October 30

The storm system cleared out overnight, the day started clear and sunny with temperatures right around the 40-degree mark. Went to Q-ville for Jenny and Helen, the roads were fine for the most part so there were no travel issues at all. We arrived at the Sovereign Center in good order for the 3:05 faceoff as the Gwinnett Gladiators visited from Duluth, Georgia for the only time this season. Before the game the Royals organization retired the first sweater number in club history as #22 was raised to the rafters in honor of Larry Courville. Larry broke into pro hockey in 1995, he played parts of three seasons in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks. He came to Reading in 2002, retired from playing in 2008 and became the Royals' head coach the following season. In his playing days Larry was the guy that you loved as a teammate but hated as an opponent, the kind of player every good team must have. On this day he was looking for his 100th win as Royals head coach but it was not to be as Gwinnett won the game 2-0, Joe Palmer took the tough-luck loss in goal. The club's record stands at 3-3-1 (a Friday night win in Trenton included), they now head to the road for five games before returning home on November 12. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 29

I think it's safe to assume that for years to come the date 10-29-11 will not be fondly remembered. It began to rain at some point overnight, by morning sleet and snow were mixed in. Every forecast I could find on the internet and on television said that the snow was to become heavier and continue for most of the day. I called Jenny and told her I wouldn't be down for Saturday lunch as usual, with the roads south of the city in bad shape there was no point in taking any chances. Of course this also meant she and Helen would miss the game in Reading as well, none of us were particularly happy about that but it's just not worth the risk. It's one thing for me because I'm working (I am expected to be there) but for the ladies there's no reason to chance accident or injury over a hockey game. In the afternoon word came down that the game was still on, at 3:30 (one half-hour earlier than usual) I left for the drive north. 222 was one lane just about all the way to Berks County, it took the better part of an hour to get to Reading. When I got to the parking garage the attendant told me the game had been postponed, since I was already there I went into the building to get the official word. Apparently there were power outages in the immediate area including the Sovereign Center itself, the game was called for that reason. It was rescheduled for Sunday afternoon at 3:05, by then the weather is supposed to be much better so Jenny and Helen will be able to come after all. The drive home was much easier, the snowplows were out so 222 coming south was clear. With it all I was home by 5:45 and more than willing to call it a night. On the TV news they were saying this was the snowiest October day for this area in history and the first time we had snow this early in the season since 1972. I am more than willing to wait until 2050 for it to happen again. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 28

Friday evening at McCaskey for the final home football game of the season. After a 7-4 record and a postseason berth in 2010 it's safe to say that 2011 has been a huge disappointment, the club's record fell to 2-7 with a 35-14 loss to Manheim Township. Before the game we honored the twenty-five (that's 25) seniors on the squad and the senior cheerleaders as well, at halftime the senior members of the band and color guard received their kudos. The game itself was never really in doubt, Township scored early and often to take a 35-0 lead at the half. The entire second half was played under the mercy rule, MT never scored again but they didn't have to. The only points for JPM came in the final quarter, Jonathan Hulyo connected with Diante Cherry for a pair of TD receptions. The team will finish its season in Ephrata on November 4, then in early December we'll see some of the guys in the gym when basketball gets underway. It's the last weekend in October and believe it or not SNOW is in the forecast, they are saying that Saturday could be very messy. It is way too early in the season for that stuff (of course for me anytime is too early, I hate snow) but maybe we'll get lucky. I guess we'll know soon enough. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 24-27

Another usual week thus far with street hockey on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Rain moved in during the early morning on Thursday, Jenny and I had lunch at the pizza parlor in Quarryville. In the afternoon the rain was coming hard as I headed north to the Sovereign Center, the Royals hosted the South Carolina Stingrays. Not a good night for the home boys as the Royals lost 4-1. Casey Haines scored the lone goal, Karel St. Laurent (just back from Providence) got the start in net and took the loss. After a 2-0-1 start the boys have lost two straight in regulation, they will look to right the ship on Friday in Trenton before returning home for a Saturday date with the Gwinnett Gladiators. On the drive home the rain was gone but it was markedly colder, temperatures only in the low 40s. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 23

