October 30-31

Monday lunch at the mall, in early afternoon I did some early work at the rink in preparation for the evening. This was the last scheduled Monday for the season, it was because Halloween fell on Tuesday and over the years we've learned better than to try to play on the 31st. In the early days we would play that night and have nothing but trouble with eggs, rocks and bottles being thrown onto the rink, calling the police was pointless because there weren't enough cops in the city to handle all the calls they would get. I wasn't entirely sold on the 30th either but our chances are better than on the actual "trick-or-treat" night, as it turned out we played completely without incident. On this night the Riot beat the Owls, the Kings downed the Hammerheads, the Misfits defeated the Pub Dawgs and the Steamers prevailed over the UniLords via overtime shootout. On Tuesday my mother had a morning doctor appointment, the rest of the day (and the evening) was uneventful. In recent years my neighborhood has had few families with small children, as a result there is very little traffic on treat-or-treat night. There was a time when different municipalities held T-or-T on different nights and families from around the county would actually travel accordingly but these days just about the entire county observes it on the same night. Dek hockey continues on Thursday the 2nd. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 28-29

Saturday lunch with Jenny was the extent of that day's activities, overnight into Sunday a chilly front with rain moved through the region. It was a hockey day in downtown Reading, the Royals closed out their four-game season-opening homestand with a 4:00 visit from the Adirondack Thunder. Overtime was required in each of the first three games but on this day the result was never really in doubt. Goals in the first four minutes by Steven Swavely (the local product recently reassigned from the AHL Phantoms) and Ryan Penny staked the Royals to an early 2-0 lead. The Thunder got one back but a late score from Nolan Zajac made it 3-1 at the intermission. In the second the Royals bagged three in a row, defenseman Chase Golightly (a late-season addition in March of '17) scored his first as a Royal followed by Penny's second of the day and a power-play strike from Derek Whitmore to make it 6-1. ADK got back on the board but another tally by Alex Kryshelnyski gave the Royals a five-goal lead after two. Each team netted two scores in the third, the Royals' first coming courtesy of newcomer Tyler Brown (seven-year pro who played for the Phantoms from 2011-2014 when the franchise was based in Glens Falls). At the twelve-minute mark Ryan Penny gave the fans an opportunity to throw their hats, he put the wrap on the 9-4 win with his first hat-trick as a professional. John Muse (unsurprisingly known to his teammates as "Moose") picked up his second win of the season as the club improves to 4-0-0 in the early going. The boys play their next five on the road, they return home to host the brand-new Jacksonville Icemen on November 11. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 27

Friday night football at McCaskey for the final time in 2017, the Red Tornado hosted Penn Manor in the season's last home game. Before the kickoff we had the usual Senior Night recognitions, nineteen members of the team and three cheerleaders were introduced along with parents and/or other family members. At halftime the senior members of the band and color guard (or as they say it: the "marching unit") received their moment, one of the assistant band directors handled those introductions (which didn't bother me in the least, it gave me a chance to take a walk and relax). The game itself began in electrifying fashion for JPM when Anthony Deleon returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, Nick Allen's PAT made it 7-0 seventeen seconds in. Penn Manor replied quickly with two scores of their own to lead 14-7 at the quarter break. In the second quarter Tallian Lehr found Eric Greenawalt with a 30-yard TD strike to tie the score at 14-up, after another PM touchdown Isiah Speller caught a pass from Ante Robinson and took it 89 yards to forge a 21-21 deadlock. The final round in the chamber belonged to the visitors, Penn Manor added another TD and led 28-21 at the half. The second half was scoreless except for a third-quarter Penn Manor field goal, the game ended with JPM on the short end 31-21. The club's mark drops to 2-7 overall, they finish up on the road on November 3rd. For me it marks the end of my thirtieth year on the PA and it won't be long before we're indoors on the hardwood. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 25-26

Wednesday was quiet except for the morning errand run, on Thursday Jenny and I did our usual midweek lunch a day later than normal. The reason for that was because it was a hockey night at the Arena in downtown Reading. The Toledo Walleye provided the opposition making the first of their two regular-season visits. The Walleye did not play in Reading during the '16-'17 season, this was their first appearance at the Arena since the opening round of the 2016 playoffs when the Royals prevailed in seven games. This was the first of six home dates on the schedule against non-divisional opponents, Toledo is the only one of those appearing more than once. The Royals fell behind 1-0 early on, in the second period newcomer Mark Naclerio (second-year pro from Brown University) scored on a breakaway to knot the score 1-1. Midway through the period Toledo regained the lead, five minutes into the third the Walleye went up 3-1. Two minutes later the Royals began the comeback, Chris McCarthy tipped in a shot by Chase Golightly to make it 3-2. Toledo took a penalty on the ensuing faceoff, on the power play McCarthy struck again to tie the game at 3-3. For a third consecutive game at the Arena we went into overtime, on this night there was another dose of Royals Magic. In the final minute a Toledo defender lost possession of the puck behind his net, Ryan Penny found Alex Krushelnyski in front for the slam-dunk GWG with thirty-three seconds left on the clock. Mark Dekanich picked up the decision in net as the club improves to 3-0-0, all at home and all in extra time. The boys stay home to host Adirondack on Sunday the 29th before hitting the road for a five-game stretch. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 23-24

