April 30

Tuesday night hockey in downtown Reading as the Royals hosted game #6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The club was looking to wrap up the series with a win over Florida but the 'Blades had other ideas. A well-known hockey coach once said that when you fight the champion you must win by knockout because there are no victories by decision. On this night Florida stayed on their feet and forced a deciding seventh game with a 2-1 win. The game was scoreless until the final minute of the second period when Barry Almeida lit the lamp to give the Royals the lead. It stayed that way until the midpoint of the third period, the 'Blades scored twice within two minutes to take the advantage. In the closing moments the Royals had their chances but couldn't find the back of the net as Riley Gill (who deserved a better fate) took the tough-luck loss. The result sets up the winner-take-all game #7 at the Sovereign Center on Wednesday the 1st. The last time the Royals hosted an ultimate playoff game was in 2010 against Kalamazoo, that was a best-of-five series. This will be the third time in franchise history the Royals have played a Seventh Game and the first one ever at home. What may happen on Wednesday night is anybody's guess, at this point all bets are off. We'll all know for sure in about twenty-four hours. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 29

Rain moved into the area overnight, Monday was a largely depressing day weather-wise. Had lunch at the mall in the morning, in late afternoon we postponed the evening's scheduled street hockey games. This was supposed to be the first of four crossover nights between the East and West, each team will play one game against the clubs in the other division. We have crossovers set for Wednesday the 1st plus May 20 and 22, Monday's postponements will fit in somewhere along the way. The weather is supposed to be much better for the rest of the week, on Tuesday there will be just two Midwest games. Since it's a crossover week that extra East game we usually have on Tuesdays is absent from the format. Ron will run the show on Tuesday since I'll be with the Royals. I let him know about the possibility of my absence on Wednesday as well but I'd be just as happy to be in Lancaster that night, hopefully the boys can get it done on Tuesday and remove all controversy. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 26-28

Friday morning in Quarryville for lunch with Jenny. We usual do lunch on Thursdays and Saturdays but since the first one for this week was on Tuesday she wanted to have the second on this day (all the same to me). In the evening the Royals played game #4 in Estero and evened the series with an overtime win. The club fell behind early before rallying for a 2-1 lead, Florida tied it in the closing minutes of regulation play. In the OT T.J. Syner netted the winner on a breakaway to set up the pivotal fifth game on Saturday evening and a guaranteed return to the Sovereign Center for game #6. On Saturday morning Marty, Dick and I met up for a full day of baseball, since Jenny and I weren't doing lunch it all worked out well for me. We headed west through York to Gettysburg and south from there to Frederick, Maryland. The Frederick Keys (the Orioles' Carolina League affiliate) hosted the Carolina Mudcats (Cleveland Indians club from Zebulon, NC) in a 2:00 game at Harry Grove Stadium. The Keys have been in the CL since 1989, in their first year they played at a small facility called McCurdy Field. The "Grove" opened in 1990, I've been there a number of times but not in recent years. The Keys won 5-4 scoring two runs with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning. The game ended around 4:30, we made our way out of Frederick and west twenty-five miles on Interstate Route 70 to Hagerstown for a 6:30 South Atlantic League game. The Hagerstown Suns defeated the Hickory (NC) Crawdads 8-2, the Suns are a Washington Nationals affiliate while the Crawdads are associated with the Texas Rangers. This game progressed in good order as well, it was over shortly after 9:00. We made our way north on I-81 into Pennsylvania towards Harrisburg, we were back in Lancaster around 11:00. On the way I called Jenny to see what was going on. She was listening to the Royals game on the Internet, they were in OT once again. I asked her to call me when it ended, not five minutes later the phone rang. The Royals won it in sudden death 5-4 to take a 3-2 series lead. The OT hero on this night was Evan Barlow, a recent returnee from the AHL. Barlow was with the Royals briefly in November and earned ECHL playoff eligibility despite spending most of the season in the AHL, needless to say his addition paid a huge dividend. The boys can wrap up the series with a win at home on Tuesday the 30th, a game #7 (which nobody wants to think about) would be Wednesday the 1st. After the full day on Saturday the next day was one of rest and relaxation, with a busy week coming up it was the perfect way to spend the day. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 24-25

