He doesn’t let being cut out rejected from a team dim his light, “I’ve been cut or rejected or whatever you wanna call it a number of times in my career. I think sometimes you can either roll over and die or pick yourself back up and keep going. So you kind of learn through those experiences.” Not only is that a bold statement for and from himself, but also it’s a statement for everyone regardless of profession to keep in mind. When faced with the mental blockages of these challenges, Koletrane leans on his support system. Referring back to his father, brother, and grandfather. He also leans on his fiancé. “Especially with that injury last year,
my fiancé was huge in that regard. So you lean on the people around you.” Expresses his gratitude for the fact he has an “unreal” support system.

It’s no secret that the ECHL is an unpredictable league. Coming into the league at 21, he quickly realized how different things are especially compared to the junior leagues. Stating, “I think you kind of get used to it.” And again with leaning on that support system, “I got my fiancé with me. And she pretty much goes everywhere I go nowadays. It’s nice.”

With the ECHL mostly being a developmental league it’s challenging. “So, I mean, everybody is obviously happy to be in the city. But at the end of the day, they have aspirations to make it to the American League, or the NHL, or somewhere in Europe. And I think that sometimes that can get in the way of games or like in the back of your mind, if you want to perform for this reason, or perform for that reason, hopefully, this person’s watching and stuff like that. So I think that that’s something that sometimes can benefit people, or also hinder them in performance.” With people from Flyers personnel occasionally being in attendance at Royals games, it can be nerve wracking for players knowing these guys are in the audience. “I think everyone in this league wants to move forward, move on forward. That includes the coaches, the training staff, like you know, I think everyone, they have the opportunity to move up to the American League, NHL, you know, but I think they’re going to take it. So when you hear someone that
makes the decisions and those leaves in the building, it’s kind of hard not to be like, you know, I hope I can impress them in some way.”

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With the idea of other aspirations, he would like to be like his father. “My dad’s a police officer. And you know, again, one one of the hero’s in my life. You know I always said if hockey didn’t work out, I kind of want to be just like my dad. And if it worked out for my family, be a police officer.” Wilson says he’s focusing more on hockey now that he is doing it for a job. Speaking of himself off the ice he sees himself
as a nice guy. However on the ice he had to learn to be more mean, “the last couple years I had to learn to be mean and not be a nice guy in the defensive zone. At first it was challenging. But I have figured out how to find that line.”

Getting to speak with Koletrane Wilson was a fantastic one on one experience as a writer. Outgoing and polite. Took his time with the questions and answered honestly. Koletrane Wilson and the Reading Royals take on the number two team in the ECHL, the Idaho Steelheads on the road in Boise for a three game series.

Photo Credit: The Reading Royals

The Reading Royals suited up for the first time since May to face the Adirondack
Thunder in their first pre-season game of the 2023-24 season. It just so happens the first period flew by with just single digits shots on goal for both teams, while the Royals had nine shots on net to the Thunder’s five. Jack Jeffers tried stirring things up a bit fun he fun a hooking penalty after a quiet first half of the period. Unfortunately, the Royals fell 4-3 in a shootout.

The first period flew by. Most players were still getting their footing with their
new linemates. A hooking penalty was called on Jack Jeffers about midway through.
Travis Broughman opened up the scoring with a goal on Nolan Maier. There was a
goalie change due to Maier having some sort of equipment malfunction and Eric Dop
played the rest of the period. Maier did return for the third period, however. The period ended with a 1-0 Thunder lead. Reading Royals Head Coach James Henry was aware of the relaxed period, “We put ourselves in a position where we would generate offense and then we would give up an easy goal or just have some mental errors.”

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There was some good news, as the second period was slightly stronger on both ends. The Royals did commit two penalties, one to Tyler Heidt for cross-checking, and the other was Shane Sellar for slashing. Both were killed by the Thunder, however. Here is what Coach Henry had to say about the lack of capitalizing on the
amount of power plays they had throughout the game, “Next to nothing was done during training camp, that wasn’t our focus. Intentionally.” Coach Henry appeared to be impressed that they were able to create scoring chances without practicing such.

