GREENSBORO, NC – The Greensboro Gargoyles picked up an emotional win after a weekend of trades, beating the Reading Royals 6-2 on Sunday afternoon at the First Horizon Coliseum.

The second game of the weekend marked the 12th and final meeting between Greensboro and Reading this season. The Gargoyles outshot the Royals 10-6 in the first period, but the first 20 minutes was highlighted by a fight between Arty Borshyov and Reading’s Austin Saint.

“It was a pretty good tilt, got the boys going, and we scored six unanswered after that,” said Borshyov. “When you lose guys [to trade], it's tough on the locker room and tough on the team, but we had guys in the lineup who made a huge impact and to get that spark proves we are going to continue to play hard for each other, for the fans, and for our coach.”

The Gargoyles kicked off a high scoring second period with a power play goal at 2:46 from Patrick Newell, assisted by Logan Nelson and Ryan Richardson. Anthony Rinaldi set up Blake Biondi at 8:11 for a 2-0 lead, also gaining the first professional point for rookie defenseman Rider McCallum who signed an ATO Saturday morning. Rinaldi scored four minutes later, making it 3-0. True Crowe, also signed to an ATO on Thursday, got his second professional point in career game three with the helper on Richardson’s 12th goal of the season at 15:20, also assisted by Jordan Biro. 95 seconds later, David Gagnon gave the Gargoyles a 5-0 lead, leading to Reading pulling goaltender Kieth Pettruzelli for backup Ian Shane.

Late in the third period, Nikita Quapp kept the puck moving after covering a shot, setting up his second assist of the season as Greg Smith gave the Gargoyles a 6-0 lead with 4:29 remaining. The Gargoyles took two penalties in the final three minutes, allowing goals on both Reading power plays as Greensboro celebrated a 6-2 win, snapping a four-game losing streak.

Ten players picked up points in the win, four players with multiple points led by Rinaldi (1G-2A). Biondi, Richardson, and Gagnon each recorded one goal and one assist. “I think the Harry Potter night brought it out for the guys,” said Rinaldi. “The home atmosphere being what it is, it elevates our game. We lost a lot of good guys this weekend so it was important we stuck together and got the win.”

“Anytime you get to this point in the season, and you have to trade away guys, you need to find a way. We have 17 games left, there’s no point in quitting and we don’t plan to,” said Biondi. “Even if there are struggles, I want to find a way to be positive. Guys like [Rinaldi] stepped up huge tonight. We have a lot of those guys left so we will find that gel, build on this, and continue to score.”

“The leaders have been doing a really good job already to keep us together,” said Rinaldi. “We’re not going to finish at the bottom, we’re going to work our way up and try to win as many games as we can the rest of the season.”

The Gargoyles finish their March home-stand with three games against the defending Kelly Cup Champion Trois-Riviers Lions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, March 13-15. TNT Analyst and Spittin’ Chiclets star Paul Bissonnette will be at the First Horizon Coliseum on Friday as the Gargoyles celebrate Biz’s Birthday. Saturday, the Gargoyles will debut their Star Wars specialty jerseys on Star Wars night. Greensboro closes the weekend with a special Cancer Awareness Day on Sunday afternoon, honoring all the fighters, survivors, and loved ones in their battles. Tickets and more information for all upcoming Gargoyles games are available at gargoyleshockey.com.

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