April 6, 2018
Norfolk, VA. – Reading scored the first five goals of the night as the Royals topped the Admirals 6-2 on Friday night in the Admirals home finale.
Reading got off to the hot start on Friday scoring three times in the opening period. Matt Willows got the visitors on the board in the opening period when he cut across the ice and wristed a shot low back to the far side, past Ty Reichenbach’s blocker to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. Five minutes later Reading doubled the lead. Mark Bennett got loose in front of the net before deking his way around a sprawled-out Reichenbach to double the lead. Six minutes later the Royals struck again, to push the lead to 3-0 before the end of the opening stanza. With the lead and the man-advantage the Royals got back on the board. Michael Huntebrinker set up in the far corner and snapped off a quick pass to Ryan Penny in front of the net who one-touched the puck past Reichenbach and into the net. As the first horn sounded the Royals took a 3-0 lead into the intermission.
In the second period Reading extended the lead to 5-0 before the Admirals got on the board. With just over five minutes left in the middle frame the Admirals broke through Mark Dekanich and got on the board. Parked in front of the net Kenton Helgesen tipped home a Darik Angeli slap shot, cutting the lead to 5-1. Helgesen’s fourth of the season broke the ice for the Admirals.
Norfolk got on the board again midway through the final period. On the power play Darik Angeli found a puck in front and sent it past Dekanich, cutting the lead to 5-2. Norfolk would keep the Royals within striking distance for the bulk of the period, before Reading pushed the lead back to four late in the period when Jack Riley found himself all alone in front of the net, and tucked the puck past Reichenbach. As the final horn sounded the Royals skated away with a 6-2 victory in the Admirals home finale.
Norfolk finished the regular season with a a record of 15-17-3-1 at home.
The Admirals conclude the season tomorrow night in Reading.
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