Unfortunately, the Royals fell 4-3, but they did do some good things in this tilt. Things will improve as training camp wears on. This team just needs to play with each other more.

The Reading Royals and Maine Mariners returned to Pennsylvania for a battle this weekend. The Royals began play with a 3-2 lead in the series and the Mariners yearning to push the series to a game seven. However, that did not happen. The Royals took the series in six games after a convincing 6-2 victory when they returned home. The first period opened up with speed and aggression as the Royals wanted to clinch a round two spot and the Mariners wanted to force a game seven.

That energy was kept the whole 60 minutes of hockey. With Devon Paliani opening up the scoring with an assist by Evan Barratt. Barratt would go on to have a three point night with two assists in the first and one assist in the second. The Royals had two power plays that they neglected to capitalize on and one penalty that they successfully defended. The Mariners did, however, tie the game with a goal by Mitchell Fossier, assisted by Matthew Santos and Bruins prospect Curtis Hall. Jacob Gaucher broke the 1-1 tie with a goal assisted by Evan Barratt and Colin Felix. The first period ended with a Royals 2-1 lead and with a penalty on Alec Butcher for slashing.

Of course, the second period opened with 44 seconds remaining on the Butcher slashing penalty, which was successfully killed by the Royals Shortly thereafter, the Mariners tied the game with a goal from Nick Master, assisted by Mitchell Fossier. Captain Garrett McFadden also scored, assisted by Charlie Gerard and Mason Millman. Zayde Wisdom found the back of the twine, assisted by Barratt and new signee TJ Fergus, who notched his first point with the Royals. In came two more Mariners penalties. First a boarding penalty from Fedor Gordeev and a tripping penalty from Cameron Askew, which carried on into the second period. Both expired and were successfully killed, and the period came to a close with a Royals 4-2 lead.

The third period is where the sunshine came, after Shane Sellar got caught for hooking, and that penalty was killed. In came a high sticking call on Matthew Santos, and then in came a power play goal by Tyler Heidt who was on fire the whole game and was destined for a goal. Heidt’s goal was assisted by Gaucher and Millman. To finish things off, Brendan Hoffmann netted his second goal of the playoff series with an empty netter. The final score of this one was 6-2 and the Royals took the series and are headed to round two.

Who will they play in round two and the schedule are yet to be determined. Head Coach James Henry accomplished securing a round two playoff berth with his first year as a professional Head Coach.

Here is what coach Henry said about the
atmosphere last night after Zayde Wisdom’s goal, “I felt like whe Wisdom scored that goal the crowd kind of got two attempts to react to it, and that was probably one of the loudest moments that I’ve heard from them in a while.”

Captain McFadden also joined the press conference, “Obviously we’re a pretty young group. That was a first elimination game for a lot of guys and I’d say we
handled ourselves pretty well. Proud of the way we battled through the series.”

Royals fans, you are on to round two, but the coverage won’t stop. Stay with us for all the latest regarding the Royals.

Photo Credit: Samantha Wismer

The Reading Royals now lead the series 2-0, after a 5-2 victory last night against the Maine Mariners. It was a physical battle against the Mariners all weekend.

First game Recap

The first period was scoreless but there were a handful of penalties. Unfortunately, the Royals couldn’t capitalize on the three power plays they had in the first. However, their penalty kill unit killed both tripping penalties called on Jacob Gaucher and Ryan Cook alike. There was an early full body hit from Texas native, Solag Bakich. That set the tone for the hunger they have to take the series.

Of course, the second period was as physical as the first period of play. However, there were no goals scored and no penalties taken by either team. The third period was an entirely different story, however. To open up the scoring, in came Bakich from Charlie Gerard for the Royals to slide one past Mariners netminder Michael DiPietro. In between a Royals goal and a Mariners goal was a Royals penalty for slashing by Devon Paliani, that was killed. The Mariners maintained to get on the board with a goal by forward Curtis Hall, assisted by Fedor Gordeev and Reid Stefanson. A fast paced shift by Captain Garrett McFadden, set Gerard up for a close game winning goal, assisted by both McFadden snd Bakich. Late in the period there was some hubub about the Mariners having too many men on the ice, which the Royals didn’t capitalize on that penalty either. With a show stopping performance on both ends of the ice, it was Pat Nagle who shined brightest as he made jaw dropping saves all 60 minutes. The Royals won 2-1.

