Reading Royals falter late, let two-goal lead slip away in loss to Trois-Rivières

Mar. 5—Reading opened the third period on Sunday on the penalty kill, looking to protect a two-goal lead.

Less than three minutes later, the Royals had committed two more penalties, allowed three power-play goals and saw their lead quickly turn into a one-goal deficit.

The third-period collapse sunk Reading, as Trois-Rivières scored five goals in the period to steal a 6-4 win in an ECHL North Division game at Santander Arena.

"It's frustrating," Royals coach James Henry said. "We need to find a way to win those games, regardless of the penalties that are being called against us."

With 17 seconds remaining in the second period, Reading forward Ted McGeen was called for high sticking, which resulted in a four-minute, double-minor penalty. The Royals protected their lead in the closing seconds of the period to carry a 3-1 lead into the second intermission.

Twenty-two seconds into the third, Reading forward Devon Paliani committed a high-sticking minor penalty. Forward Shane Sellar then committed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty just over a minute later, and the Royals found themselves trying to defend a five-on-three for several minutes.

The Lions capitalized. Forward Cedric Montminy scored less than two minutes into the third to make it 3-2. Trois-Rivières won the ensuing faceoff and went straight down the ice, with forward Brett Stapley scoring the second power-play goal in a span of 10 seconds to tie it at 3-3.

The Lions didn't stop there, as forward Anthony Beauregard scored 23 seconds later during five-on-four power play to give them a 4-3 lead. The goal capped a three-goal burst in just 33 seconds for Trois-Rivières.

"We just couldn't stay out of the (penalty) box," Henry said. "Have to find a way to kill those penalties off."

Reading finished just 5-for-9 on the penalty kill and accumulated 23 minutes of penalties. The Royals entered the game with the fifth-best penalty kill in the league at 83.2%.

"They came out with a lot of momentum there, getting those power plays, and we just need to stick together," Reading forward Charlie Gerard said. "It's on us."

The loss prevented the Royals from completing the three-game sweep of the Lions. Reading won the opener 7-5 on Friday night and 5-1 on Saturday night. The two teams will meet again on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Trois-Rivières.

The Royals appeared well on their way to the sweep early on Sunday, as they opened the scoring midway through the first period with a goal from forward Alec Butcher. Forward Devon Paliani and defenseman Colin Felix had the assists.

The Lions responded just over two minutes later with a power-play goal from forward Ryan Francis. Trois-Rivières was held to just five shots in the first period.

The Royals re-took the lead with 52 seconds remaining in the first period on a goal by forward Evan Barratt. The score was set up by a pair of quick passes from Gerard and forward Yvan Mongo, who were credited with the assists.

"We had a good breakout," Gerard said. "Mongo continued his route to the net and opened things up for Barratt, and I found him there."

Reading extended its lead to 3-1 just over three minutes into the second period when forward Sam Hu found the back of the net. Defenseman Garrett McFadden and Mason Millman had the assists.

"The first two periods, we played great," Gerard said.

After the Royals' 3-1 lead turned into a 4-3 deficit early in the third, Reading struggled to gain any momentum. The Lions extended their lead to 5-3 midway through the third period with a goal from defenseman Dillon Hill.

Trailing 5-3, Reading pulled goaltender Ryan Kenny late in the third for an extra skater and it paid off when Barratt scored his second goal of the game. Gerard and forward Brendan Hoffman had the assists.

"I liked our response," Gerard said about the Royals' play in the final minutes. "I liked our work ethic."

Trois-Rivières forward Nicolas Guay scored an empty-net goal at the horn to make it 6-4. Guay was the sixth different Lions' player to score.

Making his professional debut in net, Kenny made 17 saves. He was signed on March 1 after playing collegiately at Stevenson University, an NCAA Division III program in Maryland.

"He gave us a chance to win the hockey game," Henry said about Kenny. "You can't really ask too much more from him."

Despite the result, Kenny was beyond grateful for the chance to play in the ECHL.

"Despite what happened, it was a dream come true," Kenny said. "This is something I looked forward to my entire life. It was an unfortunate outcome, but it was still an awesome opportunity."