ECHL Reading Royals

Royals and Japan to Battle for the Pagoda Cup Presented by Sapporo

Published on November 21, 2003 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


READING, PA – The Reading Royals, the ECHL affiliate of the AHL's Manchester Monarchs, have announced that they will be hosting an exhibition contest on Tuesday, December 30 against the Japanese National Team. The winner of the game will receive the Pagoda Cup presented by Sapporo. Faceoff time is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Sovereign Center in downtown Reading. The Japanese National Team will be visiting several cities in the ECHL for their first-ever exhibition tour.

The team is comprised of young Japanese players ages 20-26 from University and Company hockey. These players comprise of All Stars throughout the country of Japan. Japanese National Team head coach Glen Williamson is responsible for mentoring and setting up hockey programs in Japan. Williamson also serves as a scout for the Royals NHL affiliate, Los Angeles Kings. He believes this tour is great for the growth and expansion of hockey outside of North America.

"The players that make up the Japanese National Team are the best in their age group that Japan has to offer," Williamson commented. "This is the first time a tour has been done for this country and we think it will continue to foster the growth of hockey as a worldwide sport."

The Royals will be wearing special 1980 commemorative jerseys as they battle the Japanese club. The jerseys are patterned after the USA Olympic jerseys worn in Lake Placid, New York during Team USA's march toward the Gold medal. Following the game, their will be a live auction for the jerseys. Royals general manager Ray Delia is excited adding the exhibition to the schedule.

"We are extremely excited to be bringing an international exhibition game to the Sovereign Center next month. It is a great opportunity to showcase Berks County, the Sovereign Center, and our team as we compete for the Pagoda Cup," Delia said.

The Japanese National Team will begin their tour of the ECHL in Trenton, New Jersey. They will play St. Petersburg, Russia and the Trenton Titans on December 28 in Sovereign Bank Arena. The Royals will host the Japanese Nationals on Tuesday, December 30. The team will finish up in Long Beach and Idaho against the Ice Dogs and Steelheads, respectively.

Tickets will go on sale for the December 30 exhibition game on Monday, November 24 at 10 a.m. at the Sovereign Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets will be offered at a reduced rate of nearly 25% regular walk up ticket prices. Royals' season ticketholders will receive an opportunity to purchase their seats for this game at a special discounted rate. Season ticketholders will receive correspondence in the mail on how to reserve their seats. For further information call the Royals Hockey Headquarters at 610-898-7825.

Be ready to roll the dice for casino weekend here at the Jungle when your Royals face-off against the Western Conference's Las Vegas Wranglers tonight and Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Be one of the first 2,000 fans through the gate on Friday and walk away with a Royals blackjack key chain compliments of Comcast. Be one of the first 2,500 to donate a canned food item to the Greater Berks Food Bank on Saturday night, and Classic Harley Davidson will provide you a Royals Rally Towel for your generosity to our Thunder for Hunger effort. Season, half-season, mini-pack and group tickets are available by calling the Reading Royals Hockey Headquarters at 35 North 6th Street in downtown Reading 610-898-7825 (PUCK) or toll free 866-789-7627 (ROAR).

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ECHL Stories from November 21, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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