Second game Recap

The first period on Saturday night was nothing but entertainment. Penalties, goals, and full body checks here and there. Spurts of line spats broke out a handful of times. The Royals lit the board up first with a physical goal by Brendan Hoffman, assisted by Colin Felix and Paliani. Quickly followed by defenseman Jacob Wilson and his unassisted goal for a tie game. With an Austin Albrecht tripping penalty, the Royals were able to produce scoring chances with a goal by Jacob Gaucher, assisted Mason Millman and Tyler Heidt. Shane Sellar and Conner Doherty both got tanked for roughing. Not long after that, the Mariners tied the game with a goal by forward, Alex-Olivier Voyer, assisted by Cameron Askew and Jacob Wilson. The first period ended with the score tied at two.

There was an early goal to start the second period took from Pennsylvania star Evan Barratt, assisted by Gaucher and Zayde Wisdom. At this stage of the Gaucher had a two point game (1g,1a). A tripping penalty on Matthew Santos led to a Max Newton goal, assisted by Barratt and McFadden. Making it a multi-point night for both Jacob Gaucher and Evan Barratt. The period ended with penalties on Paliani for slashing and at the same time Connor Doherty for roughing. Then finally, Gaucher for slashing, penalty was killed. The second period ended with the Royals leading 4-2.

“Out unit, we’ve been not necessarily struggling but we haven’t been putting the pucks in like we want to. And I think we just kind of simplify things and move the puck quick,” Evan Barratt said on his assist to a Max Newton power play goal.

The third period began with two early power plays for the Mariners, but they couldn’t produce anything on them. Unfortunately, the Royals squandered three power plays, however, Coach James Henry was pleased by what he saw from his power play unit, “The power play was a little bit better tonight. Little more urgency from the group, little bit better puck movement. Get into the dirty areas to find that one,” referring to Jacob Gaucher and
Max Newton’s power play goals. With angst coming from both sides of the bench the entire game, it was Zayde
Wisdom’s empty net goal that secured the 5-2 victory for the Royals.

Let’s see what transpires on Monday night when the series moves to Portland, Maine where the Royals take on the Mariners on their home ice. Hopefully the Royals come out with fire, and put the dagger in the Mariners.

Extra Credit:

Flyers Interim GM Danny Briere was in attendance last night.

This was the first of three meetings this weekend when the Royals met with the Lions on Friday night. The Royals clinched a playoff berth after a powerful 6-2 victory over the Lions.

The First period was strong and fast right out of the gate. Both teams opened with a goal and penalty each for both teams. To open up the scoring was Colin Felix with a rocket shot, assisted by Solag Bakich. Bakich also made a dent with a hit in the attack zone. He made his mark early in
his time with the Royals. The next goal was scored by Brett Stapley of the Lions, assisted by Cole Gallant. Only a handful of minutes apart, Gerard and Stapley both got tagged for tripping penalties. The period did end in a 1-1 tie.

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What a second period though as it showcased All-Star competition. The Royals scored two goals back-to-back.
To make the game 2-1, it was newly signed Ryan Finnegan to Charlie Gerard, straight to Max Newton for his first of two goals in the period. Finnegan gained his first point as a Royal. After that it was Alec Butcher who netted his 21st goal of the season, assisted by Evan Barratt and Jacob Gaucher. The Lions then received three penalties: Anthony Beauregard for too
many men, William Lemay for hooking which led to the Royals having a two-man advantage. However, the Royals did not capitalize on that particular advantage. But, they did however snag a power play goal on Matthew Barron’s hooking call, thanks to Max Newton, which was assisted by Garrett McFadden and Gerard. The Lions got on the board for a second time with a power play goal by Cole Gallant on the Butcher high-sticking call. With fast action and the clock ticking down, the Royals were hungry for an insurance goal. Luckily Gaucher was fed by captain McFadden and Evan Barratt, as that goal ended the period 5-2 in favor of the Royals. Garratt McFadden ended the period with two assists, Gaucher with two points (1g,1a), and Newton with two goals.

