Royals rally behind Mischler to beat Japan for Pagoda Cup

By Julie Pelchar Reading Eagle

   Hours after losing starter Cody Rudkowsky to an American Hockey League call-up, Reading encountered two goaltenders it certainly wouldn’t mind having between the pipes.
   The Japanese National Team’s tandem of Yutaka Fukufuji and Junji Ogino combined to stop 51 shots and make the first exhibition in Royals history, and Japan’s first game on U.S. ice, a memorable one.
   But it was Reading’s strength and experience, rather than Japan’s play between the pipes that proved to be the deciding factor in a 3-2 Royals victory.
   Graig Mischler scored a pair of third-period goals as the Royals, who wore 1980 USA Olympic replica jerseys, dominated the final 20 minutes to earn the winner’s Pagoda Cup, a silver bowl, on a festive evening attended by an announced crowd of 3,412 at the Sovereign Center.
   "They’re so strong, and they’re poised," said Japan coach Glen Williamson, whose young team flies to Long Beach, Calif., for its second stop on a three-city tour. "They’re used to playing under pressure. . . . And they just started to take control."
   Perhaps the biggest surprise to the Royals was Japan’s tenacious play on a smaller ice surface that was foreign to all but two of the 20 Japanese players.
   "I think they exceeded my expectations a little bit," Mischler said. "I thought they were great skaters watching them in practice, but I didn’t really know how they’d play the game.
   "They don’t back down. They hit. They’re physical."
   Journeyman Dave Marlin got the start in net for Reading. The appearance was the first in 11 months for Marlin, who’s served as an emergency backup for a few teams.
   Shaking off rust, he allowed two goals on eight shots in the first period.
   Japan scored on a two-man advantage to take the lead 4:42 into the game when Masato Domeki knocked in a rebound on Junichi Takahashi’s blast from the point.
   The Royals tied it midway through the first when David Masse tipped in Peter Hay’s pass for a power-play goal.
   Takayuki Sakai made it 2-1 late in the period, and Marlin helped keep it a one-goal game in the second, making several spectacular saves, including a stop on a Domeki breakaway and a diving save on Dai Ishiguro’s point-blank shot.
   But Reading’s size — the Royals on average were 3 ¹ /2 inches taller and 35 pounds heavier — wore down the Japanese in the third.
   "I thought we started to drift toward the way they wanted to play with the tic-tac-toe passes in the beginning," said Reading coach Derek Clancey. "We got away from our strength. But once we started to get it down deep and go to the net, we got rewarded."
   The Royals, who played with 14 skaters most of the night, spent most of the third period in Japan’s zone applying pressure, but the spectacular play of Ogino helped Japan keep its lead until Mischler finally broke through on Reading’s 16 th shot of the period at the 6:53 mark.
   Mischler skated around the back of the net and slid a shot between Ogino’s legs.  Mischler scored the winning goal with 3:51 left, knocking in a rebound on a shot by Jason Maleyko.
   Ogino stopped 24 of 26 shots in the third and finished with 35 saves. Fukufuji, who was replaced midway through the second to give Ogino playing time, made 16 saves.
   Rudkowsky, a NHL-contracted goalie with St. Louis, was recalled to Worcester Tuesday morning because of an injury to Blues starter Chris Osgood.
   Contact Julie Pelchar at 610-371-5065 or japelchar@readingeagle.com.

Reading Eagle: Diane Staskowski
Reading’s Graig Mischler (15) scores past Japanese National Team goalie Jungi Ogino for one of his two goals Tuesday night.