Monday lunch at the mall, in the evening we were at the rink for the start of dek hockey week #4. The games on this night marked the start of the season's second half, winners in rematches from opening night included the UniLords over the Misfits, the Kings over the Pub Dawgs, the Steamers over the Riot and the Owls over the Hammerheads. As the night wore on the winds picked up from the southeast and we had rain overnight into Tuesday, I stopped by the rink in the morning and it was every bit the shipwreck I expected it would be. My mother had an appointment at the health campus for which I was required to remain present, they wanted her there by 9:45 so they could prepare for the procedure at 10:00. They didn't call her back until almost 10:30 but luckily it didn't take long, we were out of there by 11:30. After a healthy lunch I went back to the rink and worked it off, it took the better part of an hour to get the rink cleared to a reasonable degree. The sun broke out brilliantly while I was there which makes a big difference in drying the surface, when I went back for the evening at 5:00 there was only a small amount of work needed to have things completely ready to go. Each team played its ninth game on this night, the Owls defeated the Steamers, the Misfits beat the Hammerheads, the Unilords vanquished the Pub Dawgs and the Riot won over the Kings. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 21-22

Saturday afternoon on the road north to Reading as the 17th season of Royals hockey began in earnest. Earlier in the week the club announced Nick Luukko and Ryan Penny were voted as alternate captains, veteran newcomer Derek Whitmore (a ten-year pro with AHL and European experience) was elected by his teammates to wear the "C". The home opener was unusual in that it was played in the afternoon, faceoff was at 4:00 and the reason was simple: the region's most popular college football team was playing a huge nationally-televised game at 7:30 and the hockey club thought better of trying to buck up against it. The Adirondack Thunder was the opening-day opponent making the first of their seven regular-season visits. The game began in explosive fashion for the Royals, in the second minute of play Chris McCarthy lit the lamp to make it 1-0. Fourteen seconds later Alex Krushelnyski (son of former NHLer Mike Krushelnyski) extended the lead, in the last minute of the period Matt Willows found the net to put the Royals up by three. Early in the second period popular returnee Adam Comrie gave the club a 4-0 lead but from there the game turned on a dime. ADK bagged three of their own before the period expired and tied the score midway through the third. That set the stage for sudden-death overtime and had you blinked when it started you would have missed it completely, it lasted all of SEVEN seconds. Ryan Penny won the OT faceoff and immediately sprung Derek Whitmore on a breakaway, the Royals' new captain made no mistake netting the game-winner for the 5-4 victory. Mark Dekanich was the starter in goal and earned the win. On Sunday we were back at it at 4:00 (standard game time for Sundays at the Arena), the Wheeling Nailers were in town for the first of six visits. Matt Willows gave the Royals a 1-0 lead midway through the first period, the Nailers equaled it before the intermission and neither team scored again in regulation play. For a second consecutive day the Royals worked overtime and were rewarded, newcomer Nolan Zajac (from the University of Denver, the younger brother of NHLer Travis Zajac) was the OT hero on this night. Zajac's OTGWG gave the Royals the 2-1 verdict, veteran goaltender John Muse (ECHL playoff MVP in 2012, with the club on assignment from the AHL Phantoms) won his first game as a Royal. The weekend sweep is a great way to start the new year, we're back home on Thursday the 26th. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 20

Friday night football at McCaskey, the Red Tornado hosted Lebanon for the annual Homecoming game. It was also Athletic Hall-Of-Fame Night, the new honorees were inducted before the game in the school library and publicly introduced at halftime. One of the inductees was a gentleman named Jeff Swope, he was a cross-country and track star who graduated with me in 1974. Although we were classmates I must admit I didn't really know him all that well, when there are five-hundred members in a graduating class it's impossible to know everybody. When I introduced him at halftime I noted that we had graduated together, in the third quarter he came into the press box, introduced himself and thanked me for mentioning it. The game itself was an entertaining one in ways both good and bad, with a pair of one-win teams involved it wasn't an artistic success by any means. The teams combined for over 900 yards of total offense but also for 135 yards lost by penalties. JPM led at halftime by seven, when the smoke cleared the Red Tornado prevailed 48-33. Tallian Lehr threw four touchdown passes, three of them to Jamiere Gray and another to wideout Eric Greenawalt. Ante Robinson split time with Lehr at quarterback and rushed for two scores, R.J. Godwin added a TD run as well. Francois Zahno kicked four PATs, the club converted one two-point attempt and missed two others. With it all the game was not over until 10:00, better than three hours after the opening kickoff. The team's mark stands at 2-6, they host Penn Manor in the final home game on October 27. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 18-19