Wednesday night at the rink on East King Street, as will usually be the case on Wednesdays all three divisions were in action. Whitmoyer Auto defeated the UniLords, Union Station downed Dominion Pizza, Jr's Cycle Shop beat the Misfits and the Killbots won over Yorgo's. There were several thunderstorms to the west and north of our area, in the latter part of the night we had some rain but nothing that threatened the progress of the games. Ron and Bop refereed the entire evening, Wally ran the clock. Saw on the internet where the Royals lost on Wednesday night in Estero, that puts them down 2-1 in the series. The boys will have to win on either Friday or Saturday (preferably both) to bring the series home for a possible game #6. On Thursday morning the rain was long gone and the sun was out, since Jenny and I had done lunch on Tuesday I used this day for a substitute errand run. In the evening we finished up the second week of street hockey with two Midwest games. Yorgo's rebounded from their Wednesday loss to defeat the Dek Dawgs, Fisher's Distributing beat the Lancaster Amvets via shootout. Don and Derek officiated, Devyn ran the clock. With two weeks in the books every team in the league has played four games, on Monday the East and West divisions will play the first round of crossover games. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 22-23

Monday morning at the mall for lunch, in the evening we were at Reservoir Park for the start of week #2 of street hockey. In the night's East game the UniLords beat 915 Cafe, the West games saw Jr's Cycle Shop over Union Station and Dominion Pizza over the Misfits in a shootout. Ron and Jonny refereed, Wally ran the clock. On Tuesday Jenny was in town for an appointment, we did lunch afterwards. At the rink in the evening 915 Cafe defeated Whitmoyer Auto in the East game, in the Midwest the Killbots beat Lancaster Amvets and the Dek Dawgs prevailed over Fisher's Distributing. Derek worked the entire night, the first game with Ron and the last two with Don. Devyn ran the clock. The chilly, windy weather from the weekend is still around but they're calling for warmer temperatures and a slight chance of rain for Wednesday. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 20-21

The rain moved out of the area overnight, it was sunny and much cooler on Saturday morning. Had lunch with Jenny and her mother in Quarryville, in the afternoon it was back to the Sovereign Center for game #2 with Florida. On this night the Royals turned the tables on the 'Blades, recovering from the one-goal loss on Friday with a one-goal win of their own. This game was much like Friday's except the roles were reversed. Kirk MacDonald scored on a turnover for an early 1-0 lead, Yannick Tifu made it 2-0 in quick order. After Florida cut the lead in half Tifu found the net again in the second period to up the lead to 3-1. The 'Blades got back within one in the third but in the closing minutes Mark Owuya held the fort to even the series at a game apiece. The next three games in the best-of-seven are in Estero, Florida on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, a possible game #6 would be back at home on Tuesday the 30th. On Sunday afternoon we were at the ballpark on North Prince Street, the Barnstormers continued their opening homestand with a doubleheader against the Camden Riversharks. The double-dip was as a result of Friday's game being rained out, as a rule I'm not an aficionado of day games but in April the temperatures are generally not as oppressive as they might be in the summer months. It was chilly and windy at 1:30 game time, in the opener the Stormers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win 4-2. Blake Gailen hit a three-run homer, infielder Kevin Howard added an RBI hit. Lenny DiNardo won it with relief from Robert Hinton and Yoslan Herrera. In the second game the Riversharks took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Stormers tied it quickly in their half, one run scoring on a wild pitch and the other on Travis Denker's sacrifice fly. Neither team touched the plate again until extra innings, the Stormers won it when catcher Charlie Neil doubled, advanced to third on a sac bunt and scored the game-ender on infielder Kody Kirkland's fielders-choice ground ball. The club went deep into the bullpen as Alan Johnson started and worked three innings, original Barnstormer Ross Peeples worked in relief as did Derrick Loop, Tim Dillard, Brian Tallet and winning pitcher Jason Urquidez. The second game wound down around 6:50 or so, not bad all things considered. The Stormers continue the homestand on Tuesday but I probably won't make it there again until the second weekend of May. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 19

Friday night hockey on Penn Street in Reading as the Royals hosted the Florida Everblades in game #1 of the Eastern Semifinals. These franchises have a playoff history: in 2004 the 'Blades beat the Royals in the conference finals, in '10 the Royals took out Florida in the semifinals. It was an unusually warm day, when we arrived at the arena the seating bowl and rink itself was very dark and cold (all the better to keep the ice surface solid). The game result was not a happy one for Royals fans as Florida won it 4-3 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. The 'Blades scored the first two goals before Stanislav Galiev and Yannick Tifu knotted it in the second period. Florida scored twice more to reestablish their lead, Tifu struck again to make it 4-3 but the Royals could come no closer. Riley Gill was in goal for the Royals and took the hard-luck loss. Game #2 is on Saturday night, it shapes up as a must-win for the club as the next three games in the series are on the road. Going to Estero, Florida down 2-0 would be a rough challenge, it may be rough enough at 1-1. Time will tell. There was heavy rain forecast for the evening hours, it arrived during the game. Most of the drive home was in steady rain, it was supposed to clear overnight and bring cooler temperatures for the rest of the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 17-18

