Reading Royals Review

(April 15-22)

READING, Pa. – As positive and successful as the regular season and first round of the playoffs were for the Reading Royals in 2010-11, the end of the year came swiftly and with certainty.

The Royals, ECHL affiliate of the Maple Leafs and Marlies, were swept from the Kelly Cup playoffs in four straight games by the Kalamazoo Wings in an Eastern Conference semifinal which left little doubt which was the better team – at least in the middle of April. Reading allowed five goals in the first period of game one and only led for brief times during the rest of the series. The K-Wings scored 12 first-period goals in the four games and as a result Reading was almost continuously on its heels and battling from behind.

What was potentially a bright spot for Reading heading into the series, the return of goaltender Ben Scrivens from the Marlies, also brought pain. Scrivens came on in relief after Kalamazoo’s five-goal blitz in Game One, had an average outing in Game Two, then was hurt midway through the first period of Game Three. He didn’t play again.

In short, despite numerous team records and outstanding efforts for nearly six months, the last week was a nightmare. Allowing 23 goals in four games won’t win many playoff series.

One other note: In the misery-loves-company department, Greenville, the only team in the East to finish with a better regular season mark than Reading, also was eliminated in the second round.

Here is a brief look at the Toronto-contracted players who finished the season on Reading’s playoff roster (with 2011 ECHL playoff statistics in parentheses):

Matt Caruana – After being one of the best Royals’ skaters in the first-round victory over Cincinnati, he did little to distinguish himself against Kalamazoo. He managed just a goal and an assist against the Wings and was a minus 3. His performance in the final four games mirrored that of most of his teammates – disappointing. (8 GP – 4G – 1A – +1 – 8 PIM)

Dale Mitchell – After getting in a couple of games in the first-round victory over Cincinnati, the first-year RW from Etobicoke, Ontario only saw time with the Back Aces in the second round. He simply did not play well enough in those first two games to justify being one of the top 10 forwards in the series against Kalamazoo. (2 GP – 0G – 0A – even – 0 PIM)

Rob Slaney – After biding his time on the reserve roster in the first round, the second-year LW got back into the lineup against the K-Wings. He played about as well as he has all year in even-strength situations, averaging a point a game. But as one of the top penalty killers he had to accept at least some of the blame for Reading’s atrocious short-handed stats against Kalamazoo (see below). (4 GP – 1G – 3A – even – 0 PIM)

Ben Scrivens – His numbers in the regular season for Reading were superb. When summoned to the American Hockey League, he fit right in and was the Marlies’ starter for the last month of the season. But for whatever reason, the rookie’s magic was gone when the playoffs rolled around. Kalamazoo’s 8-for-16 power play mark in the series didn’t help things. Another stat that worked against Reading was being outshot by Kalamazoo 163-125 during the course of the four-game series. The Royals were often able to overcome being outshot during the regular season but in the playoffs the outcome was much different. (3 GP – 0-1 – 5.04 GAA – .873 GAA)

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Barry Schickling can be contacted at Barry.DoubleSMedia@rocketmail.com

Reading Royals Review

(April 3-14)

READING, Pa. – One series down and three to go. That’s the way the Reading Royals are looking at their ECHL Kelly Cup playoff run so far.

The Royals, the ECHL affiliate of the Maple Leafs and Marlies, struggled at the outset of their first-round playoff series against Cincinnati, losing the first game and going into the second overtime period of game No. 2 in the best-of-five Eastern Conference quarterfinal. But a critical extra-time marker By Ben Gordon evened the series, got Reading’s train back on the track and the Royals took both games in Ohio for a 3-1 series victory. Up next for the Royals is Kalamazoo, the New York Islanders’ ECHL partner. The teams split a pair of matches during the regular season; Reading eliminated Kalamazoo in the first round of the playoffs in 2010. From here on out, the rest of the series are best-of-seven matchups.

