Royals make move with four straight wins

With a four-game winning streak and a 7-3-0 record in their last 10 games, the Reading Royals have moved into sixth place in the Eastern Conference with a 31-23-8 record for 70 points. The Royals picked up three road wins in three days against fellow East Division opponents last week, starting with a 5-1 win at Manchester on Friday. Kevin Goumas, who was assigned to Reading by Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League earlier in the week, led the way offensively with three points (1g-2a) while Brandon Alderson (1g-1a), Cam Reid (1g-1a) and Scott Tanski (2a) added two points each. Saturday saw Reading pick up a 7-4 win over the Monarchs. Goumas tied the ECHL season high with six points (3g-3a) in the win with Alderson recording four points (1g-3a). Reading ended the busy stretch with a 1-0 victory over Adirondack in the first-ever professional game at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y. on Sunday. Goumas wrapped up a 10-point week with the only goal of the game and Martin Ouellette stopped all 38 shots he faced to pull into a tie for the ECHL lead with his fourth shutout of the season. Ouellette is on a personal five-game winning streak, and has gone 8-1-1 over his last 10 appearances. He ranks sixth in the league with a 2.11 goals-against average. Goumas provided a lift to a Reading offense which has three of its top four scorers recalled to the AHL. He has tallied 12 points (6g-6a) in just five games for the Royals this season. Justin Crandall, currently loaned to the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves, leads the club and is tied for third among ECHL rookies with 50 points (15g-35a). Despite missing many of its leading scorers, the Royals offense still ranks third in the league with 3.13 goals per game. The Royals wrap up their five-game road trip this weekend with games in Norfolk on Friday and Saturday.