Felix gets his second of the game which was his eighth of the season, assisted by Newton and Gerard. Cedric Lacroix received a handful of penalties late in the third. Two minutes for cross checking, two minutes for instigating, five minutes for fighting, and a ten minute game misconduct. Anthony Beauregard served both of the two minute penalties, which were killed by the Lions. James Phelan and Felix got into an old school style battle with five seconds to spare in the game. Both received five minutes for fighting, however only five seconds were served. It was a multi-point night for Newton.

Newton is in his first year with the Royals for those that do not know. He said, “It feels great to clinch a playoff spot
and get that out of the way.” The Royals and Lions tee off again on Saturday evening.

Let’s go Royals fans, it’s time to paint the town purple

Photo Credit: Emily Raffle

Mid-week mayhem as the Reading Royals faced the Adirondack Thunder this past Wednesday night in a playoff spot clinching scenario.

The first period was hot right off the draw for both squads. It consisted of two penalties, one on either side, and one goal. The first goal was scored by Max Newtown, which happened to be his 28th of the season, assisted by Charlie Gerard who now has 67 points on the season. In addition, the Royals Penalty Kill shined with the PK unit defending while one man down while Jacob Gaucher sat in the box for holding. The Thunder Penalty Kill unit also showed just as much strength with Shane Harper in the box for roughing. Low and behold, the period ended with the score at 1-0, and the shots on goal at a wealthy 21 shots for Reading and a chunk of change shots at nine for Adirondack.

It’s crazy to believe, but the second period consisted of a total of three goals and six penalties. Both Gaucher and Alec Butcher got on the board with a goal each. The Royals penalty kill unit outshined themselves in the second period on all four of their penalties except one. Shane Harper slipped one past Bailey Brkin to end the period at 3-2.

The third period led to overtime thanks to Brady Fleurent. It was an abnormally quiet period on the Royals side with no goals to show for their effort. Unfortunately, the Thunder overtime goal was scored by Patrick Grasso. The Royals Power Play unit, which has been exceptional as of late came up a little short with the four golden opportunities to close out the game, but they could not capitalize.

Here is what Forward Alec Butcher had to say about on the lack of success with the man advantage, “If you don’t score, if you’re generating chances, getting momentum, that’s important. As long as we’re getting chances and keep the ball moving in the right direction.” Giving props and also critiques, the 20 goal
scorer stays confident in their Power Play units.

Unfortunately, the Royals fell 4-3 in overtime, thus neglecting to clinch a playoff spot. However, there is still hope for that possibility this coming weekend. The Royals face Trois-Rivières Lions for a three game series on home ice this weekend at Santander Arena, with a possibility of clinching a Kelly Cup Playoff berth on Friday night.

Photo Credits: Emily Raffle

Going on a 50+ point season with the Reading Royals, it’s no secret that Charlie Gerard is a hidden treasure that not only the Reading Royals benefit from, but the Lehigh Valley Phantoms could as well. A hidden treasure and a selfless teammate and leader. This past home series against the Trois-Rivières Lions, I had the chance to sit down with Gerard. We discussed life, hockey, impressions, and more. The River Rocky, Ohio native credits his brother, Freddy for being his impression for getting involved in hockey.

When asked who his impression was growing up Gerard replied being thankful for his older brother, “I would say my brother. Just because he taught me about the game and I looked up to him. And yeah just grateful for him and what he’s done for me.” Being one of three Gerard kids, Charlie stands between his older brother, Freddy and his younger sister, Coco. Also, he shines light on one of his favorite childhood memories, “Probably just being at the rink and just having my family all around. At a young age like five or six, I got to play with my brother when we were really younger around those rinks.”

Later during the interview I focused on him as a person. He would describe himself as, “Outgoing, funny guy. I’m a nice dude and try to take things lightly and enjoy life and enjoy the moment,” Gerard said. I was curious to know what he said the differences are between him on the ice and him off the ice, “I would say I’m a little more serious on the ice. Try to lead by example for the most part. Then off the ice, I’m a jokester and try to be the funny guy in the room.”