Wednesday night at Reservoir Park for the third night of street hockey season. Wednesdays will generally feature four games as the West division plays two games and the East and Midwest play one each. On this night the Lancaster Amvets defeated Fisher's Distributing in the Midwest game, in the West Jr's Cycle Shop beat Dominion Pizza and Union Station won over the Misfits. The East game saw Whitmoyer Auto defeat 915 Cafe in a shootout after the teams combined to score three goals in the final minute of regulation time. Ron refereed the evening with Derek Tankesley, younger brother Devyn ran the clock. We started at 6:15 and were done shortly before 10:00, for a four-game night that wasn't bad at all. On Thursday morning Jenny was in town for an appointment, I took her home and we did lunch together. In the evening we finished the week at the rink with two Midwest games starting at 7:00, the Killbots beat Fisher's Distributing and the Dek Dawgs defeated Yorgo's. Don and Derek were the officials, Devyn ran the clock. Every team in the league has now played two games, week #2 begins on Monday night. Saw on the Internet where the Barnstormers won their home opener over Camden, the series continues at "the Clip" through the weekend. With good fortune I may be there for the game on Sunday afternoon. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 16

Tuesday night at the rink for street hockey, the Midwest division made its season debut. As a rule Tuesdays will feature three games as well, two from the Midwest and one East game. The man who was injured on Monday was there, he said he had two broken ribs (amazing he was even present under the circumstances). In the opener the Dek Dawgs beat the Lancaster Amvets, the second game saw the Killbots defeat Yorgo's and in the East game the UniLords stayed unbeaten with a win over the 915 Cafe. Ron refereed with Jonny Gerber, Wally ran the clock. We started at 6:30 (the usual three-game night starting time) and ended shortly after 9:00. On Wednesday we'll have four games as all three divisions will be represented, Wednesdays this season will be the busiest night of the week. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 15

Monday morning at the service center, my car was overdue for a lube and oil change. In the evening we were at Reservoir Park for opening night of the spring street hockey season. The general format for Monday will feature two games in the West division and one game in the East. The three games on this night were all rematches of the fall league's championship series, it wasn't planned that way but it wasn't a bad way to start a new season. The Union Station Kings (defending West champion) defeated Dominion Pizza in the first game, the middle contest saw Jr's Cycle Shop (losing Midwest finalist) over the Misfits and in the East game the UniLords (last fall's champion) beat Whitmoyer Auto Group. The night was marred by an unfortunate injury, in the Kings game one of their players took an awkward tumble into the boards, An ambulance was called at his request and there was a lengthy delay while he was attended to. With it all we started at 6:30 and ended around 9:30, we would have been done by 9:00 had it not been for the injury delay. Ron Mongeau and Robert "Bebop" Bloom refereed, Wally Burkholder was the timekeeper for the evening. For Bop it was a return to action, health problems kept him on the sidelines during the fall league. Saw on the internet where the Florida Everblades ousted the Elmira Jackals in the ECHL playoffs, they will be the Royals' opponent in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The first two games are at the Sovereign Center on Friday the 19th and Saturday the 20th. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 13-14