Wednesday morning lunch as usual with Jenny, on Thursday we were at the rink for night #7 of dek hockey. Winners on this night were the Riot over the Pub Dawgs, the Steamers over the Misfits, the Owls over the Kings and the UniLords over the Hammerheads. Every team in the league has played seven games with seven to go, the second half starts on Monday the 23rd with the rematches from opening night. The season started two weeks later than planned because of the rink repairs, we scheduled two three-game weeks in an effort to catch up. One of those is already in the books, the week of the 23rd is the other. The regular season is set to end on November 9 with playoffs to follow and this is the time of year when weather issues can be a concern. So far we've been very lucky, let's keep it that way. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 16-17

Monday morning: my mother had an appointment at the health campus and I was her transportation. She turned 83 in July and gave up driving, she says now she has absolutely no desire to get behind the wheel ever again even though her licence is still good for several more months. On Tuesday I stopped by the rink in the morning to see what the surface looked like, after lunch I returned and cleared the leaves. When we go from Thursday to Tuesday without games a lot can happen there especially at this time of year. When that rink was built in '79 a lot of mistakes were made, building it under a big line of trees was one of the worst. Whenever we get strong winds from the south/southeast I know we are in trouble, it's usually worth it to go there in the afternoon and do the prelim work ahead of time. When I went back for the evening there were only a few leaves on the surface which were easily removed by hand. This was the start of the season's third week and game #6 for all of the teams, winners on this night were the Misfits over the Kings, the UniLords over the Riot, the Owls over the Pub Dawgs and the Steamers over the Hammerheads. We reach the season's midpoint on Thursday the 19th, the second half starts on Monday the 23rd. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 11-15

Wednesday lunch with Jenny and her mother, in the evening we were in Reading for the Royals' annual meet and greet event. The club has twenty-three players on the season-opening roster, they were all present and seated two-to-a-table (one table had three) as the fanbase made its way around the arena concourse for autographs and photos. Jenny always looks forward to it, I walk along the periphery while she gets the autographs and poses with the players for the photos. There always seems to be one or two fans who ask me for my autograph and this time was no exception, it doesn't happen regularly but I've never stiffed anyone who asked me. The club has a new radio broadcaster, longtime play-by-play man Mark Thompson left during the offseason for a new career opportunity in Colorado. The new broadcaster was in attendance, we had a chance to meet for the first time. His name is David Fine, he is an alum of Syracuse University and worked with the city's AHL club while in school. After graduation he worked for two years in the United States Hockey League and comes to us from the USHL club in Kearney, Nebraska. I've had a chance to listen to some of his work from the USHL, his style is very different from Mark's but he'll have no trouble fitting in. Mark's longtime color commentator Pat Richards is staying on board which will make David's transition that much easier. Obviously we'll never be on the air together but we are still colleagues as the "voices" of the franchise (him on the airwaves, me in the arena). Thursday morning brought rainy conditions but as the afternoon progressed the forecast improved as well, the night's schedule at the rink went off as planned. We had some light mist here and there but nothing that was going to stop us, winners (all in regulation play) included the Hammerheads over the Pub Dawgs, the Steamers over the Kings, the UniLords over the Owls and the Riot over the Misfits. Friday was another dreary day, I had the night off since both McCaskey and Lancaster Catholic played on the road. I could have attended either game but at my age standing on a sideline in the rain isn't my idea of a good time anymore. The rest of the weekend was quiet except for Saturday lunch with Jenny, on Sunday temperatures reached into the high 70s (with the forecast calling for overnight frost warnings during the coming week....YOU figure it out). Take care, thanks for reading.