Moving on to two more serious questions. One of them being what he wishes to accomplish outside hockey conquests. In my opinion Gerard had one of the best answers a woman can hear, “Well, I’m getting married in the Summer, so maybe being the best husband I can be for my wife coming up here,” he couldn’t help but smile as he said “for my wife.”

It’s always interesting to find out what an athlete does after their career concludes, so I asked Gerard what’s one thing he hopes to take away from his career once it’s all said and done, “Wow. That I left it all out there and did everything I could to achieve my goals and dreams. And yeah, look back and have no regrets.”

Of course, we spoke about hockey. As a minor league player, they experience great
differences in leagues like the AHL and ECHL. We went over the differences he
appreciates between the two leagues, “I think up there they make less mistakes and everything’s a little cleaner and quicker. I just love the game and I just love playing. And yeah, it’s great.”

Just like every other minor league player, they deal with a great deal of instability and unpredictability. The trades and call-ups being two of some of the most unpredictable possibilities. Different players have a different mentality on how they reflect on it, “Yeah, I mean like you said, things change basically hour by hour and you just have to stay positive,” Gerard said. “And whatever comes your way, you just gotta be prepared for it.” Having played for an NCAA university, I had to ask what advice he has for the guys playing in the NCAA men’s ice hockey tournament coming up later this month in Allentown, “I
would just say leave it all out there. And it goes by pretty quick so just try to limit your
mistakes. And just enjoy the process and give it all you got.”

Lastly, we went rapid fire and went through questions like, favorite movie, color, and
biggest pet peeve. Charlie Gerard’s favorite movie is Happy Gilmore, favorite color is
blue, and his biggest peeve is when people don’t hold the door for him. Which, let’s be
honest, is really annoying.

It’s no lie that Gerard is one of the leaders this team needed from the beginning of the season. It shows on the ice and with the chemistry he has with his linemates. The selfless teammate in his drop passes the puck to the teammate behind him with the better chance if the breakaway he’s on doesn’t look like it’s going to work out. It’s giving his linemate an opportunity to score rather than just shooting it when he knows it most likely won’t work out. Simply plays like that are what set apart players like him from the rest.

Being the type of person and player he says he is, with having the evidence to
back it up is not something everyone has. He has made my time covering the Royals
one of the most memorable experiences in my career. From watching him play against my former home team, the Allen Americans when he was with the Utah Grizzlies to watching him play for my new home team in the Royals. Not many young writers can say that. Not only has he made this season an action packed and memorable season for the Reading
Royals and their fans, but for me, as well.

Photo Credit: Emily Raffle

The Reading Royals sustained two wins and one loss this past weekend. The less complicated way to sum up this wild
three-game series against the Trois-Rivieres Lions was four points and fourteen Royals goals total.

Game One

Game one ended with a Royals 7-5 victory. The first period started with lots of power and speed on both sides of the puck. It was three goal period for each team, as the first ended in a 3-3 tie. Pat Nagle was tested in the first period, and eventually ended the game with 27 saves on 32 shots.

The second period was filled with lots of scoring once again as the period came to a halt tied at five a piece. Charlie Gerard and Evan Barratt shined in the second, while both tallied goals for the Royals.

Shane Sellar and Jacob Gaucher provided
goals six and seven, both on the Power Play leading to a Royals hard earned 7-5 victory.

Game Two

Game two’s scoring was opened by Alec Butcher, unassisted. However, the game opened with a fight between Brendan Hoffmann and Cedric Lacroix. Each got five minutes for fighting. The fun filled first period ended 1-0 in favor of the Royals.

The second period was grounds for not wanting to say anything to potentially jinx a milestone. With three penalties total being handed out, two for the Lions and one for the Royals. And then along came the rocket that is Penn State’s and Pennsylvania’s very own, Evan Barratt. The First goal came with assists from Brendan Hoffmann and Captain Garrett McFadden.
The second goal came with an assist from his solid linemate Charlie Gerard. The
chemistry between the two is unmatched. Second period ended with a Royals 3-1 lead.

