October 29-31

The new week began in the usual manner with a morning run to the mall. In the evening we started week #6 of dek hockey with two games, the Owls beat the Pub Dawgs and the Misfits prevailed via shootout over the Riot. Tuesday's schedule featured the Riot victorious over the Owls, the Pub Dawgs over the Hammerheads and Risky Business over the Express via shootout. Wednesday was an off-night at the rink and it was just as well because we would not have played anyway because of Halloween. When we started there in 1979 it was quickly discovered that October 31 is a date on which we are simply not permitted to play. Being there after dark with the lights on made us a target for every hoodlum in the city with an egg, rock or bottle just looking for someplace to throw it. On Tuesday we had three or four rocks thrown in while we were there, I guess the punks decided to get their licks in a night early. We haven't played on October 31 (unless we were absolutely FORCED to) since the early 90s and I for one don't miss it at all because it simply isn't worth the aggravation. Jenny and I had lunch together in the morning, when I returned home in the afternoon I was more than happy to call it a day. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 27-28

Saturday night at the Arena as the Wheeling Nailers visited for a back-to-back set. The ECHL started in 1988 with five teams, among them was a franchise in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. That team moved to Wheeling in 1992 and is one of only seven clubs still in the league from 2001-2002 when the Royals made their debut. Wheeling is not a divisional foe in '18-19 thanks to league realignment but over the years the Nailers (largely because of geography) have historically been the Royals' most frequent opponent. Saturday was Star Wars Night at the Arena but the force was not with the Royals as they lost in OT shootout 3-2. Rookie defenseman Steve Johnson (from the University of Minnesota) gave the Royals a 1-0 lead in the second period but the Nailers matched it and went up 2-1 early in the third. Alex Krushelnyski tied it midway through the period, in the shootout Wheeling outscored the Royals one goal to none to claim the extra point. Angus Redmond (known to his teammates as "Beef") made his regular-season debut in net for the Royals and took the decision. On Sunday the organization celebrated Halloween (albeit a few days early), on the ice the Royals earned a solid revenge win 5-2. On this day the Nailers struck first and carried a 1-0 lead deep into the second period. Just before intermission Josh MacDonald converted on a penalty shot to tie the game, early in the third Krushelnyski lit the lamp to make it 2-1 Royals. Wheeling replied in kind to forge a 2-2 tie but goals by Chris McCarthy and Adam Schmidt just over a minute apart gave the Royals a two-goal advantage. Michael Huntebrinker's empty-netter in the closing moments closed out the victory, Branden Komm was the goaltender of record. The club's mark stands at 3-1-3 (2-1-2 at the Arena), the boys play next at home on Wednesday November 7. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 25-26

Finished week #5 of dek hockey season on Thursday night with the Misfits victorious over Risky Business, the Pub Dawgs over the Riot and the Express over the Hammerheads. Friday evening marked the final week of high school football and the end of a long pot-holed road for the team at McCaskey. The pregame Senior Night recognition ceremonies were the only memorable part of the evening, the Red Tornado lost to Wilson 39-0 to finish the year at 1-9. The game was reasonably competitive in the first half, at the break it was 17-0. In the third quarter Wilson broke it wide open with two touchdowns and a field goal all within a span of thirty-seven seconds, as the night wore on a predicted rain shower arrived to add a further damper to the evening's activities. JPM's lone win was by a 34-17 margin, the nine losses were by a total of 391-76 (that's an average of 43-8) with three shutouts against. The program's last winning season was 2010 (7-3 plus a first-round district playoff loss), since them the mark is just 22-58. What the future holds remains to be seen. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 22-24

The new week started with another round of doctor visits for my mother, on Monday it was for her hearing and on Tuesday it was her eye doctor. She's 84 and doesn't drive anymore, unfortunately these appointments and the occasional grocery run are about the only time she gets out of the house. In the evening we were at the rink, Monday's results featured Risky Business over the Riot and the Express over the Owls. On Tuesday we had our usual three-game card with the Misfits over the Pub Dawgs, the Owls over Risky Business and the Riot over the Hammerheads. On Wednesday Jenny and I got back on schedule with our midweek lunch visit, in the evening we were back on Penn Street for the Royals' third home game of the new season. St. John's, Newfoundland was home to an AHL club from 1991-2005 and again from 2011-2017, on this night the newly-minted Newfoundland Growlers made their first-ever appearance at the Arena. This game played out in a fashion eerily similar to our home opener on the 13th, the Royals took a 1-0 second period lead on a score by Frank Dichiara but would not light the lamp again in a frustrating 3-1 loss. Branden Komm took the loss in net but deserved a better fate. The club's mark stands at 2-1-2, the Wheeling Nailers visit for a two-game weekend on Saturday the 27th. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 15-21

