Reading Royals on the road

Sunday’s result

Reading Royals . . . . 4
Roanoke Express . . . 3
OT

Game recap: Trailing 3-1 after two periods, the Royals rallied for an overtime win Sunday at Roanoke Civic Center to snap a season-high eight-game winless streak on the road.
   Graig Mischler pushed a backhanded shot past Roanoke goalie David Belitski 2:20 into overtime to cap Reading’s first win of the season when trailing after two periods. The Royals had been 0-10-1 when down after two.
   Reading improved to 21-13-6 in the ECHL Northern Division, two points behind fourth-place Johnstown.
   The Royals scored 42 seconds into the game as Kent Davyduke combined with linemate Mischler to score on a two-oneone. But Roanoke (21-18-2) rallied with a pair of goals during a 33-second span late in the first to take a 2-1 lead.
   Andrew McPherson scored with 3:19 left in the first to tie it 1-1. He skated in alone from the corner to slide one past goaltender Peter Hamerlik. The Express took the lead when leading scorer Rick Kowalsky tipped in Kevin Bergin’s shot from the point.
   The Royals played the first minute of the second period with a two-man advantage, but couldn’t convert. After Roanoke’s Dan Carney found the net midway through the second to make it 3-1, the Royals played one minute, 30 seconds with a 5-on-3, but again couldn’t take advantage.
   But Reading capitalized on its opportunities in the third, when it out-shot Roanoke 19-4. Scooter Smith scored off a Leon Hayward feed 8:01 into the period to make it a one-goal game. Then, with 5:14 remaining in regulation, Carney was slapped with a five-minute game misconduct call.
   With 4:07 to go, David Masse scored his first goal since Nov. 16 and his sixth of the season to tie it. Reading has been 0-of-8 on the power play.
  
 Three stars: 1. Graig Mischler, Reading; 2. Mat Snesrud, Reading; 3. Rick Kowalksi, Roanoke.
 
 Notable: After leaving Johnstown Friday night, the Royals drove to Hershey to pick up forward Judd Medak and Dean Arsene before heading to Roanoke. The Bears called up the pair last week. Arsene played three games with Hershey and Medak two. . . . Captain Brad Church didn’t play. He suffered what’s believed to be a back injury in Friday’s game against the Chiefs. He traveled with the team to Roanoke. . . . Reading is 3-0 against the Express this season. . . . Roanoke is 0-2 in overtime, 5-1 in shootouts.
  

  Up next: The Royals travel to Cincinnati for Wednesday’s 7:30 p.m. game.