October 30-31

Helen was in town on Wednesday morning at her eye doctor, on the way to her house we stopped in Willow Street and got our subs for lunch. Jenny had an appointment of her own in Quarryville, she arrived back at home about thirty seconds after her mother and I got there. The rest of the day was uneventful but Thursday was another story entirely. Rain moved into the area overnight, in the afternoon we made our way north for a rare Thursday night game at the Arena. The Newfoundland Growlers were the opponent for the first of their seven regular-season visits. Halloween was the (obvious) theme for the evening, fans who attended in costume took part in a between-periods judging contest. In the game itself the Royals broke on top 2-0 in the first on scores by Frank DiChiara and Matthew Gaudreau but the Growlers got one back before intermission. In the middle frame Gaudreau struck again to make it 3-1 but Newfoundland replied in kind, at the break the Royals led 3-2. In the third the clubs again traded scores, rookie Pascal Laberge (Quebec native on assignment from the Flyers) gave the Royals a 4-2 advantage but the Growlers just wouldn't go away, after they pulled back within one Steven Swavely found the net to make it 5-3. In the late going Newfoundland again pulled back to within one but down the stretch Felix Sandstrom and company shut it down for a big 5-4 victory. The Royals improve to 2-1 on home ice and 4-3-1 overall, the homestand continues with games against Norfolk on November 2nd and Adirondack on the 3rd. It had rained most of the way up in the afternoon, when we came out after the game it was misting lightly. We stopped on the way out of Reading at a convenience store for drinks and the skies opened, most of the drive home was in various degrees of downpour. By the time I had Jenny and her mother home and I was home myself I was more than glad to be there. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 28-29

Stopped by the rink on Monday morning and found it unsurprisingly in need of work, after lunch I went back and got the worst of it cleaned up. There was more to do when I returned at 5:00 but that was child's play by comparison. This night was scheduled from the start of the season, it was essentially a makeup for the fact that we weren't playing on Thursday because of Mischief Night AKA Halloween. Winners included Risky Business over the Trashers, the Killbots over the Hammerheads, NTS over Dutchmaid and the Misfits over the Owls. On Tuesday we were back as each team played its thirteenth game, the same teams that won on Monday did so again albeit against different opposition. The Killbots won over the Owls, Risky Business beat the Hammerheads, NTS downed the Trashers and the Misfits prevailed over Dutchmaid. The regular season concludes on November 4 with the games postponed from October 22, playoffs begin the next night with quarterfinal one-and-done matchups. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 21-27

Monday was a beautifully sunshiny day with little going on, the next day was rainy and windy. Jenny was in town for a medical appointment, we had lunch when she was finished. By late afternoon it was obvious the night's dek hockey schedule wasn't going to happen, the games were rescheduled for November 4. I showered and settled in for the night, around 9:30 or so the phone rang. Jenny had been brought into town by a friend for a visit, they were leaving to take her home when she fell down a small flight of steps in the apartment building. Jenny said her friend was taking her to the ER, I told her to call me when they arrived and I would come over to be with her. About forty-five minutes later Helen called from Quarryville, the ER had called her and she was beside herself with worry. I told her I was aware of what happened and I would keep her informed once I got to the hospital. They ran a battery of tests and determined that there were no injuries outside of bruising and soreness, they gave Jenny something to eat and had her walk around. When all appeared satisfactory they discharged her shortly before 2:00, I called Helen to let her know her daughter was coming home. By the time I got back to town it was almost a quarter-to-three (and there was no one in the place). I slept a bit later than usual on Wednesday (no surprise there), it was another lovely day with nothing special happening. On Thursday we finally got a night of dek hockey in at the rink, each team played its eleventh game. Winners were Risky Business over the Misfits, NTS over the Killbots, the Owls over the Hammerheads and the Trashers over Dutchmaid. Friday was another quiet day save for lunch with Jenny, she's still sore and a little black-and-blue but otherwise OK. On Saturday morning I made my way northeast into Berks County for the second of my two special-guest-starring appearances on the mic for football at Kutztown University, the Golden Bears hosted Shippensburg on Homecoming Weekend. I never attended a college or university (my formal education ended when I graduated from McCaskey in 1974), when I arrived at the stadium about two hours before kickoff the tailgating and general party atmosphere was already in full swing and I must admit it was fun to be around. The game itself kicked off at 2:00 and was just about all KU from start to finish, the Golden Bears won easily by the unusual score of 55-5. The SID said he'd be in touch if he needed me in 2020, if I'm available I'd be glad to do it. I guess you could say that while I'm an infrequent visitor to Kutztown I'm not a total stranger either. It began to rain late Saturday night into Sunday morning, by afternoon the skies cleared and the sun was out. For me it was the proverbial day of rest with football, hockey and postseason baseball on TV. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 19-20

