February 4

Had lunch and got a haircut in the afternoon, unlike the last time all of my tires were still inflated when I was done at the hair salon. At 4:00 it was north on 222 (by myself once again) as the Royals hosted the Trenton Devils. Over the years it hasn't mattered what the team's records are, Trenton/Reading games are always a struggle. So far this season the Royals are 4-1 in five visits to Trenton but just 0-1-1 against the Devils at the Sovereign Center. On this night Trenton had much the better of the play as they outshot the Royals 52-25 but it didn't matter as the Royals won the game 4-2. Casey Haines, Yannick Reindeau, Jared Ross and Chris Blight scored for the Royals but the main reason for this win was goaltending. Earlier in the day Ben Scrivens was reassigned from AHL Toronto, he made his first start in goal for the Royals since mid-December and stopped fifty of the fifty-two shots he faced. His effort earned him the game's #1 star, the second straight such honor for a Royals goaltender. The Maple Leafs organization has had goaltending issues this year, between injuries and ineffective play the team's goalies have been shuffled between the NHL and the AHL and the dynamic has been felt in Reading. Exactly how long Scrivens stays with the Royals is anyone's guess but he's more than welcome. The teams will meet again on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon in Trenton, that's three games between the same two teams in a forty-eight hour period. The Royals are next at home on Saturday the 12th when the Devils return for a Saturday-Sunday double-dip (gotta love that ECHL schedule). Take care, thanks for reading.