February 22-24

Had lunch with Jenny and her mother on Saturday, on Sunday we were at it bright and early at the Arena on Penn Street. This was a very rare Sunday home date that was not preceded by a Saturday home game, the Royals had played on the road on both Friday and Saturday. The day started at 12:30 with the fourteenth annual Battle Of The Badges game featuring first-responders from Reading/Berks County and their brethren from Allentown/Lehigh Valley. The game was instituted in 2006 as a Reading Fire vs Reading Police contest, in 2017 it was reformatted to include our friends to the northeast. The Berks contingent prevailed in '17, Allentown returned serve the following year and on this day the team from the Valley won 9-4 to take a 2-1 series edge. At 4:00 the Royals faced off against the Adirondack Thunder in a rematch from the night before in Glens Falls. ADK defeated the Royals 3-1 on Saturday, on this day at the Arena they made it two straight with a 4-2 verdict. The Royals came out on fire, goals by Alex Roos and Chris McCarthy twenty-one seconds apart gave the home team a 2-0 lead in the first seven minutes. The Thunder replied with three in the second to take a one-goal lead, an empty-netter in the last minute wrapped up the scoring as Branden Komm suffered the loss in net. The loss drops the club's mark to "hockey .500" at 23-23-9, 10-14-4 at home. If the playoffs began immediately the Royals would be out of the picture but there is still time to make a run, with seventeen games remaining the club is not out of contention. The boys play their next six on the road (the longest road swing of the season), the next home game is not until Friday March 15. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 18-21

The usual morning errands runs were the extent of activity on Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday morning brought a round of the ugly white stuff. We had a hockey game at the Arena in the evening, Jenny and her mother were supposed to be with me after our lunch date but the weather changed everything. I called them and said that I wouldn't see them for lunch and since we host the same opponent later in March they can do that game as a substitute. It's one thing for me because I'm working, I have to be there but for them there is no reason to risk it. I got the car cleaned off and went a short distance for some lunch, the streets in town were not good and the highway wasn't much better. The system moved out later in the morning, by the time I was ready to head north in the afternoon it was long gone and the highways were in much better shape. The drive on 222 was wet and slushy but I had no issues, the only problem was an accident outside of Reading that had the highway down to one lane but traffic was moving through with little delay. At the Arena at 7:00 the Royals hosted the Maine Mariners for the third of their four regular-season visits and from a Royals standpoint it couldn't have started much worse. The Mariners scored three goals in the first period, two more in the early part of the second put the Royals in a five-goal hole. Scores by newcomer Garret Cockerill (two-year pro from Brighton, Michigan) and Tyler Brown got the home team on the board but another Maine goal made it 6-2 at the intermission. In the late going the Royals made the score somewhat more respectable on goals from Adam Schmidt and Joe Houk, when the final buzzer sounded it was on a 6-4 Maine victory. Andrew D'Agostini started in goal and was relieved by newcomer Devin Buffalo (rookie from Wetaskiwin, Alberta) late in the first period. The Royals stand at 22-21-9 overall and 10-13-4 on home ice, the next home date is Sunday the 24th versus Adirondack. Jenny and I had lunch on Thursday to make up for missing out the day before (to many people that might seem like a minor point but for us it is important). Take care, thanks for reading.

February 12-17

The middle part of the week was unremarkable, Jenny and I had lunch on Wednesday and again on Friday because Saturday figured to be busy for me. There is a very popular tabletop baseball game called APBA, it has been on the market since 1951 and was produced and headquartered here in Lancaster for close to sixty years. Several years ago the company moved to Georgia but the game itself is as popular as ever. Back in 1977 a group of my friends formed a league, I played in it for the first six years it existed. Over the years the membership has changed greatly but there are still three of the originals still involved: Tom Doran, Woody Kleinhaus and league commissioner Phil Zangari. Every year the league holds its preseason entry draft, if I'm available I attend and serve as moderator since I'm recognized as a friend of the league. The draft was on Saturday morning at 10:00 but it was closer to 11:00 before we got started because of a lengthy rules proposal/discussion. There was an added wrinkle involved since one of the managers could not be there, we had him set up via text messaging and he made his picks through me. I was actually looking through the player cards and keeping him abreast on who was available, it took me back to when I played and made my selections for my roster. There are times I regret not playing anymore but finding the time to play at certain times of the year would be a problem, the league plays a 138-game schedule and runs virtually year-round. The proceedings finally wound down around 2:30 or so, I had a late lunch/early supper and called it a day. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 9-11

