In its first playoff game in four years, Reading effectively adjusted to the added intensity of playoff hockey.
In a physical game that featured 16 penalties, the Royals took a three-goal lead before staving off a late comeback effort from Maine to defeat the Mariners 3-2 in Game 1 of the ECHL North Division semifinals on Wednesday night at Santander Arena.
“I thought we played a close to a perfect game there for 55 minutes,” Reading coach Kirk MacDonald said. “It’s great to get a win.”
After taking a commanding 3-0 lead deep into the third period, the Royals struggled defensively in the final three minutes. They allowed Maine to score twice, but ultimately held on for the victory.
“I thought we played almost a perfect third period up until the last five minutes,” MacDonald said. “Thankfully, we got through it and found a way.”
With the two teams skating four-on-four, the Mariners pulled their goaltender in favor of the extra skater and capitalized on the man advantage, as defenseman Zach Malatesta scored to make it 3-1.
“We put pucks in bad spots,” MacDonald said. “We compounded a lot of mistakes.”
With the two teams back to even strength in the final minute, Maine pulled its goalie again and opted to skate six-on-five. The decision paid off, as forward Nick Master scored with 44 seconds remaining to make it 3-2.
“We made it a little more challenging on ourselves at the end,” Reading forward Brayden Low said. “We know we have to be better and play a complete 60 (minutes).”
Prior to their struggles in the third period, the Royals dominated at both ends. Reading moved the puck effectively and stifled the Mariners’ offense, especially in the first two periods.
After a relatively quiet start, the Royals capitalized on a Mariners’ penalty midway through the first period, as forward Kenny Hausinger scored a power-play goal to give Reading a 1-0 lead. Forward Patrick Bajkov and defenseman Patrick McNally were credited with the assists.
“As Bajkov got the puck there, I just went to the net,” Hausinger said. “(I) was able to tip in a big shot.”
The goal was the highlight of a sharp performance on special teams for the Royals, who went 1-for-3 on the power play. Reading was 5-for-5 on the penalty kill against Maine’s power play, which ranked second in the league in the regular season.
The Royals added to their lead midway through the second period, when Low scored to make it 2-0. Forwards Frank DiChiara and Brad Morrison had the assists.
“I was just calling for it and (DiChiara) made a great pass on his backhand,” Low said. “I felt back pressure (and) I was just able to get it off quick.”
Low scored again on a redirect with 50 seconds remaining in the period to give Reading a 3-0 lead. DiChiara and forward Jacob Pritchard had the assists.
“(It was) a good transition by Frank and Pritchard,” Low said. “(They) got the puck to the net, and I was able to redirect it.”
Aside from the even-strength goals from Low, the second period featured lots of physical play and post-whistle skirmishes. Six of the game’s 16 penalties took place in the second period.
“We want to keep it within the whistles and be physical,” Hausinger said. “The stuff after the whistle I don’t think really benefits us, (including) playing four-on-four, because we’re such a good five-on-five team.”
The only major penalty of the game came midway through the second period, as tempers boiled over into a post-whistle scuffle. Mariners defenseman Connor Doherty was called for a roughing penalty, while Royals defenseman Brennan Saulnier received a major penalty for spearing before punching a Mariners player in the face after the whistle, which was ruled a game misconduct and led to Saulnier’s ejection from the game.
“It accomplishes nothing,” MacDonald said about the post-whistle antics. “We’ve got to be smarter with that.”
Logan Flodell started in net for Reading and was superb, making 28 saves. He will start in Game 2 of the series against Maine on Friday at 7 p.m. at Santander Arena, according to MacDonald.
“He was great,” MacDonald said. “He’s done a great job, and he’s got the ball to run with it until otherwise noted.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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