Royals Edge 'Blades In the Third Period

ESTERO, FL – The Reading Royals scored twice in the third period to pull away to a 5-3 victory over the Florida Everblades in front of an announced crowd of 6,194 at Germain Arena Friday night.  The Everblades (46-15-2-5. 99 points) still hold the top spot in the East Division.

Reading grabbed a quick 2-0 advantage in the game’s first ten minutes.  David Marshall scored on the power play at 6:17 on a wrister from the right wing circle that beat Florida goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic.

Five minutes later, Ryan Cruthers crashed the net and was able to stuff the puck through Nedeljkovic’s five-hole to give the Royals a 2-0 lead after the first 20 minutes.

Florida got on the board just 1:45 into the second, when Nicolas Deschamps led a 2-on-1 chance into the zone and passed the puck across the ice to Steven Whitney. Whitney perfectly placed the puck into the back of the net behind Reading netminder Connor Knapp for the tally.

The Royals reclaimed a two-goal edge later in the period on the power play.  Brett Flemming delivered a slap pass from the point to the crease to Justin Crandall who finished off the set up with his first marker of the season.

Deschamps factored again at 12:47 of the middle frame when he blistered a slapshot past Knapp from the left wing circle to put the score at 3-2.

The ‘Blades netted the equalizer just two minutes later, when Gabriel Desjardins swung the puck to the front of the net. The puck bounced in the air and hit off the body of Ray Kaunisto in front, and then banked into the Reading net for the goal.  The game remained tied at 3-3 heading into the third period.

Reading seized control of the game in the third. Pat Mullane buried a goal at 6:38 of the period, while Maxim Lamarche capped off the game on a dazzling coast-to-coast goal in which he finished off with a wrister high into the net to secure the 5-3 victory.

Nedeljkovic who was assigned to the Everblades prior to the game from the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL), takes the loss in his pro debut allowing five goals on 24 shots.  Knapp earns the win allowing three goals on 29 shots

The Everblades close out the weekend on Saturday at Germain Arena against the South Carolina Stingrays. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.

Upcoming Home Games & Promotions

Saturday, April 4 vs. South Carolina, 7:00 p.m. The McDonald’s Tailgate Party begins at 5:00 p.m. featuring live music, bounce houses, and face painting for the kids!

Friday, April 10 vs. Orlando, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 11 vs. Orlando, 7:00 p.m. Hearts & Hockey Ticket Packs are still available for just $50!*T-Shirt*Autographed Puck*4-Endzone Ticket Vouchers which can be redeemed for any game this season.

To order, call 239-948-7825, or stop by the Everblades main office at Germain Arena. Hearts & Hockey Packs are also available on game nights at the Everblades information table located in the concourse.

Ticket Information

Game Tickets: Everblades tickets may be purchased at the Century Link Prism Box Office located at Germain Arena, or at any Ticketmaster outlet, or online atwww.ticketmaster.com

Discounted Group Tickets: Bring your group of 10 or more to a game at a discounted price, and also receive an Everblades souvenir! Group tickets are available for all home games. For more information on group tickets, call 239-948-7825.

Voucher Ticket Packages are currently on sale!  All packages save you money from the box office price, and come with many great benefits.  For more information call  239-948-7825, or stop by the Everblades Main Office located at Germain Arena, Monday—Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.