READING, Pennsylvania – The Reading Royals (2-0-1-0) used a two-goal third period as they rallied past the Cincinnati Cyclones (0-2-0-0) for a 3-2, come-from-behind win in front of 3,957 at Sovereign Center on Saturday night.

Cincinnati jumped out 1-0 at the 10:16 mark when newcomer Ben Ryan sent a shot past Royals goaltender Mark Owuya (W, 36 saves, 1-0-1-0) to give the Cyclones a lead. However, the Royals answered back on their first power play when Rob Shearer collected a rebound and potted it past Cyclones goaltender Chet Pickard (L, 35 saves, 0-2-0-0) to knot the score at 14:02. Despite outshooting the Royals 19-15 in the opening frame, the teams went into the first intermission tied at one.

After being called for four straight penalties, the Cyclones finally got a chance to use the power play midway through the second period – and they delivered. Wacey Rabbit found Adam Comrie alone in the right circle who received the pass and blasted a shot past Owuya for the go-ahead tally at the 9:38 mark. Thanks to several outstanding saves by Pickard in the final minutes of the middle frame, Cincinnati held the 2-1 lead through 40 minutes of play.

Reading’s power play unit was very busy in the third period, as they enjoyed three man-advantages in the final frame. On their first opportunity of the period, Casey Haines poked a loose puck past Pickard at the 9:43 mark to even the score at two. And after former Royal, now Cyclone, Rob Slaney was whistled for a hooking penalty, Matt Caruana found his own rebound and slid it into the Cincinnati net at 14:55 for the go-ahead and eventual game-winning tally. In the final minute, the Cyclones pulled Pickard in hopes of tying the game with an extra attacker, but to no avail; Reading snuffed out a few late Cincinnati scoring chances and held on to win, by the 3-2 final score.

“I thought we controlled the tempo for most of the game,” said Cyclones Head Coach Jarrod Skalde. “There were some questionable penalties in the third period and you can only give the Royals so many chances before it starts costing you.”

Despite the loss, Skalde says he felt that Cincinnati had a strong effort. “We did some good things tonight, I felt like we controlled the offensive zone, and it was clear in our shots on goal totals. Unfortunately, it didn’t result in the outcome we were hoping for.”

The Cyclones Radio Network Three Stars of the Game are as follows:

First Star: Matt Caruana (Game-winning goal, assist for Reading)
Second Star: Yannick Riendeau (2 shots for Reading)
Third Star: Chet Pickard (35 saves in losing effort for Cincinnati)

Cincinnati will close out their weekend road trip with a Sunday matinee against the Trenton Titans. Tomorrow’s opening faceoff from the Sun National Bank Center is set for 4:00pm with pregame coverage on the Cyclones Radio Network (1160-AM) getting underway at 3:45pm.

Secure your seats for the 2011-12 Home Opener on Saturday, November 5 when the Cyclones welcome the Chicago Express to U.S. Bank Arena for the first time at 7:30pm. Contact a ticket representative today at 513.421.PUCK or log on to CyclonesHockey.com for more information. Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the season on Facebook and Twitter (@CincyCyclones).

Click here for tonight's box score.