October 9-10

The weather around here lately has been incredibly unpredictable, over the last six weeks or so we have fluctuated between July and November. We've had stretches where temperatures are in the 80s, a few days later we're all shivering. Over the weekend it was very warm but overnight into Monday we hit another sharp turn. It was raining on Monday morning, I stopped by the rink to check things out and there were fallen leaves all over the place. I went back after lunch, by then the rain was just a light mist so I figured I'd clear what was there in case the rain cleared completely. As the afternoon wore on the sun broke through the clouds and there was nothing imminent on the radar, the evening's schedule went on as planned. This was the first of three scheduled Mondays, two of them are due to the league starting two weeks late and the other is because there are no games on Tuesday the 31st (Halloween). Winners on this night were the Owls over the Misfits, the Riot over the Hammerheads, the Steamers over the Pub Dawgs and the UniLords over the Kings. On Tuesday we were back for another four-game set, three of the four required overtime shootout. The only game decided in regulation was the Misfits over the Pub Dawgs, in the SOs the Kings beat the Hammerheads, the Riot defeated the Owls and the Unilords won over the Steamers. The Kings-Hammerheads game was one for the record books, it took no less than TWENTY-SEVEN rounds before it was decided (regulation length for shootouts is three rounds). I don't know if the goaltenders were that good or the shooting was that bad, it's probably a combination of the two. With it all the night wound down after 10:00, I had things locked up and the lights out as quickly as I could since Reservoir Park is under city curfew. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 7-8

Saturday lunch in Quarryville with Jenny and her mother, on Sunday we headed north on 222 into Berks County for the first time since April 24. The ECHL is starting its 30th season, the Royals are beginning their 17th as a league member. The franchise played its first home game in October of 2001, I made my debut as the club's PA voice and the rest (as they say) is history. The Royals won the ECHL championship in 2013, two members of that club now comprise the coaching staff. Kirk MacDonald (who was an assistant under former head coach Larry Courville) is the new head coach, championship teammate Patrick Wellar has rejoined the organization as K-Mac's assistant. Returning players include defensemen Nick Luukko and Chase Golightly, forwards Chris McCarthy, Ryan Penny, Matt Wilkins, Michael Huntebrinker, Matt Salhany and Matt Willows plus goaltender Mark Dekanich. Training camp began earlier in the week, on Friday the boys traveled to Glens Falls, NY and defeated the Adirondack Thunder in exhibition play 6-2. On this day the clubs met at the Arena in downtown Reading, the Royals took the lead 1-0 midway through the first period on a score by newcomer Adam Schmidt (a fourth-year pro who has played chiefly in Sweden). In the second period rookie K.J. Tiefenwerth (from Quinnipiac University) lit the lamp to extend the lead. Late in the period the Thunder got on the board, the score stayed 2-1 until the final three minutes when Matt Wilkins scored an insurance goal to bring the final to 3-1. Mark Dekanich got the start in net and picked up the win as the club finishes exhibition play at 2-0. The Royals' regular season schedule is typically unusual: the club's first four games are at home, they do not play on the road until November 3. We host ten different opponents at the Arena, within the division we see Manchester, Brampton, Wheeling and Adirondack plus the new club in Worcester, Massachusetts. Non-divisional opposition includes Norfolk, Cincinnati, Fort Wayne and Toledo plus another new team in Jacksonville, Florida. The league starts on the 13th but for some strange unexplained reason the Royals do not play until the 21st when they host ADK for the home opener. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 4-6

Had the usual Wednesday lunch visit with Jenny, on Thursday we were back for night #2 of dek hockey. On this night the UniLords defeated the Pub Dawgs, the Misfits beat the Hammerheads, the Riot outlasted the Kings via shootout and the Steamers downed the Owls. Week #2 begins on Monday, it is one of two scheduled three-game weeks due to the late start. Had a haircut appointment on Friday afternoon, in the evening I was back at McCaskey for football. Manheim Township was the opponent on this occasion and for a second straight week JPM suffered through a mercy-rule defeat. Against Wilson the previous week the Red Tornado scored first and then watched the opponent ring up 33 points unanswered, on this night MT led 35-0 in the fourth quarter before JPM broke through in the final minutes. Tallian Lehr's TD pass to Ante Robinson erased the zero but it was strictly cosmetic as the Red Tornado lost 35-7. The club's record drops to 1-6 and clearly there is nowhere to go but up. The team plays on the road on the 13th before returning home on the 20th to host Lebanon. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 1-3

The new month began on a typically quiet Sunday, on Monday after lunch I was at the rink to do some preliminary cleanup work for the start of the season. On Tuesday night we started our 77th championship season, the very first one was in the fall of 1979 and we've played for trophies every spring and fall since. The same eight clubs we had in the spring are back in the league, the schedule format remains the same with each team playing two games against each opponent. Winners on opening night included the Steamers over the Riot, the Kings over the Pub Dawgs, the Misfits over the UniLords via overtime shootout and the Hammerheads over the Owls. We're back on Thursday the 5th for another four-game night, week #2 features games on Monday as well since we started late due to the rink renovations. Take care, thanks for reading.