The Reading Royals, proud affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, opened their preseason with a 4-0 victory over the Adirondack Thunder Friday, Oct. 15 at Cool Insuring Arena. Royals goaltender Kirill Ustimenko saved all 26 shots, while Thunder goalie Alex Sakellaropoulos saved 27 of 31.
Jackson Cressey got the scoring underway with a beautiful set of dangles late in the first period. After receiving a pass from Grant Cooper while entering the offensive zone, Cressey dragged the puck through the skates of Joe Masonius to go one-on-one with Sakellaropoulos. Cressey pushed the puck past the flailing goaltender’s left pad to make it 1-0.
Kenny Hausinger scored twice in tight in the second period. With his first, he slotted home a rebound from Cooper’s mid-slot shot, and then he roofed the puck from below the right circle to make it 3-0 with his second goal in six minutes. Cooper assisted his second and third goals of the night on Hausinger’s goals, while Cressey added a second point on Hausinger’s first. Jared Brandt also assisted on the third goal of the night.
Jacob Pritchard scored the game’s final goal midway through the third period. He skated down the right wing and deceived Sakellaropoulos by shooting the puck mid-motion, sliding it in by the far post. Kyle McKenzie and Mike Chen both assisted for their first points of the short preseason.
The Royals and Thunder meet for their final game of the preseason Saturday, Oct. 16 at 7:00 p.m. at Santander Arena.
Reading Royals season, flex memberships and group tickets are available for the 2021-22 season by visiting the Royals’ box office at Santander Arena or by calling 610-898-7825.
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.