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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Set For First Playoff Appearance… Manchester Assigns Defenseman

April 5, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


READING , PA – The Reading Royals, ECHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, will appear in their first-ever Kelly Cup playoff game tonight in Johnstown , Pennsylvania . The Royals have announced that defenseman Doug Nolan has been assigned to the club by the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL.

Reading and Johnstown meet for the 11th time this season and first time in the post-season. The Chiefs finished the season with a club best 97 points to secure the fourth seed in the Northern Division. The Royals, winners of four of their last five contests, ended the season with a club record 84 points and edged the Trenton Titans for the fifth and final playoff spot. The two clubs will meet for one game, with the winner becoming the fourth seed in the Northern Division. The Wheeling Nailers await the winner of this contest in the next round of the Kelly Cup playoffs.

Johnstown claimed the Keystone Cup Series, battle of Pennsylvania , with a 6-3-1 season record. It was the Chiefs second Keystone Cup in the last three years. The Royals posted a 4-2-0 mark in the Sovereign Center in Reading , while going 0-4-0 in Johnstown . The Chiefs outscored the Royals 14-5 in those four contests in the old Cambria County War Memorial.

Reading and Johnstown met for the final time in the regular season just three days ago in Reading . The Royals secured a 3-2 shootout win, breaking a two-game losing slide to the Chiefs. Captain Brad Church was the game's only scorer in the shootout, the game's tenth and final shooter. The Royals posted a season and club best 64 shots on net, while Chiefs goaltender David Currie set a new mark for saves by an opposition goaltender in a game (62).

Graig Mischler led the way in the regular season for Reading with three goals and ten points in nine appearances. Dominic Forget has tallied four goals and six assists in ten games against Reading for Johnstown . David Currie has been sparkling between the pipes for the Chiefs, posting a 4-1-1 recor d w ith one shutout and a 2.34 GAA and .934 save percentage. Reading 's Cody Rudkowsky has a 2-5-0 mark with a 2.47 GAA and .902 save percentage against Johnstown .

Nolan, 28, has spent the majority of the season with the Royals' AHL affiliate the Manchester Monarchs. He has appeared in 49 games this season and registered three assists and 30 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound defenseman did appear in seven games with the Royals in late November this season. He posted two assists with 16 minutes in penalties and a +2 plus/minus rating. The Royals posted a 3-4-0 record during that time with five of those contests taking place on the road. Nolan will be in the line up tonight an d w ear sweater #20.

The Reading Royals travel to Johnstown for their first-ever playoff game tonight. The Chiefs won the regular season series six games to four over the Royals. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio, 1240AM locally and via the worldwide web at www.royalshockey.com courtesy of Sportsjuice. The Performance pre-game show begins at 6:33ET with the drop of the puck to follow at 7:00 p.m. from the old Cambria County War Memorial.

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