Royals get past Titans

By Julie Pelchar Reading Eagle

Call this team the Grinch of the ECHL.
Somewhere between here and South Carolina, the collective heart of the Reading Royals grew a few sizes, just as the green holiday character’s did in time for Christmas.
   Even though they were sluggish and plagued by mental mistakes, the Royals mustered a win Saturday, beating Trenton 3-2 in an overtime shootout at the Sovereign Center.
   Graig Mischler and former Titan Scooter Smith scored in the shootout and goaltender Cody Rudkowsky stopped all four of Trenton’s attempts to give Reading its fourth straight win and sixth straight at home.
   The Royals have strung together their season-high winning streak after losing four of five on a Thanksgiving road trip to the South.
   "We were trying to do too many things that don’t suit the type of team that we have," Mischler said. "We’re a blue-collar team, and we got down there and got away from our bread and butter.
   "We’ve just kind of refocused and come back with a little more passion."
   The Royals (14-7-3) looked lackadaisical at times Saturday, but not because they were dispassionate.
   Playing short-handed for the second straight night, they were gassed. Reading coach Derek Clancey shuffled the lineup a bit, too, with defensemen Tomas Slovak and Jon Zion playing as forwards in the first period.
   "As the game went on, we didn’t play mentally smart," Clancey said. "We made bad puck decisions. We were turning pucks over. We just didn’t play very well."
   Rudkowsky kept them in the game, stopping 36 shots for the evening, including 28 over the last 45 minutes to send it into shootout.
   "We’re doing what we need to win," Rudkowsky said. "It doesn’t have to be pretty. We’re getting the job done, and that’s all you can ask for."
   Mischler scored the deciding goal on Reading’s fourth shootout attempt, sending his shot over the left shoulder of struggling Trenton goalie Andrew Allen.
   Mischler saw Smith, the third shooter, beat Allen at the same spot.
   "That happens to be my favorite shot, too," Mischler said. "I didn’t go straight in. I tried to move left to right, just try to see how he was going to play me, and he gave me that side."
   Nick Lent put the Royals on the board with a short-handed goal 6:42 into the game. Lent picked up a puck at the Royals blue line, flew down the right wing and fired a slap shot from the circle over Allen’s shoulder.
   Zion put Reading ahead 2-0 with a power-play goal 3:11 into the second, beating Allen with a weak wrister from the top of the left circle.
   The Titans made it 2-1 midway through the second. In front of family and friends, Gilbertsville native Matt Herneisen banged in his own rebound to score his third goal and first since Nov. 11, which game against Reading.
   Bryce Cockburn scored the tying goal midway through the third, sending a wrister past Rudkowsky on an odd-man rush.
   Floundering Trenton, in the midst of eight straight on the road, has won just once in its last eight games.

Ice chips: As expected, the Royals signed free agent forward Lars Pettersen, who debuted Saturday after 30 hours of travel. Pettersen, who has 401 points in 378 ECHL games, started the season in Norway. . . . Reading released Darryl Laplante. In a game Nov. 8, the veteran center suffered what has turned out to be a career-ending knee injury. He’s going to attend college.