November 28-30

The new week began with a morning visit to McCaskey, school was closed but the basketball team had a 10:00 scrimmage against Susquehanna Township (from suburban Harrisburg). It was already underway when I arrived and I left before it ended because I had other stops on the agenda. I went to the health campus for some blood work and to the mall from there for lunch. Rain moved into the area late Monday night, Tuesday was a wet day and Wednesday wasn't much better. My mother had a followup appointment with her eye doctor on Tuesday, on Wednesday I had my usual lunch visit in Quarryville. In the evening the Royals finished the month with a game at the Arena, the Wheeling Nailers were the opponent. Another ex-Royal was in attendance, this time it was Riley Armstrong (who played the first half of the '15-16 season in Reading before announcing his retirement) as an assistant coach with the Nailers. Jenny and Helen had other commitments on their calendar and couldn't make the game, my mother and her friend Norma used the tickets in their absence. The Royals began in the ECHL in 2001-2002, only seven cities in the league at that time are still active. Some have had breaks in their lineage but Wheeling has played straight through, the Nailers are celebrating their 25th anniversary season in West Virginia. On this night at the Arena Olivier Labelle cashed in on an power play to give the Royals a 1-0 lead just over a minute after play started. Wheeling tied the score late in the period and went up 2-1 early in the second, as time was winding down the Royals' Tyrell Goulbourne (on assignment from the Phantoms) was involved in an altercation and was decisively victorious. Tyrell is a second-year pro who has developed a reputation as someone not to be trifled with, he had seventy-five penalty minutes in the AHL in '15-16. After the fight the momentum shifted, the third period was reminiscent of the Sunday game against Cincinnati. Five minutes in Nick Luukko found the net to tie it 2-2, four minutes after that Ian Watters tipped in a point shot by Luukko to put the Royals ahead. Three minutes later Matt Wilkins bagged an insurance goal, from there Mark Dekanich closed the door on a 4-2 Royals win. The club has won four straight to improve the record to 10-8-2, 4-3 at home. The boys play two on the road over the weekend, we're back home on Friday the 9th. Take care, thanks for reading.