April 25-26

The playoff series against South Carolina continued at the Arena on Saturday and Sunday, the Royals entered the weekend down 2-1 and exited it down 3-2. A Saturday night win evened matters but the momentum didn't carry over, the club lost on Sunday in one of the more demoralizing ways imaginable. In game #4 the Royals got goals from David Marshall, Mike Marcou, Jordan Heywood and Pat Mullane as Connor Knapp backstopped a 4-2 victory. On Sunday in game #5 the club held three separate one-goal leads thanks to scores by Marcou, Cam Reid and Sean Wiles but the Stingrays replied each time. With 1:20 left on the clock SC took their first lead at 4-3, in the closing minute the Royals pressed with the extra attacker but could not draw even. I've been with the Royals since the franchise began in 2001 and it's been a long time since the building was as quiet as it was when the game ended. The series returns to South Carolina for games on Tuesday and Wednesday and the task for the Royals is clear: win them both or call it a season. The club had a strong road record during the regular season, what that means for the upcoming week remains to be seen. In another two or three days we'll all know. Take care, thanks for reading.