March 28-29

On the road early on Saturday morning, we were at the Arena by 11:30. The first order of business was at 1:00 for the twentieth annual Battle Of The Badges, first-responders from the city of Reading proper met their counterparts from the rest of Berks County. In 2025 the Reading group won on a goal with forty-five seconds left, on this day a feeling of "deja vu" was in the air as Reading won 2-1 on a score with (can you believe it) forty-five seconds left. The game ended around 2:30 or so, since Jenny and her mother were along for the doubleheader we took the opportunity to slip away and get something substantial to eat at a local restaurant. By 5:00 we were back for the main event at 7:00, game #3 with the Norfolk Admirals. The Royals had won the first two games of this series by identical 3-0 scores, on this night they made it three straight with yet another shutout victory by the score of (you guessed it) 3-0. Newcomer Owen McLaughlin (recent college signee on loan from the Phantoms) scored his first professional goal in the first period, late in the third Connor McMenamin lit the lamp on a power play and Jeremey Michel found the empty net as Yaniv Perets recorded his second shutout of the week. On Sunday afternoon at 3:00 the series ended and so did the shutout streak, on this day the Ads drew first blood halting the zero run at  better than one hundred and eighty-six minutes. The momentum did not last, just thirty-nine seconds later Carson Golder evened the game at 1-1. In the second period Golder struck again to make it 2-1, Yvan Mongo's score midway through the third period was the final marker in a 3-1 win, Keith Petruzzelli was goaltender of record as the Royals finish the weekend at 34-21-9, 22-8-3 at the Arena. The boys play their next three on the road, they return on April 10 for a "threekend" with the Wheeling Nailers. Take care, thanks for reading. 

March 23-27

Another round of Monday rain caused another baseball postponement at McCaskey, on Tuesday we finally made our season debut for season #10 (it should be eleven but that's old news now). When I arrived I discovered that the ballfield had no electrical power of any kind (no PA system, no field lights, no scoreboard, No Nothing). Apparently all of the power comes from the adjacent football stadium and with the ongoing renovations (which should have been completed months ago) all the power was shut down, even the bathrooms are closed because they utilize the same plumbing system. There was a portable PA speaker set up similar to what we do on Senior Nights for soccer and field hockey, it wasn't the optimum solution but we made it work. On this day Hamburg visited from northern Berks County (about sixteen miles north of Reading) for a nonleague game and won easily 9-0, JPM's next home date is on the 30th vs Garden Spot. On Wednesday at the Arena the Royals began "Norfolk Week" as the Admirals were in town for four games in five days. On this night the game was scoreless into the second period, goals by Connor Kurth and Jacob Frasca gave the Royals a 2-0 lead. Carson Golder's third -period score brought the final to 3-0, Yaniv Perets was in goal for his second shutout of the season. On Friday for game #2 it was Kids Takeover Night, a young man named Logan (age 12) was assigned to me as Jr. PA announcer. I had him introduce our starting lineup and do the goal and penalty reads (I did the follow-up reads as required by the league) and he did a great job. After the game his father joked that Logan might come for my job in a few years, I told him that in a few years he may be able to have it. The game itself was scoreless in the third period, goals by newcomer Mikael Robidoux, Hunter Johannes (back from injury) and Connor McMenamin gave the Royals ANOTHER shutout win by the same score as Wednesday, Keith Petruzzelli picked up his fourth whitewash of the season. The series continues over the rest of the weekend and Saturday starts early. Take care, thanks for reading.

March 16-22

Baseball season at McCaskey was supposed to start on the 16th, an all-day light rain forced postponement to Tuesday and more hard rain overnight ruined those plans as well. For good measure the ballclub's road game on Wednesday was also called off due to wet grounds. The next home game is on the 23rd, we'll see if we can get something done by then. On Friday at the Arena the Royals hosted the Adirondack Thunder for the final time in the regular season. Connor McMenamin gave the Royals an early 1-0 lead before the Thunder fought back to lead 2-1 in the second. Late scores by Ben Meehan and Brandon Saigeon put the Royals back up 3-2 but an ADK marker midway through the third squared it once again at 3-3. The game was decided in the OT shootout, Adirondack outscored the Royals 2-1 and won the game 4-3. Keith Petruzzelli was in goal for the Royals as the club's record at home dropped to 18-8-3. The Lost Weekend continued with an OT loss on Saturday in Glens Falls and a Sunday regulation loss in Portland bringing the overall mark to 30-21-9. The club returns home on the 25th for four games in five days, all versus the Norfolk Admirals. Take care, thanks for reading.

March 1-15

The first two weeks of March were much like the majority of February had been, very little going with the Royals away. High school spring sports practices are underway, baseball season at McCaskey opens on the 16th. On the 14th the hockey club returned home from a three-game road trip, the Worcester Railers were in town for the opener of a two-game set. The Railers struck first before Connor McMenamin tied it, in the early going of the third period Worcester led 3-1. Yvan Mongo (back from an extended injury absence) made it 3-2 but the Railers scored twice more and put away a 5-2 win, Yaniv Perets took the loss in net. The Sunday rematch saw the Royals come out on fire, goals from Connor Kurth (newcomer on loan from the Tampa Bay Lightning) and McMenamin made it 2-0 in the first nine minutes, Brandon Saigeon added a third goal before the period ended. In the third Worcester scored early and late to close within one, Ben Meehan's empty-netter with twenty-five seconds left clinched a 4-2 Royals victory for goaltender Keith Petruzzelli. The record stands at 18-8-2 at home, 30-20-7 overall. The Royals host Adirondack on Friday the 20th, Take care, thanks for reading.