The Reading Royals celebrate a playoff goal, with a little help from behind the glass (Photo Credit: M. Richter)
It took seven grueling games, but the Reading Royals have defeated the Florida Everblades and earned their way into the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals! The final score was 4-1, in the closest thing to a blowout seen this They’ll face the Cincinnati Cyclones beginning on Friday, at 7:05. As the highest remaining seed, the Royals will host the first two games before the series shifts to Cincinnati.
This second round triumph marks only the third time in franchise history that the Royals have advanced to the conference finals, the most recent having been 2010 when they also played the Cyclones.
Stats & Notes:
Goals: Joel Champagne (Barry Almeida & Brock Shelgren), Barry Almeida (Champagne & Ian MacDonald), Ian O’Connor (T.J. Syner), Ian MacDonald (Evan Barlow & Brett Flemming). Florida’s Brandon MacLean managed to shatter Riley Gill‘s shutout bid 1:58 before the final horn sounded.
There are currently two Caps prospect on the Reading roster – Brett Flemming & Dustin Stevenson. In addition, they have several players on loan from the Hershey Bears, including Barry Almeida and TJ Syner.
Update: Photos of the handshake line, courtesy of Candice Monhollan.
