Another relatively quiet week led into a very busy weekend, after two weeks and five road games the Royals were back in town for a three-in-three at the Arena. This was the last of two such weekends the club had at home and ironically both were with the Worcester Railers as the opponent. It's the time of year when players from University and Junior programs begin to filter in, on Friday the Royals lineup featured five players making their professional debuts. The Good Guys fell behind 1-0 but drew even on a Devon Paliani score in the last minute of the first period. Worcester took a 3-1 lead in the second period and added four more in the third, the Royals replied with scores from Jake Smith and newcomer Tyler Gratton but it was nowhere near enough, Anson Thornton was goalie of record in the 7-3 loss. Saturday was "St. Hattricks Night", a lucky fan was eligible to win $10,000 if a Royals player scored three goals. The team as a unit did not score three goals but what they managed was good enough. Worcester once again led early and held that 1-0 lead into the closing minutes, Joseph Nardi lit the lamp with four minutes left in regulation to tie the game. In overtime the Royals were awarded a power play and it took just twenty-three seconds to cash in, Jake Smith rifled home the OTGWG giving the club a 2-1 win. In the rubber match on Sunday Joseph Nardi gave the Royals a 1-0 first-period lead but from there the game was eerily reminiscent of Friday. The Royals were outscored 6-2 over the last two periods and lost 6-3, Jake Smith and Tag Bertuzzi both found the net in the third. Nolan Maier was in net on both Saturday and Sunday as the club falls to 26-31-7, 15-16-3 at home. If the playoffs began tomorrow the Royals would be on the outside looking in, there are eight games left on the schedule with the next six on a virtual make-or-break road trip. Take care, thanks for reading.