Jenny and I usually do lunch together on Wednesdays and Saturdays but that isn't always etched in stone, sometimes things happen and we adjust accordingly. We had lunch on Monday because my mother had appointments with various doctors on Tuesday, Wednesday AND Thursday. We had our weekend visit on Friday because Jenny had an appointment of her own that day that required my help. None of this was particularly disruptive since the scheduled evening activities for the week were of the normal variety. We were supposed to play three games of dek hockey on Monday but another round of afternoon rain forced postponement, two of them were previous rainouts that now become makeups of makeups. On Tuesday we finally played for the first time in seven days, winners included the Pub Dawgs over the Express, Risky Business over the Riot and the Misfits over the Owls. Thursday's games saw the Misfits victorious over the Hammerheads, the Pub Dawgs over the Owls and the Riot over the Express. The weekend itself was quiet since the Royals were on the road, they played two games and went 1-0-1. The next three are at the Arena, Newfoundland visits on the 24th and Wheeling visits for two on the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 13-14

On October 13, 2001 the Reading Royals played the first home game in franchise history, on the same date seventeen years later the club took the ice for Year XVIII of professional ice hockey on Penn Street. Sometimes it's hard to believe it's been eighteen years but that's largely because the job is enjoyable as opposed to a chore and that is a feeling I can relate to both sides of. The Worcester Railers were the opponent for a back-to-back set marking two of their three regular-season appearances at the Arena. An excellent opening-night crowd on Saturday saw the Royals take a 1-0 lead on a first-period score by newcomer Frank Dichiara (who ironically played for Worcester in '17-18). The visitors from Massachusetts tied the game in the second period and would ultimately win it in overtime, as the teams were leaving the ice after Worcester's game-winner there were quite a few angry words exchanged. The ingredients were there for a physical rematch on Sunday and that's exactly what we got, the teams combined for three fights and fifty-four total penalty minutes. Former Philadelphia Eagle players Vince Papale and Bill Bergey were in the house for a photo/autograph session, perhaps the football atmosphere added to the on-ice activities. Worcester scored first but the Royals replied quickly on scores by Josh MacDonald and new addition Shane Walsh (three-year pro from New Roxbury. MA) to lead 2-1 after one. In the second period the Royals opened it up, goals by Steven Swavely, Adam Larkin and Jack Riley plus Walsh's second of the game gave the club a 6-1 advantage. Worcester got one back before the period ended and added two in the third to make it close but the Royals held the fort to claim the 6-4 decision. Branden Komm played both games in goal as the club finishes it's opening weekend at 1-0-1, the next home game is on Wednesday the 24th against the brand-new Newfoundland Growlers. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 12

Friday night football at McCaskey, the Red Tornado hosted Hempfield. This was the annual Athletic Hall-Of-Fame induction day, among the honorees in 2018 were longtime basketball coach Steve "Bird" Powell and the 1988 JPM football team. Coach Powell was of course being inducted posthumously, he passed away in June at age 68. His accomplishments are well-documented within this very blog, I had the pleasure of knowing and working with him for thirty years and they truly didn't come much better. His wife Gloria was there to accept his honor, I've known her just as long and it was especially good to see her again. The 1988 football team was the second in school history to complete an undefeated regular season, the 10-0 mark earned them the division title and the program's first-ever district playoff appearance. They beat York in a classic semifinal before losing to the defending champion in the title game, the club's eleven total wins still stand as the program's record for a single season. On a personal level that season was special to me because the fall of 1988 marked my return to JPM and my first season on the PA at the stadium. It was also Homecoming, the halftime introductions of the HOF class and the Homecoming ceremonies were unfortunately the highlight of the evening. The game itself was never really in doubt, JPM was down 28-0 at the half and 37-0 after three by which time the mercy rule was long since in effect. The Red Tornado got on the board in the closing moments on a touchdown pass from Ben Desmarais to Deondre Young but it meant little more than erasing the zero from the scoreboard. The club's record drops to 1-7, after one final road game on the 19th the boys finish at home on the 26th. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 8-11

