The Reading Royals returned to Mary Brown’s Centre on Saturday evening against the Newfoundland Growlers in game five of the second round Kelly Cup playoffs. Coming into this game, the Royals needed to win to keep the series alive for another game. Unfortunately, it did not happen.
Two minutes and twenty seconds into the first period, Zayde Wisdom (4) put the Royals up 1-0 with an assist by Evan Barratt. Nine minutes and twenty-five seconds later, the Growlers tied the game 1-1 on a power play goal by Pavel Gogolev (4) with assists from Jonny Tychonick and Orrin Centazzo.
Three minutes and thirty seconds later, the Growlers took a 2-1 lead by Tyler Boland (3) with an assist from Pavel Gogolev. The Royals had nine shots on goal but trailed the Growlers 2-1 after one period.
Fourteen seconds into the second period, the Growlers extended their lead to 3-1 by Orrin Centazzo (3) with assists from Mikko Kokkonen and Pavel Gogolev. Fourteen minutes and thirty-four seconds later, Charlie Gerard (4) scored for the Royals and it was 3-2 with an assist from Max Newton.
Four minutes and nine seconds later, the Growlers got the goal back on the power play by Pavel Gogolev (5) for a 4-2 lead with assists from Jonny Tychonick and Tyler Boland. The Royals had four shots on goal but trailed the Growlers 4-2 after two periods.
Sixteen minutes and thirteen seconds into the third period, the Growlers put the game away on a goal by Todd Skirving (5) for a 5-2 lead with an assist from Isaac Johnson. The Royals’ 2022-23 season came to an end with a 5-2 loss to the Newfoundland Growlers. This is the second straight season that the Growlers eliminated the Royals. Last year, the Royals lost to the Growlers in seven games.
The Royals finished the night with 22 shots, 0-2 on the power play, and Pat Nagle made 14 shots. On the other side, the Growlers had 19 shots, 2-3 on the power play, and Dryden McKay made 20 saves.
