The fifth month of 2022 started with a Sunday which meant week #2 of street hockey at Lions Park, on this day nine new players made their season debut bringing the total league roster up to thirty-six. Ephrata won via shootout over Township and Hillside beat Warwick in regulation, we'll be back in Rothsville on May 8. Monday night at the Arena on Penn Street in Reading for game #6 of the division semifinals, the Royals needed one more win to advance and the goal was achieved but it wasn't easy. When the playoffs began a lot of people probably wrote the Maine Mariners off given that they were the lowest-ranked playoff qualifier but once this series started they proved without a doubt that they belonged. On this night (and with their backs to the wall) the visitors from Portland scored the game's first goal and carried that 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Seven minutes into the second period Trevor Gooch took a feed from Kenny Hausinger and fired home the tying goal. In the decisive third period the Royals took advantage of a power-play opportunity, with thirteen minutes left Jacob Pritchard lit the lamp giving the Royals a 2-1 lead. Down the home stretch the Mariners pulled the goalie for the extra attacker but there would be no yield from the Royals as the horn sounded on a series-clinching 2-1 victory, Pat Nagle (back from a stint with the AHL Phantoms) made his series debut and was goalie of record. It's the franchise's first playoff series win since 2016 and the first clinched on home ice since the second round in 2013. On Tuesday night the Newfoundland Growlers defeated Trois-Rivieres in the deciding game of their semifinal series, that sets up a Royals-Growlers division final that on paper may be too close to call. The first two games are at the Arena on May 7 and 8 before shifting to St. John's for the next three, the series would return to Reading on the 14th and 16th (or for however much is needed). The middle part of the week was quiet largely because the proposed Game Seven on Wednesday night at the Arena wasn't needed (and I was not the least bit heartbroken for that). Rain moved into the area overnight into Friday and stayed around into the evening, the scheduled ballgame at McCaskey was called and rescheduled for Tuesday the 10th. Take care, thanks for reading.