Saturday night at the Arena, the Brampton Beast was in town for the opener for a two-game set. For a second consecutive Saturday the Royals were shut out on home ice, on this night the final was 4-0. The visitors from North Of The 49th scored once in the second and thrice (now there is a word you don't see every day) in the third, the last into the empty net. There was a previously-scheduled event in the Arena on Sunday, game #2 of the series was on Monday evening. There was a wintry mix in the forecast which arrived in the morning, the drive north in the afternoon was less than ideal but we made it without incident. This game on this night began in all-too-familiar fashion, Brampton lit the lamp twice in the opening period and carried that lead into the second. Tyler Brown got the Royals on the board midway through the period but that would the only score for the home team, the Beast added two in the third (the last into the empty net) and left town with a 4-1 verdict. Branden Komm (back from the Phantoms) played both games in goal and deserved better. The club has been struggling offensively lately, four of the club's top seven scorers are on recall to the AHL and their absence is being felt. At the ECHL level recalls are a fact of life and there are those who say you can't use them as an excuse but the fact remains that a weakened roster will struggle no matter what level it plays at. The Royals' mark stands at 21-19-8 overall, 10-12-4 at the Arena. The next home game is on Wednesday the 20th versus Maine. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 6-8

Had my usual midweek lunch date with Jenny on Wednesday, on Thursday afternoon we boarded the bus for one final time in the '18-19 season. The results of other games on Wednesday night eliminated the club from district playoff contention, on this night there was little to play for except pride and a chance at a winning record. Our destination was Central Dauphin East HS in Colonial Park, an eastern suburb of Harrisburg. This was a makeup game from January 19 when it would have been played as part of a showcase event at Reading High, rescheduling it allowed our JV squad to play an added game and the varsity to play its full schedule. On the surface I figured this could be a winnable game but I failed to factor in the effect of playing a Mid-Penn Conference opponent in their gym with a MPC officiating crew. Over the years MPC officials have gained a reputation for insinuating themselves into games far beyond where they need to be, this night was a great example. In the JV game Ray was hit with two technical fouls, the second coming as he was talking to one of the players and he was not given the courtesy of an explanation. The two Ts carried an ejection which forced him to stay in the locker room during the varsity game as well. The game itself was a barnburner all the way, JPM won 58-54 to finish the year 14-6. In the varsity game we battled through the adversity all over again but ultimately lost 55-45 to finish dead even at 11-11. At the start of the year I would have considered a .500 record successful (and I still do) but in a way it's disappointing because I can't help but feel it could have been better. Had we been 9-11 and won our last two to finish .500 I might view it differently, I guess it's just a matter of perspective. The club still won more games than the last two seasons combined, the eleven wins were by an average of eight points while the eleven losses were by an average of thirteen (largely because of the tough non-league schedule). Brian McKenzie led the club in total points (280) and average (12.7), he was the only player who averaged in doubles but there was good balance underneath. Ajani Simmons was at 9.6, Makai Ortiz at 9.5, Jahsaan Greaves at 8.6 and Isaiah Thomas was at 8.1. Makai and Isaiah are two of the four eligible returnees and they are two good pieces to build around for '19-20. The best thing about this team was the fact that we started the season with twenty-seven players and they were all still there at the end, it's been quite some time since that happened. It's a long time from February to November but next season will be here before you know it. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 4-5