With the Marlies’ season ending without an appearance in the Calder Cup playoffs, Reading has gotten one last roster piece back in place. Goaltender Ben Scrivens, who set a Reading record with nine consecutive victories this season, returns to the ECHL for the first time since Feb. 6 in order to see his first pro playoff experience. Expect him to see most of the action between the pipes for as long as the Royals’ post-season run lasts.

Here is a brief look at the other Toronto-contracted players who are on the team’s playoff roster (with 2011 ECHL playoff statistics in parentheses):

Matt Caruana – The C from Orono, Ontario scored the first goal of the series against Cincinnati in his first career ECHL playoff game. The third-year pro also scored goals in two other games including the game winner in the game No. 3 of the series. He’s the pivot on the second line and also killing penalties and working on the power play. He’s been above 50 percent in the face-off circle, too. Caruana was one of Reading’s top performers in the series win over the Cyclones. (4 GP – 3G – 0A – +4 – 2 PIM)

Dale Mitchell – After playing just five games with the Royals during the regular season, the rookie RW was returned by the Leafs from the Marlies for games three and four against Cincinnati. Reading’s record when he played for the Royals in the regular season was 1-4. In the playoffs so far, it’s 2-0. (2 GP – 0G – 0A – even – 0 PIM)

Rob Slaney – As the second-round of the playoffs begins, the second-year pro is one of the black aces. His inability to crack the roster is a testament to the quality of the 16 active skaters that Reading is employing right now. But with potentially three series and 21 more games to come this spring, it’s a reasonable bet that the LW will get a chance to get back on the ice at some point and help the Kelly Cup quest. (0 GP)

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Barry Schickling can be contacted at Barry.DoubleSMedia@rocketmail.com

Reading Royals Review

(March 21-April 2)

READING, Pa. – The Reading Royals fell four points short of their goal to win a regular season ECHL title. They also missed the Eastern Conference title by just three points. But with the regular season a thing of the past, the only prize on their minds right now, to go along with their Atlantic Division crown, is the Kelly Cup.
The Maple Leafs’ and Marlies’ ECHL affiliate is facing Cincinnati in the first round of the best-of-five conference playoffs. The Cyclones are the team that eliminated the Royals in the Eastern Conference final last year and about a half-dozen players from last year’s team undoubtedly have a distinct memory of that series. Reading won the first three games of that matchup before Cincinnati won the next four, marking the first time in the 22-year history of the league that a team had rebounded from such a deficit to win a playoff round. The Cyclones eventually captured the Kelly Cup.
Because the Marlies are still playing and nursing more than their share of injuries, Reading will have to do without some Toronto players for the showdown with Cincy. Forwards Dale Mitchell and Rob Slaney along with goaltender Ben Scrivens are on the Royals’ playoff roster but have three more games to finish out the string with the Marlies before they can head to Pennsylvania for some playoff seasoning. The Marlies have reassigned Matt Caruana to Reading for the start of the playoffs. He should make a difference on the score sheet – he averaged a point a game in his 34 appearances in Reading this season and led the ECHL in shooting percentage (25.0%).
Reading won the season series, 3-1. But all three of the wins came in overtime or a shootout.
Here is a brief look at the Toronto-contracted players who have appeared with Reading over the last two weeks (with 2010-11 ECHL statistics in parentheses):

Dale Mitchell – A Leafs’ third-round draft choice in 2007, the Etobicoke, Ontario native headed to Reading and got a couple games under his belt to qualify for the ECHL playoffs prior to his recall to the Marlies. The RW was active in those matches during the Royals’ final southern swing of the season as he managed eight shots but was a minus-5 in a pair of losses at Gwinnett and Greenville. (5 GP – 2G – 2A – -7 – 14 PIM)

Rob Slaney – Depending on the personnel in the lineup on a given night, Slaney has played all the forward positions in the last couple weeks. The one constant in his assignment has been penalty killing – he’s usually the first one over the boards when Reading is short-handed. Unfortunately, he ended the regular season much as he started it – mostly staying off the score sheet. He managed just one goal and two assists in his final 12 regular season games with Reading. (61 GP – 7G – 15A – +3 – 34 PIM)

Also of interest: Andrew Engelage and Drew Paris, both of whom spent time with the Marlies this season, are with teams competing in the Kelly Cup playoffs. Engelage, who tended goal for Reading a season ago, is in Utah’s lineup for its first-round series against Stockton. Paris, a defenceman, is manning the blue line for Elmira in its conference-quarterfinal matchup against Eastern champ Greenville.

