A high-scoring thriller in Reading highlighted Wednesday's action in the ECHL.
Comebacks are always a mixed bag of emotions. For the winner, it’s a great feeling; not so much for the club on the losing end.
The Reading Royals returned home Wednesday hoping to turn things around after a road trip that saw them drop all four games. Alas, the Norfolk Admirals had other plans, handing Reading a 6-5 loss in overtime after trailing 2-0 and 5-4.
The goal that sent the game into overtime came with a minute left in regulation, after Carson Golder fired a loose puck past Royals goaltender Parker Gahagen to tie the score and force OT.
Just over four minutes into the extra frame, Golder struck again, this time blasting a shot from the left faceoff circle past Gahagen, spoiling the Royals’ return home.
The two teams battled through a scoreless first period. Reading broke the scoring drought at 3:21 of the second on Matt Miller’s power-play goal. It was Miller’s first as a Royal, and Connor McMenamin picked up the first of his three assists on the evening.
Miller then picked up a helper on Todd Skirving’s shorthanded goal at the 4:11 mark for a 2-0 Royals lead. It was the team’s second shorthanded tally of the season, both from Skirving.
The Admirals roared back to tie the score 2-2 before the period ended. Former Royal Ryan Chyzwoski scored against his former club in front of his former home fans at 8:23. Nathan Kelly then notched the first goal of his pro career to tie the game at 18:15.
In the third period, the Admirals scored 38 seconds into a power-play for a 3-2 lead on Sanghoon Shin’s second goal of the season. Both teams exchanged goals until Golder’s goal with 60 seconds left ensured an extra period.
Admirals goalie Joe Cannata (2-0-0) stopped 22 of 27 shots, while Gahagen (2-3-1) had 23 saves on 29 shots faced. The Admirals moved to 5-2-1 on the season, while Reading drops to 4-5-1.
Here’s a quick look at other Wednesday action.
Kansas City Mavericks 3, Rapid City Rush 2
David Cotton and Jackson Berezowski each scored to put the Mavericks in front 2-0 in the first period before Chaz Smedsrud narrowed the gap to 2-1 at the 11:35 mark.
Kansas City ended the first-period scoring at the 18:05 mark on a tally by Damien Giroux for a 3-1 lead.
Rapid City cut into the lead on a Joni Jurmo goal at 17:00 of the second period. That 3-2 lead held up the rest of the way for Kansas City, although the Rush had a goal disallowed late in the third period on a high sticking call, much to the disapproval of the Rapid City home faithful.
Atlanta Gladiators 2, Orlando Solar Bears 1
The Gladiators scored on an Eric Neiley goal in the first and added another from Joey Cipolone in the third for a narrow victory on the road.
The Solar Bears outshot Atlanta 28-25, but could muster only one goal from Tyler Bird in the second.
Wheeling Nailers 5, Cincinnati Cyclones 2
Sam Houde scored twice for the Nailers, who got their second consecutive win.
Wheeling jumped on top with two first-period goals before Cincy tied things up in the second. The Nailers struck back with a three-goal barrage in the third, including a Kyle Jackson tally from just above the right side of the net for what proved to be the game-winner.