After losing two straight games, the Reading Royals returned to the Cross Insurance Arena for the final time of this series on Wednesday night. They took on the Maine Mariners in game five of the Kelly Cup playoffs. Coming into this game, the series was tied at two apiece.
Two minutes and fifty-one seconds into the first period, Charlie Gerard (3) put the Royals up 1-0. Three minutes and fifty seconds later, Tyler Hinam (1) tied the game 1-1 for the Mariners with assists from Cameron Askew and Curtis Hall.
Eight minutes and fifty-seven seconds later, Max Newton (3) put the Royals back up 2-1 with assists from Shane Sellar and Garrett McFadden. The Royals had 14 shots on goal and led 2-1 after one period.
Eight minutes and fifty seconds in the second period, Mitchell Fossier (2) scored a power play goal for the Mariners, tying the game 2-2 with assists from Alex Kile and Mathew Santos. Three minutes and twenty-five seconds later, Curtis Hall (3) put the Mariners up 3-2 with assists from Alex Kile and Andrew Peski. The Royals had 11 shots on goal but trailed 3-2 after two innings.
Forty-seven seconds into the third period, Max Newton (4) scored his second goal of the night, tying the game 3-3 with assists from Charlie Gerard and Garrett McFadden. Five minutes and thirty-one seconds later, Jacob Gaucher (3) put the Royals back in the lead 4-3 with assists from Will MacKinnon and Evan Barratt. Pat Nagle stopped 21 shots by the Mariners and the Royals defeated Maine by the final score of 4-3.
The Royals finished the night with 33 shots, 0-1 on the power play, and Pat Nagle made 40 saves. On the other side, the Mariners had 43 shots, 1-4 on the power play, and Francois Brassard made 29 saves.
The series shifts to the Santander Arena for games six and seven. Game six between the Royals and Mariners is on Saturday at 7 pm. Tickets for the game are available on StubHub and Viagogo.
