Friday evening in downtown Reading (as opposed to the high school). the Royals were back in town for a two-game set with the Trois-Rivieres Lions. TR was the opponent on opening weekend back in October, these two games marked their final visit for the regular season. Friday was an example of the frustration the Royals have played through thus far as they suffered a 1-0 loss, the first time they were shut out at home since the second round of playoffs the previous spring and the first regular-season home zero since 2019. The lone goal came late in the second period and the Lions made it stand up, Parker Gahagen was goalie of record and deserved a better fate. On Saturday the offense came alive in resounding fashion on Military Appreciation Night, it was also the annual "Teddy Bear Toss". It didn't take long for the fur to fly, Shane Sellar scored the teddy bear goal just over three minutes after the openig faceoff. That 1-0 lead carried into the second period where the Royals scored four times in an eleven-minute stretch. Mason McCarty lit the lamp six minutes in making it 2-0, just over five minutes later newcomer Brayden Guy (on loan from Springfield/St. Louis) upped the advantage to three. Devon Paliani made it 4-0 before Sellar potted his second of the night to give the Royals a five-goal edge. Trois-Rivieres broke the shutout early in the third period but that one goal was all they got, Nolan Meier was in net for the 5-1 victory. The record stands at 6-12-2 and 5-4-1 at home, the boys host Worcester on Friday the 15th. For a second consecutive weekend it rained on Sunday, the precipitation arrived early in the morning and stayed around all day. It was a good day to stay in and stay dry, with nothing on the calendar that is exactly what happened. Take care, thanks for reading.