Monday night dek hockey at the rink as week #3 got underway with two games, the Express beat the Pub Dawgs and the Misfits defeated the Riot. On Tuesday we reconvened for three games, winners on this night included the Owls over the Hammerheads, the Pub Dawgs over Risky Business via shootout and the Misfits over the Express. Had our usual lunch visit with Jenny on Wednesday, in the evening we were at the Arena for the annual Royals meet-and-greet function. All twenty-three players on the season-opening roster were there, Jenny got autographs and photos from all plus coaches Kirk MacDonald and Mike Marcou. We attend it every year because Jenny enjoys meeting the guys, I just walk along with her and take the photos on her phone. Every year I get approached by a fan or two for my autograph and this night was no exception. I've always been aware that I have a certain degree of popularity with the fanbase, it doesn't happen a lot but whenever someone asks me for my autograph I never stiff them. On Thursday after lunch I vacuumed the rink surface in anticipation of the night's schedule at the rink but once again the weather got in the way. late-afternoon storms forced postponement. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 5-7

The Royals played an exhibition game on Friday evening in Glens Falls and emerged victorious 6-3 over the Adirondack Thunder. On Saturday the teams met at the Arena for the back end of the home-and-home set, the Royals again prevailed by the identical score of 6-3. Head coach Kirk MacDonald and new assistant coach Mike Marcou (ex-Royals player back in the fold) have thirteen players on the roster who played with the club in 2017-18, that number includes forwards Chris McCarthy, Adam Schmidt, Michael Huntebrinker, Steven Swavely, Alex Krushelnyski, Brian Morgan, Tyler Brown and Jack Riley, defensemen Nick Luukko, Frank Hora, Adam Larkin and Charlie Vasaturo plus goaltender Branden Komm. Not all played on this night as the coaches took a look at some new faces vying for a roster spot. Swavely, Huntebrinker, Morgan and Schmidt scored for the Royals, also lighting the lamp were newcomers Josh MacDonald (four-year pro from London, Ontario) and Brayden Low (third-year pro from Richmond, British Columbia). New goaltender Angus Redmond picked up the win, he's a two-year pro from Langley, BC on loan from the Anaheim Ducks organization. The bell rings for real on Saturday the 13th when the Worcester Railers visit for a two-game weekend set. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 1-4

The tenth month of 2018 began as most weeks do: on a Monday. After a weather-plagued opening week we were at the rink on Monday for two games, one scheduled and the other rescheduled. Three of the four teams involved were making their season debuts, the Misfits defeated the Hammerheads and the Express (formerly the Kings) beat the Owls. On Tuesday we had a full three-game night scheduled but I was absent at the outset. The Royals are in training camp preparing for the franchise's eighteenth season, on this night there was a game-staff get-together at the Arena. It was more for the newcomers than for me but I still attended just for the purposes of reconnecting more than anything else. The club plays an exhibition game at home on the 6th, the regular season starts on the 13th. The ECHL's Northern Division has been realigned with the addition of two new franchises, the Newfoundland Growlers (based in St. John's) and the Maine Mariners (Portland) join holdovers Adirondack, Brampton, Manchester and Worcester. The Royals also host five opponents from outside the division, they include familiar old division rival Wheeling along with Norfolk, Kalamazoo, Indianapolis and the Allen (Texas) Americans. When I got back into town the games at the rink were well underway, winners included the Pub Dawgs over the Riot, the Hammerheads over the Express and the Misfits over Risky Business. Had my usual lunch visit with Jenny on a otherwise quiet Wednesday, on Thursday we finished the week at the rink. There were showers in the forecast for late afternoon, around 4:00 or so it opened up and poured for about ten minutes. The radar showed it to be a quick-moving system, at 4:50 the rain was gone and we proceeded as scheduled at 6:15 with no issues whatsoever. Risky Business won over the Owls, the Hammerheads beat the Riot via shootout and the Misfits beat the Pub Dawgs. Take care, thanks for reading.