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Barry Schickling can be contacted at Barry.DoubleSMedia@rocketmail.com

Reading Royals Review

(March 7-20)

READING, Pa. – The Reading Royals have accomplished their first mission of the season: winning a division title. The Maple Leafs’ and Marlies’ ECHL affiliate defeated Elmira twice during the weekend of March 19-20 and captured the second division championship in the 10-year history of the franchise.

But three more challenges remain. The next two weeks will determine if the Royals can earn an Eastern Conference and a regular season ECHL title. They’re within striking distance of both with seven games to play. Of course, the real prize is a Kelly Cup playoff championship. Reading has never won one, but has probably never been in better shape to take a serious run at it.

The fortunes of the Marlies will play a critical role in Reading’s postseason hopes. If Toronto doesn’t qualify for the American Hockey League playoffs, it’s likely that Matt Caruana, Ben Scrivens and perhaps one more player, will return to Reading and be expected to make major contributions. If the Marlies do make the Calder Cup playoffs, it’s anyone’s guess if the talent level in Reading will be enough to compete with some of the other playoff teams which will be getting late-season reinforcements from the AHL.

As the final two weeks of the season began, both Dale Mitchell and recent college grad Will Acton were heading to Reading from Toronto. Players need to have five ECHL regular season games under their belts to be eligible for the playoffs, so that shouldn’t be a problem for these two.

Here is a brief look at the Toronto-contracted players who have appeared in the ECHL over the last two weeks (with 2010-11 ECHL statistics in parentheses):

Rob Slaney – He’s still handling third-line centre duties for Reading and is one of the top penalty-killing forwards. He was playing mostly on the wing in the first half of the season so his face-off skills still need some work. A number of wingers have shuttled through the lineup (and in turn, his line) during the last few weeks and he’s done a decent job adjusting to them. (54 GP – 6G – 15A – +2 – 28 PIM)

Drew Paris – In his second full pro season, the defenceman from Pointe-Claire, Quebec, made one appearance with the Marlies (to whom he’s under contract) early in the month. Since he’s returned to Elmira, he’s getting plenty of ice time in all situations and he’s got a decent shot. However, his mobility is limited and he doesn’t use his ample size (6-4, 200 lbs.) as effectively as he could. (63 GP – 4G – 15A – +1 – 41 PIM)

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Barry Schickling can be contacted at Barry.DoubleSMedia@rocketmail.com

The Royals Review

(Feb. 22-March 6)

READING, Pa. – One of the most difficult aspects of icing a team in the ECHL is the constant shuttling of prospects between a club and its American Hockey League affiliates. The Reading Royals — the “Coast” league’s affiliate of the Maple Leafs and Marlies — have had eight players who have seen action in both Toronto and Reading uniforms this season. But as the schedule enters its final month, only one of those players is in Reading now.

For the playoffs it should be a different story. Based on the Clear Day lists, which AHL teams must complete to indicate who is eligible for the Calder Cup playoffs, Reading should expect to get both Dale Mitchell and Matt Caruana back for the ECHL postseason since their names weren’t on the Marlies’ list. It’s also possible that another Marlie who’s been injured for a while (there are a few) could be sent to Reading for the playoff experience.

The Royals also have an affiliation with the Boston Bruins and it’s expected they’ll add a couple of defencemen and perhaps a forward to the Royals’ roster, especially since Boston’s AHL team in Providence in unlikely to qualify for the postseason.

The bottom line is that Reading, tied for first in the league entering the week, should have serious reinforcements by playoff time. The Royals could use them since they’re on a 1-5 skid, their worst slide since the second week of the season.

