April 19-20

Saturday lunch as usual with Jenny and her mother, in the afternoon Jamie Burkholder joined us for the drive to downtown Reading. The Royals hosted Fort Wayne in a game that was a classic example of what makes playoff hockey so unique. It was enough to tear your nerves to shreds and it damn near succeeded. After the lackluster effort in game #1 the Royals were very spirited early on, Sean Wiles lit the lamp nine minutes in to make it 1-0. In the late going of the first period the Komets tied the score at 1-1, it stayed that way until just under five minutes remained in regulation time when Brandon Blandina gave the Royals the lead. In the final moments Fort Wayne pulled their goalie for the extra attacker, Josh Brittain's empty-netter with just over a minute to go made it 3-1. That should have ended it but the Ks just wouldn't quit, they scored twenty seconds later to get back within one. As the clock ticked down the Komets kept the pressure on but with five seconds left and the goalie out Kevin Walrod's empty-netter closed the book as the Royals picked up the crucial 4-2 victory. Riley Gill got the start and win as the Royals tie the series at a game apiece, the next three are in Fort Wayne on Thursday, Friday and Sunday with a possible return to Reading on the 29th and 30th. Sunday was typically slow and uneventful as Sundays usually are, unless it would be a game day somewhere there is rarely anything going on. Take care, thanks for reading.