North to Reading on Sunday afternoon for the second game of Opening Weekend, the Florida Everblades were in town. The Royals' momentum from the Saturday win died quickly on this day as the 'Blades won easily 7-2. Matt Caruana and Ryan Cruthers scored for the Royals, Joe Palmer took the loss in goal. Palmer is with the club on an ECHL contract, he was in the league last season with Toledo. The season is only four games old but the roster movements are already in full swing, we currently have eighteen players active and six players absent. Goaltender Karel St. Laurent (Providence), forward Kyle Neuber (Toronto) and defensemen Derrick Lapoint and Ray Macias (Springfield) are in the AHL, forward Richard Purslow and defenseman David Strathman are on the injured list. The boys are off until Thursday the 27th when they host South Carolina, the Gwinnett Gladiators come to town on the 29th. In Lancaster we had a full day of street hockey makeup games going in my absence, when I got back to town I went there for the duration. The first game started at 4:00 (right around the time we got started at the SC), the last game ended before 9:00. The East teams have four games left, the West have three games to play. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 22

Lunch in Quarryville with Jenny in the morning, in the afternoon she and her mother were with me as we headed north on 222 to the Sovereign Center. It's hard to believe this is the Royals' eleventh year in the ECHL already, I can remember when the club started like it was yesterday. The Cincinnati Cyclones were the opening-night opponent, they were making their one and only appearance in Reading this season (unless we happen to see them come playoff time in April, we all know the postseason history these two clubs have). On this night in Reading (and for just the fourth time in franchise history) the Royals were victorious in the home opener as they defeated the Cyclones 3-2 in regulation time. Matt Caruana scored the game-winning goal, Casey Haines and newcomer Rob Shearer also lit the lamp. Shearer has played in Europe for several years, before that he played five seasons in the AHL with Hershey. Rookie goaltender Mark Owuya picked up the win, he's a native of Sweden on assignment from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The club's record stands at 2-0-1 in the early going, the boys are at home on Sunday afternoon against the Florida Everblades. The 'Blades played in Trenton on Saturday night and the 'Clones are playing there on Sunday, their team buses will probably pass each other on the Pennsylvania Turnpike sometime overnight. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 17-21

Typical week for the most part so far: on Monday morning Jenny was in Willow Street for a foot doctor appointment, we had lunch together afterward. On Thursday we did our usual at the pizza parlor in Quarryville. On Thursday night we finished the fifth week of street hockey at the rink, for the second consecutive week the East division was rained out on Wednesday. Every team in that division has played ten games, they have makeups on October 23 and November 6. The West teams have eleven games in the books with makeups on the 23rd only. On Friday evening it was football night at McCaskey, Cedar Crest was the opponent for the annual Homecoming activities. After a win the previous week on the road the Red Tornado make it two straight with a 35-20 decision over CC. Diante Cherry, Josh Ransing and Jonathan Hulyo scored rushing touchdowns for JPM, Hulyo also threw two TD passes (one each to Quashaun Davis and Christian Davidson). After six weeks of porous defensive efforts that unit is coming together, the team won't be in the postseason this year but it's something to build on for the future. The boys are at home again on the 28th against  Manheim Township, that is the final home game of the season. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 13-16

The rain was still around on Thursday as I went to Q-ville for lunch with Jenny. In the afternoon it rained again, with more in the forecast we decided to postpone the evening's street hockey games. On Friday it was still damp and rainy, with both JPM and LCHS playing on the road I decided to stay in and stay healthy. Saw online later in the evening that both teams won, the victory for McCaskey (28-18 over Warwick) was their first of the season. In a way I'm sorry I missed it but the weather forecast was the main consideration. JPM is at home each of the next two weeks, I'll be back with Lancaster Catholic on November 4. Saturday the 15th was another slow day save for lunch with Jenny. The Royals started their regular season on the weekend, they picked up three points on the strength of a win and an OT loss. The home opener is on the 22nd against Cincinnati. On the 16th we played our final regularly-scheduled Sunday of street hockey, all twelve teams were in action. We got started at 4:00 and finished around 9:15, Don worked the first three with Derek and the last three with Ron. Every team in the league has now played nine games with six remaining. The games postponed on the 12th and 13th will be made up as a full day of makeups on Sunday the 23rd. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 10-12

Jenny and Helen were with me on Monday afternoon as we headed back north to the Sovereign Center. This was the Royals' annual meet and greet night, an opportunity for the fans to meet the players and get autographs and photos. The players sat in groups of three or four at tables spaced out along the concourse, the ladies made their way through the line while I walked along the periphery (since I'm a game-staff member I thought walking through the line would look flimsy). I was pleasantly surprised by a few fans who actually approached me for my autograph, I guess that shows they appreciate what I try to do. I always sign on those rare occasions when I'm asked, it doesn't happen a lot but I never blow anyone off because my ego doesn't work that way. Jenny got all the players' autographs plus head coach Larry Courville, assistant coach Tim Branham and mascot Slapshot as well. By 9:00 I was back in Lancaster, I stopped by the rink to see how the night went in my absence. Ron and Wally were getting things wrapped up, they said it was a typical East Division night: a lot of penalties and a lot of whining. On Tuesday night I was there for the West games, Don and Derek refereed with Wally running the clock. On Wednesday morning rain moved into the area, the evening's games were postponed. The rain is supposed to hang around over the next few days, we'll see what happens. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 9