After a rainy Friday the skies were bright and clear on Saturday for the official start of pro baseball season at the local level. The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball started in 1998, the Lancaster Barnstormers have been a member since 2005. On this day the ballclub hosted its annual Fanfest at Clipper Magazine Stadium on North Prince Street. The event featured special attractions all around the ballpark including an exhibition game with the Camden Riversharks. After splitting a pair of road exhibition contests (a win in Camden and a loss to Southern Maryland) the Stormers won on their home field by a score of 9-3. Infielder Travis Denker had three hits including two home runs and four RBI, outfielder Blake Gailen (the reigning ALPB MVP) went yard twice as well. Aaron King (another outfielder) had a two-run single and catcher Pete Paramore added an RBI hit. Starting pitcher Lenny DiNardo worked three innings, he was followed for one inning each by John Parrish, Jay Buente, Derrick Loop, Brian Tallet, Jason Urquidez and Jason Richardson. Parrish is quite a story, he's a Lancaster native and McCaskey product who turned pro in the Orioles' organization in 1996. He last pitched professionally in 2010 and is trying to find his way back from arm surgery, You could tell it was an exhibition game, the clubs utilized free substitution quite liberally. The game actually continued after it officially ended, the Stormers batted for nine additional outs because the Sharks wanted their pitchers to get some extra work (Camden manager Ron Karkovice and Stormer boss Butch Hobson had agreed to everything beforehand). The ALPB season starts on Thursday the 18th, the Stormers host Camden for the opening weekend. On Sunday the Royals played game #5 of their playoff series in Greenville and wrapped it up with a 5-0 victory, with Riley Gill still under the weather Mark Owuya picked up his second win in the series. According to the ECHL this is the first time in league history a team has won a four-of-seven series with four shutouts. The boys advance to the Eastern Semifinals (opponent TBA), the first game will probably be on Friday the 19th at the Sovereign Center. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 8-12

Another relatively quiet week but business will be picking up shortly. We got the format for the spring street hockey league format firmed up and produced the schedule on Thursday. We'll have twelve teams in three divisions (three in the East, four in the West and five in the Midwest). The East and West divisions will crossover, each team will play one game against the clubs in the other division. For the most part those divisions will play on Mondays and Wednesdays with the Midwest on Tuesdays and Thursdays but there will be odd-night games for the East and Midwest. The Royals continued their playoff series in Greenville on Wednesday and Thursday but not without drama. As the regular season ended Riley Gill was by-and-large the Royals' only healthy goaltender. The club was able to work a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs which saw former Royal Mark Owuya return to Reading on loan. He got the call on Wednesday evening as Gill was unable to play because of illness and played again the next night. The Royals lost on Wednesday 4-2 but rebounded to win 3-0 on Thursday to take a 3-1 series lead, they'll have a chance to wrap it up in Greenville on Sunday afternoon. Game six is at the Sovereign Center on Tuesday the 16th if needed but I personally wouldn't mind if our next home game wasn't until the Eastern semifinals. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 6-7

Saturday evening at the Sovereign Center for playoff game #2. After the physicality on Friday it was no surprise that the posturing on this night began in the pregame warmup. The game itself was tame by comparison, the only real fireworks came in the closing minutes after the outcome was long decided. For a second consecutive night Riley Gill kept Greenville off the scoreboard as the Royals took it 4-0. After a scoreless first period the boys broke through on a power-play goal from Alex Berry, Stanislav Galiev made it 2-0 before the second intermission. In the final period Nikita Kashirsky and T.J. Syner scored thirty-seconds apart to end the game's competitive aspect, in the final moments two Greenville players were ejected out of frustration (one on a major penalty, the other for unsportsmanlike conduct). The victory gives the Royals a 2-0 lead in the series which continues in South Carolina for the next three games (Wednesday the 10th, Thursday the 11th and Sunday the 14th if needed). On Sunday morning we had a work party at Reservoir Park for the start of street hockey season. In the eight years we've had our dek surface it has slowly shifted in alignment, we intended to reposition it. We put out an open call for volunteers, outside of the brain trust (Don, Ron and myself) only one other person showed up. Mark Hull plays in the league and he's helped out before, once he arrived we decided to give it a go. We separated the surface into small sections and shifted them one by one. Once we got started it went remarkably well, we got it done in about two hours. I was home around 12:30 and after that workout I was more than willing to call it a day. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 1-5

The first day of the year's fourth month featured the start of major league baseball season. The local cable TV company offers a MLB package, they made it available as a free preview to encourage new subscriptions. I admit it's a nice deal but since the teams I follow are on TV around here on a regular basis it wouldn't be worth the extra money to me. On Wednesday Don and I met with some of the street hockey league captains, we agreed to delay the start of the season until the 15th to allow for extra organization time. On Friday evening the ECHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals got underway at the Sovereign Center in Reading, the Royals took a 1-0 lead in the series with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Greenville Road Warriors. Team captain Yannick Tifu netted the lone goal in the second period on assists from Nikita Kashirsky and Alex Berry, Riley Gill and the defense corps made it stand up for the shutout. The Royals beat Greenville in both regular-season meetings but those games were back in November which in the sports world is eons ago. It didn't take long for the playoff "hate factor" to develop, the play was physical and at times downright nasty. Game #2 of the best-of-seven is on Saturday the 6th at home, from there the next three are in Greenville starting on April 10. Take care, thanks for reading.