Saturday night at the Arena on Penn Street in Reading, PA as the home portion of the nineteenth season of ECHL Royals hockey officially began. The club went 1-1-1 on a very tough season-opening road trip, on this night the Maine Mariners visited for the start of a two-game set. Maine scored in the first seven minutes but late in the opening period Frank DiChiara lit the lamp to tie it 1-1. In the second frame the Mariners struck twice to carry a 3-1 advantage into the third period. The Royals pulled to within one on a score by Matthew Gaudreau (three-year pro from Carneys Point, NJ and the brother of NHLer Johnny Gaudreau) but Maine replied with two quick goals to go up 5-2. Brayden Low's tally in the final minute made the final score 5-3, rookie goaltender Felix Sandstrom (from Galve, Sweden on assignment from the Flyers) took the loss. On Sunday the skies were rainy and gloomy but it was dry indoors as the clubs met again, on this day the Royals jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on goals by Trevor Yates and Ralph Cuddemi (Yates is a two-year man from Beaconsfield, Quebec whose father Ross led the AHL in scoring in 1983). In the second period Eric Knodel extended the lead to three but Maine roared back with a trio of their own, at the intermission it was 3-3. Early in the third Cuddemi struck again but the Mariners replied fifteen seconds later to knot it again at 4-4. Frank DiChiara put the Royals back on top with thirteen minutes left, from there Kirill Ustemenko and the defense corps held the Mariners off the board for the 5-4 victory. The club stands at 2-2-1 in the early going, the next home game is on Halloween night with the Newfoundland Growlers. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 17-18

The rainy conditions we had on Wednesday were gone on Thursday but the strong winds were not, I went to the rink in the afternoon to take a look around. There were leaves on the surface (no surprise) but the winds were mostly from the west-northwest which had them largely in pockets in the corners, after supper I was back to open up for the evening and the cleanup went reasonably without incident. Every team was playing its tenth game, on this night NTS defeated Risky Business, the Killbots beat the Trashers, the Owls won over Dutchmaid and the Misfits downed the Hammerheads. In the Fall 2018 season we were plagued by weather, at this point of the schedule we had a week's worth of outstanding makeup games. This time around we are right where we should be which will probably end up being The Kiss Of Death before it's all over. On Friday night I was at McCaskey for the final home game of football season, the Red Tornado hosted Manheim Township. Before kickoff we did the usual Senior Night recognition, twelve members of the cheerleading squad and seventeen members of the team were spotlighted. The game itself was about what anyone could have realistically expected, one team entered 8-0 with the league's top-ranked offense and defense and the other was 0-8 and has struggled on both sides of the ball. Township scored ten touchdowns, the final score was 71-0 (that is not a misprint) and it could have been much worse had they not missed two extra points and a field goal attempt. It should be pointed out that MT was in no way trying to run up the score, they had their fourth-liners in the game in the second half and still couldn't be stopped. On the other side the Red Tornado was held to nineteen yards of total offense and two first downs, both were in the first half and one of them was as a result of a Township penalty. It is not the worst loss in program history but it's not far away, in 1968 JPM lost a game 80-0 and the following year they lost to the same opponent 81-0. The 2019 squad was outscored in its six home games 309-53 (that's an average margin of 51-9), they finish the season with one last road game on the 25th. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 14-16

Monday night at Reservoir Park for a night of makeup games, this was the set originally postponed on October 3rd and again on the 7th. The schedule's first half officially ended with these games, winners included Risky Business over the Trashers, the Killbots over the Hammerheads, the Misfits over the Owls and NTS over Dutchmaid. On Tuesday night we got back into regular rotation with Risky Business over the Killbots, the Hammerheads over Dutchmaid, The Misfits over the Trashers and NTS over the Owls. Jenny and I had lunch on a rainy and windy Wednesday morning, the dreary weather stayed around for the rest of the day (which really didn't hurt much since there was little else going on). Take care, thanks for reading.

October 11-13

Friday night at the stadium at McCaskey but not for football, on this night it was the girls soccer team's turn for Senior Night activities. This was a varsity-only event that started at 6:30, the pregame recognition was unfortunately the high point of the night as JPM lost the game 2-0. On Saturday morning I was on the road early, the destination was northeastern Berks County into the Land Of The Golden Bear AKA Kutztown University. Kutztown is about fifteen miles or so northeast of Reading, the university was established in 1866 and many years ago their sports information director at that time worked with us in pro baseball in Reading as an official scorer. Every year there would be one football game the regular PA guy couldn't do and he would ask me to sub in. I hadn't worked at KU since 2009 (the SID moved on shortly thereafter), the current SID is a Berks County guy who knows me as well. He used to be in the athletic department at Elizabethtown College, in 2015 I worked a baseball doubleheader there at his request. Recently he contacted me about his need for an announcer on October 12 and 26, luckily I was available and glad to be able to help out. The Golden Bears play at the NCAA Division II level as members of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, on this day they defeated visiting East Stroudsburg 35-13 before an enthusiastic crowd at Andre Reed Stadium (named for the KU alum who played pro football for many years with the Buffalo Bills). The game kicked off at 12:05 and ended shortly after 2:30, I was back in Lancaster shortly after 4:00. On Sunday Jenny and I made up for missing lunch on Saturday. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 7-10