Sunday afternoon on the road north to Reading for the first time in a month, hard to believe hockey season is here already. After an overtime win in Elmira on Saturday the Royals played their lone home exhibition game against the Trenton Titans. When the Trenton franchise started back in 1999 the club was known as the Titans, the New Jersey Devils became the NHL partner in '07 and the team nickname changed accordingly. When that association ended over the summer the first thing the new management did was restore the original name. The Royals have several players on the roster who played in Reading in '10-11 including defensemen Louis Liotti, Rob Kwiet and Denny Urban plus forwards Casey Haines, Matt Caruana, Olivier Labelle, Ryan Cruthers and John Scrymgeour. Most of the veterans sat out on this day as players on the bubble got a chance to play in an effort to make the club. The Royals made it two for two on the weekend as they won the game via overtime shootout 2-1. The lone goal in regulation was scored by newcomer Matt Schepke, rookie goaltender Karel St. Laurent picked up the win. St. Laurent is on assignment from Providence of the AHL, he played junior hockey in Canada last season. The ECHL season begins for the Royals on Friday the 14th on the road, the home opener is on Saturday the 22nd. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 7-8

Friday evening: at Rossmere Stadium for the first time in three weeks as the LCHS Crusaders hosted Pequea Valley. PV is a small, rural school district in the eastern end of the county, their football program started in 1998. At that time they had no on-campus playing facility, they played their home games at Rossmere. Since I was with LCHS at that time I also worked Pequea games when I was available, that association ended amicably in 2003 when their own stadium opened (I always said I was just keeping the seat warm until they got their own place). On this night in Lancaster it was all Crusaders from the word Go as LCHS won 56-14. It was 49-0 at the half, the entire second half was played under the mercy rule. Six of the Crusader TDs were scored on the ground thanks to Roman Clay (three), Brandon Hollister (two) and Marc Royer (one). Sean Titus caught a TD pass from Andrew Dzurik, reserve QB Mac McCafferty connected with Charles Sweigert for another score. The win keeps LCHS unbeaten on the year at 6-0, I'll be back there for one more game on November 4. It was Homecoming Night, after the game they had a fireworks show (guess where I was while it was going on). Saw on the internet where McCaskey lost yet again, this time to Penn Manor 48-14. On Saturday I was in Q-ville with Jenny and Helen as we did lunch and ran some errands. They'll be along on Sunday as we head to the Sovereign Center for an exhibition game, the Royals host the newly-renamed Trenton Titans. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 3-6

Typical week thus far with the usual morning stuff and street hockey in the evenings. Jenny was in town on Tuesday on business, we had lunch at the local sub shop. On Thursday we did lunch at the pizza parlor in Quarryville. With the close of business at the rink on Thursday night the league is at the virtual midpoint, every team has played seven games with eight to go. On East Division nights Ron Mongeau and Jon Gerber have been the regular officials, Don Tankesley and son Derek work on the nights the West plays. Derek and Jonny each play in the opposite division, Don and Ron are both former players now retired (as am I but not many people remember when I played, it was so long ago my uniform number was "XXVI"). The league continues on Monday, the following week we'll play on Sunday as well. On Friday I'll be at Lancaster Catholic for football as the Crusaders host Pequea Valley, on Sunday we'll head north on 222 as the Royals play an exhibition game against Trenton. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 1-2

Saturday morning in Quarryville with Jenny for lunch, the rest of the day was spent at home with college football and major league baseball playoffs on TV. It was all just as well, it was a chilly, windy day with rain in the late afternoon. Sunday started with more of the same, the early afternoon rain was nothing more severe than a nuisance. At 2:30 I went to the rink as we had a full day of street hockey on the schedule. This day and October 16 are in effect make-up dates since we started a week later than planned, we got underway at 4:00 and were done by 9:15. We had more on-and-off rain but never enough to threaten play, just enough to make it miserable. With it all I was home by 9:30, after a hot shower I was more than willing to call it a night. The league will continue this week with the usual Monday/Wednesday format for the East and Tuesday/Thursday for the West. Take care, thanks for reading.