Monday night at McCaskey for the overdue makeup game with Ephrata, the last of the five crossover games with Section II (the first four were played consecutively back in December). The boys had won at home on Saturday in a non-league matchup against Exeter, on this night they extended the winning streak to three with a 72-51 decision. This was a game that quite frankly was an expected win, Ephrata had only three victories on the season but they had won their last two and there are never any guarantees. On Tuesday we reconvened for a bus trip to Landisville and the final game of the league season against Hempfield. JPM had won the first meeting at home on January 18 but this night was all Hempfield as they took it 60-46. The story of this game can be explained in one easy sentence: our opponent played about as well as they possibly could and our side did not, it's as simple as that. The loss eliminates the club from league playoff contention and ends our league season at 8-5, 4-4 within the division (having split with each of the four opponents 1-1). The overall record drops to 11-10, the regular season wraps up with a non-league game at Central Dauphin East on Thursday the 7th. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 2-3

At the Arena in downtown Reading for the weekend, the Royals hosted the Manchester Monarchs for a two-game set. Saturday night featured the annual Wall-Of-Honor festivities, longtime Royals broadcasters Mark Thompson and Pat Richards were the inductees. Mark was the club's play-by-play voice from 2005-2017, Pat has been the color commentator on home broadcasts since 2003. The pregame ceremonies were unfortunately the high point of the evening, offensive highlights were few and far between for the Royals. The visitors from New Hampshire scored once in the second period and two more in the third and made them stand up for a 3-0 win. It was the first time the club was shutout at home since a playoff loss to Manchester in April of 2018 and the first regular-season zero on home ice since January of '18. Andrew D'Agostini took the loss in net but could in no way be faulted. On Sunday the clubs matched up for a 2:00 faceoff (due to professional football's "big game" taking place at 6:30), the Royals responded in resounding fashion with a no-question-about-it 6-1 victory. Goals by Joe Houk and Adam Schmidt gave the club a 2-0 lead in the first four minutes, late in the period Frank DiChiara lit the lamp on a power play to make it 3-0. Brayden Low extended the lead to four in the second before the Monarchs got on the board, third-period scores from Jack Riley and newcomer Tyson Fawcett (fifth-year pro from Barrie, Ontario) put the cap on the win for goaltender Callum Booth. The weekend split finds the club at 20-16-8 overall, 10-10-4 at home. The Brampton Beast visit for a double-dip on Saturday the 9th and Monday the 11th. Take care, thanks for reading.

February 1

The new month began with another shot of the white stuff, it started overnight and continued throughout the day. It was never a hard snow but it was steady and just enough to be a nuisance. There were reports of road accidents all around the area, as the day progressed several of the scheduled high school athletic events were being postponed but our game at McCaskey went on as planned. The boys were on the floor against a live opponent for the first time in a week as Cedar Crest visited from Lebanon County. Under other circumstances this game might have been rescheduled but the fact is we're running out of available playdates. At game time the crowd was light because of the weather, those who were there saw a game that started out as a clunker but turned into a classic. In the first quarter JPM came out flat as a pancake while CC did just about anything they wanted, at the buzzer it was 20-4. We were down by as much as twenty-one in the second quarter but managed to chop the deficit to fourteen at half, we were down eight entering the final quarter. At that point the alarm clock rang and the bells were loud and clear, JPM rallied to take the lead in the closing moments. The score was tied when CC was called for a five-second violation with 2.5 seconds left, on the inbound play Isaiah Thomas found Makai Ortiz in the corner. Makai made a move to the hoop and put up a one-hander, the ball hit the backboard and fell into the net as the buzzer sounded on a 60-58 victory. The crowd erupted and many fans stormed the court, it was a wonderful scene that we haven't seen much in recent seasons. This was easily one of the program's biggest wins in some time and that takes into account that we've won championships as recently as 2016. The victory improves the league mark to 7-4 and pulls us even at 9-9 overall but the boys have little time to enjoy it, they are back at it at home on Saturday the 2nd against Exeter. I'm out because of the Royals but I'm good for the next week (Monday at home, Tuesday and Thursday on the road).