Bud Holloway signs in Sweden.

The Manchester Monarchs will have a new leading scorer next season.

Former Reign standout Bud Holloway has signed with SkellefteĆ„ AIK of the Swedish Elite League for 2011-12. The restricted free-agent right wing declined the Kings’ qualifying offer, at least temporarily ending his tenure with the team that drafted him in the third round of the 2006 draft.

In his only ECHL season of 2008-09, Holloway had 36 points (19 goals, 17 assists) in 30 games between the regular season and playoffs for the Reign. Both this season and last, he led the Kings’ American Hockey League affiliate in scoring, but the 23-year-old from Wapella, Saskatchewan never got the NHL call-up he desired.

Also, in case you missed it, click here to read today’s story on Chad Starling re-signing.

Season ends in Manchester.

The Manchester Monarchs, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Kings and Reign, saw their season end Saturday in an overtime heartbreaker.

Ryan Potulny wristed a shot past a screened Jeff Zatkoff at 3:07 of overtime, giving the Binghamton Senators the 6-5 win in Game 7 of the first-round playoff series. Manchester came back from deficits of 3-0 and 4-1, and took a brief 5-4 lead on a goal by Dwight King at 10:19 of the third period.

But Binghamton’s Erik Condra scored with 1:45 left in the third period to tie the game at 5. Potulny’s overtime goal was his fifth point of the game, including four assists.

Zatkoff relieved Martin Jones after Condra’s first goal of the game, 56 seconds into the second period. Jordan Hill had an assist and finished plus-1 — much better statistically than center Brayden Schenn, The Hockey News‘ No. 1 overall prospect, who was held scoreless and finished minus-5 matched against the line of Potulny, Colin Greening and Ryan Keller (two goals).

King and Bud Holloway both finished with a goal and an assist. Jordan Nolan also had an assist. Jones stopped 13 of 16 shots, while Zatkoff stopped 20 of 23.

It was the first Game 7 played at home in the franchise’s 10-year history.

Johnson released by Manchester.

An update from the AHL, where the number of Reign players on playoff rosters dropped by one Tuesday.

The Manchester Monarchs released Chaz Johnson just two days before their first-round series with the Binghamton Senators — Johnson’s last AHL employer — was scheduled to begin. Johnson appeared in four games with the Monarchs, skating as a bottom-six right wing, collecting two penalty minutes and no points in four games.

Still dotting AHL rosters are Dwight King, Bud Holloway, Jordan Nolan, Patrick Mullen, Jordan Hill, Martin Jones and Jeff Zatkoff (Manchester); Beau Erickson (Peoria); Geoff Walker (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton); Andrew Martens (Lake Erie) and Colten Teubert (Oklahoma City).

Including Jon Rheault, who ended the season with the Abbotsford Heat (who didn’t make the Calder Cup playoffs), that’s 12 former Reign players who ended the regular season at the next level.

Catching up with Bud Holloway.

Bud Holloway played only 30 games as a member of the Ontario
Reign, but they were rather memorable.

He was nearly a point-per-game player (14 goals, eight
assists in 23 games) after being sent down by the Manchester Monarchs late in
the 2008-09 season; he added another five goals and 14 assists in seven games
against the Stockton Thunder in that year’s playoffs.

Along the way, in a February 2009 game against the Phoenix
Roadrunners, Holloway scored the prettiest goal in the history of Citizens
Business Bank Arena. That’s an unofficial honor, mind you, but if ESPN or
YouTube ever got hold of film footage of the zigzagging, one-on-one, backhand
breakaway, it would be accepted knowledge.

Holloway spent all of last season with the Monarchs and put
up good numbers — 19 goals and 47 points in 75 regular-season games – plus
another seven goals and seven assists in 16 postseason games. He helped
Manchester go on a deep run, scoring several game-winning goals, before eventually losing to the Hershey Bears in the Eastern Conference
Finals.

If there was one disappointment, it was that Holloway’s name was
passed over for an NHL promotion several times during the season when injuries
to various Kings forwards necessitated an AHL recall. Corey Elkins, Marc-Andre
Cliche, Rich Clune, Scott Parse, Oscar Moller and Brandon Segal all got the nod
at various points during the season; even spare defenseman Peter Harrold shifted in on the wing
before Holloway could get a shot at making his NHL debut.

The 22-year-old, in the final year of his
entry-level contract, is taking it in stride.

Continue reading “Catching up with Bud Holloway.” »

AHL playoffs: Manchester eliminated.

Boyd Kane’s overtime goal completed a comeback from a 2-0 third-period deficit as the Hershey Bears eliminated the Manchester Monarchs from the Calder Cup playoffs with a 3-2 victory.

Kane beat goaltender Jonathan Bernier at 7:06 of overtime, ensuring the Bears’ second straight trip to the Finals, where they will play either the Hamilton Bulldogs or the Texas Stars.

John Zeiler and Joe Piskula scored for Manchester. Their two former Reign forwards, Bud Holloway and Dwight King, did not factor into the scoring and former Reign goaltender Jeff Zatkoff did not appear in a playoff game.
Continue reading “AHL playoffs: Manchester eliminated.” »

Hershey wins Game 5, takes 3-2 lead on Manchester.

The Hershey Bears beat the host Manchester Monarchs, 3-2 in overtime Thursday, handing the Monarchs a 3-2 deficit in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals.

Dwight King assisted on a goal by fellow former Reign forward Bud Holloway at the 4:00  mark of the third period for the game’s first goal.

Hershey’s Chris Bourque tied the game at 2 with 51 seconds left in the third period, then assisted on Francois Bouchard’s game-winner at 10:38 of overtime.

Holloway has seven goals in 15 playoff games, while King has points in his last three. The Bears can close out the series at home on Saturday, and Hershey would also host a potential Game 7.

King comes through again.

Dwight King scored the lone goal in the Manchester Monarchs’ 1-0 win over the Hershey Bears in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals. The former Reign forward contributing the game-winning assist in overtime a night earlier. The series is now even at 2-2.

King scored at 9:11 of the second period when, according to the Monarchs’ Web site …

Andrei Loktionov collected a loose puck in the right wing corner. The center circled around the bottom of the face-off circle and found left wing Bud Holloway in the high slot, which set up a one-timer that was blasted toward Hershey netminder Michal Neuvirth. Acting as a screen in front of the net, King got a piece of the floating puck and redirected it into the back of the net to put the Monarchs up 1-0.

Monarchs win, reach conference finals.

The Manchester Monarchs won Game 6 of their AHL Calder Cup semifinal series on Friday, beating the Worcester Sharks 2-1 in overtime thanks to a Viatcheslav Voynov goal 1:55 into the extra frame. Former Reign forward Bud Holloway got the secondary assist on the winning goal, extending his point streak to 10 games.

Manchester will not have home-ice advantage when they begin play against the Hershey Bears, a Washington Capitals affiliate, in the Eastern Conference Finals next Wednesday.

Also, check out this feature about Holloway posted today on the Kings’ Web site.

Monarchs win 1-0, take 3-2 lead.

Former Reign forward Bud Holloway scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory for the Manchester Monarchs on Wednesday, lifting the Kings’ AHL affiliate to a three games to two lead in the best-of-seven series.

Holloway’s seven playoff goals rank second in the AHL. The right wing scored at 13:11 of the first period. Former Reign forward Dwight King did not tally a point.