Here is a brief look at the Toronto-contracted players who have appeared with Reading over the last two weeks (with 2010-11 ECHL statistics in parentheses):

Matt Caruana – The former member Niagara University star, who spent most of January and February with the Marlies, came back to Reading for five games before another recall to the AHL. During his brief late-February and early-March stay in Pennsylvania, he scored three times, added three assists and took the ECHL lead in shooting percentage (25.0). (34 GP – 18G – 16A – +3 – 22 PIM)

Dale Mitchell – With a temporary surplus of bodies in Toronto the RW was sent to Reading for the first time and made the trip a worthwhile one. In his first ECHL game he scored two goals (one of which was unassisted) in the first nine minutes. He later added an assist and managed seven shots in that match. Don’t be surprised if he plays a key role for the Royals come playoff time. (3 GP – 2G – 2A – -2 – 4 PIM)

Rob Slaney – He’s mostly playing at C on the third line and getting lots of penalty killing time. With Leafs’ Assistant General Manager Claude Loiselle in attendance on March 5, Slaney was all over the ice, had a goal, two assists, was a plus-3, hardly lost a face-off and was the second star in a win over Wheeling. Aside from that, his defence has improved but he’s been far from outstanding. (50 GP – 6G – 14A – +1 – 24 PIM)

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Barry Schickling can be contacted at Barry.DoubleSMedia@rocketmail.com

The Royals Review

(Feb. 7-21)

READING, Pa. – With each passing day it looks as if the 10th edition of the Reading Royals will be the most successful one – at least as far as the regular season is concerned. The Maple Leafs’ ECHL affiliate has lost only two games in regulation time during its last 13 and with a mark of 34-13-2-3 leads the league in wins, fewest regulation losses, points and points percentage. With 20 games left in the season, the Royals have shown no signs of slowing down and that’s even with eight players (including Toronto’s Matt Caruana, Justin Hodgman, and Ben Scrivens) on recall or loan to American Hockey League clubs.

Although Reading is still likely a couple of weeks from clinching a playoff spot, the Royals’ Eastern Conference lead is seven points over Greenville and nine points over South Carolina. Home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs is a distinct possibility.
Here is a brief look at some of the Toronto-contracted players who have appeared with Reading this season (with 2010-11 ECHL statistics in parentheses):

Richard Greenop – The former member of the Windsor Spitfires appeared in just one game in the last two weeks with Reading before a recall to Toronto. His return to the AHL is not for playing but for medical reasons. He’s suffering from concussion-like symptoms and his future game availability will be determined by doctors, not coaches. Don’t expect to see him in action any time soon. It’s a tough blow for the second-year pro who turns 22 this week as his future in pro hockey depends upon his ability to play a tough, physical style. (19 GP – 1G – 2A – +3 – 24 PIM)

Rob Slaney – He’s fitting in well as the third line LW (remember, ECHL teams usually dress just 10 forwards per game) and he’s also handling plenty of penalty killing. He’s not turning heads, but he’s keeping his own head moving when on the ice and as a result he’s playing a solid, dependable two-way game. (43 GP – 5G – 11A – -1 – 20 PIM)

Ben Scrivens – The rookie pro became the first player to appear in a game for Reading and in a Maple Leafs’ sweater in the same season when he backed up James Reimer in Toronto’s 1-0 shootout loss to Ottawa on Feb. 19. Although he’s with the Leafs temporarily, once Toronto’s three injured goalies are ready to play again, he’ll be back with the Marlies, and likely, with the Royals for a Kelly Cup playoff run. (13 GP – 10W-3L – 2.23 GAA – .938 SV%)

Elsewhere in the ECHL

• Under contract to the Marlies, D Drew Paris has been traded to the Elmira Jackals, a team which the Royals will face four more times this season. In 51 games this season with Gwinnett and Elmira, he has a pair of goals, 11 assists, is a minus-7 and has 31 penalty minutes. In the game at Reading on Feb. 20 he was a minus-1 and not a major factor, despite four shots, during the Royals’ 5-2 victory.
  

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  Barry Schickling can be contacted at Barry.DoubleSMedia@rocketmail.com