December 31

The final day of 2019 began with cloudy skies and temperatures in the 40s, in early afternoon we made our way north on 222 for the first time in seventeen days. The Royals went 2-2 on their most recent road swing, on this day the Maine Mariners were the opponent for the third of their six regular season visits. This was the first time the Royals played a home game on New Years Eve since 2014 (a 4-0 loss to the late Elmira Jackals), on this day the puck dropped at 4:00 with the club wearing special "tuxedo-style" sweaters that had to be seen to be believed. Maine took an early 1-0 lead but the Royals struck back in the latter part of the first period, goals by Garret Cockerill and Steven Swavely made it 2-1 at the intermission. Brayden Low upped the lead to two early in the second, midway through the frame the Mariners replied to make it 3-2. Goals by Swavely (his second of the night) and first-year Flyers property Matthew Strome (recently assigned from the AHL Phantoms) gave the Royals a 5-2 lead entering the third period. Maine got one back in the final frame but it wasn't enough as the Royals took it 5-3, Kirill Ustemenko got the start in net and recorded the win. The Royals close out the 2019 portion of the schedule at 18-10-4 overall and 12-2-1 at the Arena, the new year starts with back-to-back home dates on January 3 and 4. In December the club played eight of its eleven games on the road, in January nine of eleven are at home (and the two road games are in the same city nineteen days apart). I had Jenny and Helen home safe and sound and myself as well by 8:30, there was a New Years Eve celebration in downtown Lancaster but I couldn't have cared less because my partying days are long since in the rear-view mirror. Thanks for reading, my friends. Take care, see you in 2020.