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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Bring Back Bryan Bridges As EBG

November 26, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League and the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, today announced that the organization has signed goaltender Bryan Bridges ["BRIDGE ehz"] as the team's Emergency Back-up Goaltender. Bridges (5'11/181) (22) has played in two games in the ECHL this season with the Las Vegas Wranglers, going 0-0-1 with a 4.63 goals against average .854 save percentage.

This marks the second stint in Reading for Bridges, who hails from Victoria, British Columbia. On April 18, 2006, Bridges was signed as an Emergency Back-up Goaltender when Royals' goalie Cody Rudkowsky sustained what proved to be a season ending injury in Game One of the North Division Semi-Finals against the Wheeling Nailers. Fresh out of major junior hockey, Bridges got his first pro experience in the white hot crucible of playoff hockey, when Reading's other goaltender, Yutaka Fukufuji, sustained an injury 18:53 into Game Four of that series on the play in which the Nailers tied the score at three. Just to ramp up the pressure already hovering over Bridges, the Nailers' Cam Paddock was awarded a penalty shot at the 18:55 mark of the second period, which Bridges stopped. Although Bridges rejected 23 of the 25 shots he faced in this pro debut, he was the hard-luck loser in that series' deciding game when Jordan Cameron scored what proved to be the game winner at the 12:21 mark of the third period.

Bridges returned to the ECHL the next year with the Victoria Salmon Kings, where he went 14-16-1, with a 3.32 goals against average and a .905 save percentage. That season, Bridges was selected as the ECHL's Rookie of the Month in March of 2007, when he went 5-0-1 with a 1.62 gaa and .905 save percentage. Last season, Bridges jumped to the Central Hockey League, where he compiled a record of 8-5-2 (3.47 gaa) (.892 save %) with the Colorado Golden Eagles. This year, Bridges came back to the ECHL, playing two games with Las Vegas earlier this season. On October 17, Bridges came on in substitution of starter John DeCaro against the Alaska Aces, stopping 11 of 13 shots in 25:47 of game time. Bridges started the following night for the Wranglers against the Aces, stopping 30 of 35 shots (and three of five in the shootout) in a 6-5 shootout loss.

Prior to turning pro, Bridges put together a five year major junior hockey career, which began on a high note in 2001-02, as Bridges was a member of the Memorial Cup Champion Kootenay Ice. Bridges spent the last three seasons of his major junior career with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. In 2004-05, Bridges racked up 36 wins in 58 games with the Thunderbirds and registered the fourth lowest goals against average in team history (1.79). That season, Bridges led the WHL with 13 shutouts, and his career twenty shutouts over three seasons for the Thunderbirds established a team record.

The Royals return to action tonight at the Sovereign Center on Wednesday, November 26 (7:05 pm), when the Trenton Devils come to Reading for College Night.. Wednesday's game will be broadcast live on the Royals Radio Network Presented by Transmissions by Arbogast (True Oldies WRAW 1340 am in Reading; and The Ticket WLAN 1390 am in Lancaster), as well as on the internet via webcast hosted by Sportsjuice.com, which can be accessed through the Royals website. To become a part of Royals hockey, call 610-898-PUCK or log onto www.royalshockey.com.

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