The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, play the Worcester Railers at 7:05 p.m. at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass Monday. This is the first meeting between the two teams this season.
Reading has not played since Friday, Dec. 10 at Adirondack due to ECHL Health and Safety Protocol postponements affecting its scheduled games against Adirondack on Dec. 11 and Worcester on Dec. 17, 18 and 19.
The last time these two teams faced off was Saturday, March 7, 2020. The Royals won, 5-2, backed by a four-goal second period that saw Thomas Ebbing, Frank DiChiara, Brayden Low and the now-returning Trevor Gooch score goals in the middle frame. Rob Michel topped off with Reading’s fifth score of the game with three minutes remaining in the third period. Low’s goal stood as the game-winning goal.
Reading is on a five-game win streak against the Railers that started with a 5-1 victory on Jan. 31, 2020. The Royals have recorded at least one point in each of their last seven games against Worcester.
Reading currently sits fourth in the North Division after remaining stagnant for multiple weeks with an 8-6-4-1 record for 21 points, 2 behind the third-place Adirondack Thunder. Worcester sits last in both the North Division and the league with 17 points through 20 games. It holds an 8-11-0-1 record.
The Royals made multiple moves over the Christmas week.
- First, Reading traded future considerations to the Norfolk Admirals for rookie forward Anthony Gagnon, who has 5 goals and 4 assists in 25 games, on Dec. 21. He will wear number 43.
- The Royals signed Trevor Gooch, who had played in the Estre Liga for MAC HKB Ujbuda during the 2021-22 season, on Dec. 22. Gooch scored 12 goals and 10 assists in 40 games for Reading in 2019-20. He will wear number 7.
- Mike Gornall was released from his standard player contract on Dec. 23.
- Finally, Kirill Ustimenko was reassigned by the Flyers to Reading from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Dec. 23.
Fans can listen to the game at mixlr.com/readingroyals or watch at FloSports through bit.ly/RoyalsFloSports.
About the Royals
The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, are entering their 20th season in the ECHL. They won their first Kelly Cup championship in 2013 and have clinched playoff berths in 10 of the previous 11 seasons. They are four-time division champions. The Berks County Convention Center Authority (BCCCA), founded in 1996, owns the Royals and oversees operations at Santander Arena.