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.