The third period came with a few penalties and a couple of goals. Gerard snuck one in
with assists by Zach Shankar and Evan Barratt. Now comes the moment nobody wanted to jinx. It was a chance of an empty netter with Barratt out on a
shift. One thing leads to another following Barratt’s hat trick goal, hats were being thrown on the ice, as the Barratt puts the puck to the back of the net. It marked the Royals first hat trick of the season. Barratt
on his hat trick:

“It’s pretty cool. Had a lot of help out there, some nice plays and lucky to finish. But we’re rolling right now, we’re feeling good.” – Evan Barratt

After being asked if he was jittery after his second goal to get a third, “I don’t know, you want to say no but obviously you’re thinking about it a little bit. It was a tight game still to point at the time so you want to win and have a good weekend. Got a lot of games coming up so I think winning that game is big going into tomorrow but of course you think about it as soon as you score a second one.”

Game Three

Feeling hopeful for a series sweep, the Royals fell 6-4 to the Lions on Sunday
afternoon. With a wondrous lead going into the third, out of nowhere came the Lions. They scored four of their six goals in the third period. Not all is lost statistically for the Royals, as Barratt continued his point streak with two goals in the game making it 11 total for the season.

Both the first and second period were just as aggressive and showy as the first two games of this weekend series. However, things seemed to have taken a turn in the third period of play. Oddball penalties and visible frustration from the Royals seemed to mount. The Royals couldn’t quite keep this one in their favor.

Sunday afternoon was also goaltender Ryan Kenny’s professional debut. Despite the result of this game, the strength and skill shown from this young goalie shows that he has a promising career ahead of him. Facing a solid opponent during a series where the results have been close, he posseses the tenacity and determination to grow as a goaltender.

Here’s what Ryan Kenny had to say following his debut, “Despite what happened it was a dream come true. This is something I have looked forward to my entire life. I remember going to east coast league games when I was a kid. It was an
unfortunate outcome but it was still such an awesome opportunity and I’m so
grateful.”

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Kenny called his first game a learning experience and looking forward to learning
more in the future. Ended the night with his mentality to being a better goalie, “Trying
your hardest everyday. If you don’t do that then bad outcomes happen.”

Photo Credit: Samantha Wismer

Monday matinees are typically for off Broadway plays. However, with the exception of President’s Day, the Royals hosted the Newfoundland Growlers. The Royals lost two points and fell to the Growlers 4-2.

The first period was a bit back and forth at first, but the scoring was opened by Issac Johnson early in the first. It was also followed by two Growlers penalties that the Royals were 0/2 on. Simon Kubicek took a penalty for slashing, as did Adam Samuelsson. Not long after was Alec Butcher’s golden 11th goal of the season. It was assisted by Captain McFadden and Mike Chen. The Growlers closed out the period with a third goal by Adam Dawe.

The second period was started by an NHL style goal by Charlie Gerard, a recent Lehigh Valley Phantoms loan to knot the score at two. Later, Mike Hoffmann and Simon Kubicek both got dinged for roughing. The 4-on-4 was aggressive but did not produce what the Royals needed. The second period was carried through with effort and physicality, however.

Chris Martenet used his size difference/advantage to his best ability throughout the course of the game, but mainly in the third period. He was shielding pucks, and body blocking left and right. It was on the Gerard boarding penalty that gave the Growlers a Power Play goal, which ended the period 4-2 in favor of the Growlers.

It seemed the third period came and went on this spring-like afternoon, but not without effort and tenacity from the Royals. When asked about the effort, coach James Henry said, “The last two periods were great. It’s making the conscious effort to do that for
three periods. Especially a team like Newfoundland. You take a period off and they’re going to capitalize on it.”

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He ended the question with stating not being competitive enough is what cost them the game. From this vantage point, the hungrier team won on this matinee. The Royals did split this weekend series, per se, and managed to get two points out of it. The team will now gear up for a
trip to Glens Falls, New York, where they will have a back-to-back series against the
Adirondack Thunder.