Monday morning at the bank and the lawyer, it was a matter involving the estate account which was satisfactorily resolved. We had planned on a night of makeup games at the rink but the weather once again was uncooperative. A front was approaching from the southwest in late afternoon, it was expected to arrive right around the time we would have started. Don and I agreed to postpone although the rain had not yet arrived, some of the captains kidded about it but there were no serious objections since just about everybody knew the forecast was bleak. It proved to be the right decision, it started to rain shortly before 6:00 and continued for most of the evening. The games were reset for Monday the 14th as they now become makeups of makeups. Tuesday was a much brighter day, I was at the rink in the afternoon for some much-needed prelim cleanup work. In the evening we played for the first time in a week, winners were the Killbots over the Owls, the Misfits over Dutchmaid, NTS over the Trashers and Risky Business over the Hammerheads via OT shootout. Jenny and I had midweek lunch together on Wednesday, later in the afternoon I was at McCaskey. The boys soccer team was playing its final home game which is annually played in the stadium to make use of the PA for Senior Night activities. The head coach is a guy I've known a long time time, his name is Adam Wood. Woody used to play in the dek hockey league and for the past few years he has also worked with the Royals as a video/analytics coach so I see him quite often at the Arena as well. The day began at 5:00 with the JV game (JPM lost 1-0), after that we did the Senior night recognition. The varsity game brought out the cheerleaders, the band and an enthusiastic crowd, in many ways it reminded me of the football program's better days. JPM won the varsity game 2-0, scoring both goals in the first half. On Thursday we reached the midpoint of dek hockey season with night #7 featuring the rematches from opening night in September. Victorious on this night were Risky Business over the Owls, the Killbots over Dutchmaid, NTS over the Misfits and the Trashers over the Hammerheads. Four weeks are in the books and we're only one night behind in terms of makeups, that's a far cry from the Fall '18 season when it seemed like it rained more often than we played. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 4-6

Friday morning with Jenny and her mother for lunch, in late afternoon we returned to the Arena for preseason hockey. The Royals are beginning their nineteenth season in the ECHL, Kirk MacDonald is back as head coach with recently-retired Nick Luukko serving as his assistant. Longtime fan favorite Olivier Labelle is back after a two-year absence, he is joined by returning forwards Trevor Gooch, Brayden Low, Steven Swavely, Frank DiChiara and Cory Mackin, defensemen David Drake, Garret Cockerill and Jimmy Mazza plus veteran goaltender Nick Niedert. The Royals lost 3-2 in overtime to the Adirondack Thunder but wins and losses mean little in preseason, the purpose is to evaluate talent and determine who can help the club. Both goals were scored by newcomers, in the first period defenseman Eric Knodel (six-year pro from West Chester, PA) lit the lamp to make it 1-0, the second goal came from forward Ralph Cuddemi (four-year man from Concord, Ontario). Goaltender Kirill Ustimenko (rookie from Gomel, Belarus on assignment from the Flyers) got the start in net. The teams combined for ninety-one minutes in penalties, the majority coming from a third-period melee involving just about everybody on the ice at that moment. It felt good to be back behind the mic in the Arena, there's something about ice hockey that gets into your blood. On Saturday I made my usual Friday run a day later, the rest of the weekend was quiet. The Royals played the back end of the home-and-home exhibition slate on Saturday night in Glens Falls and won 6-1, they start the season with three games on the road before the home opener on Saturday the 19th. Take care, thanks for reading.

October 1-3

The cooler weather we enjoyed on Monday was nowhere in evidence on Tuesday, temperatures reached into the 80s in the afternoon. After supper we were at Reservoir Park for night #5 of dek hockey, winners included NTS over the Killbots, Risky Business over the Misfits, the Trashers over Dutchmaid and the Owls over the Hammerheads. Wednesday's weather was even more uncomfortable, it felt more like July or August 2nd rather than October. Jenny and I had our midweek lunch visit, later in the afternoon we made the drive north into Berks County for the first time since April. The Royals opened training camp over the weekend, this night was the annual meet-and-greet at the Arena. The organization had it arranged differently than in past years, all the activity was at ice level. There were several inflatable carnival games set up for the youngsters, one end of the ice was uncovered for fans to shoot pucks at the goal and the players were seated at tables along the side boards for autographs and pictures. Jenny made the rounds and got photos with all the players, I walked along and handled the photographer duties. This event usually takes place on the eve of the regular season but travel logistics had a hand in it being different this time around. The boys play an exhibition game at the Arena hosting the Adirondack Thunder on Friday the 4th, the clubs rematch in Glens Falls the next night. The regular season starts in St. John's on Friday the 11th, the home opener with the Maine Mariners is on Saturday the 19th. Thursday dawned bleak and rainy with temperatures about thirty degrees cooler than Wednesday, a story in the newspaper said that Wednesday's high of 91 set an October 2 record for this area. The high on this day never reached the mid-60s, late in the afternoon it was still cool and misty with fog forecast for the evening hours. Don and I conferred and decided to postpone the night's schedule at the rink, our first makeups of the season were set for Monday the 7th. Take care, thanks for reading.