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.

Dwight King’s first NHL stint ends.

Dwight King was assigned by the Kings to the Manchester Monarchs on Wednesday, ending the first NHL stint of any former Reign player.

King, a 21-year-old left wing, went scoreless with two penalty minutes in six games with the Kings. He started on the fourth line, played briefly on the first line, went back to the fourth line, and was not wearing the jersey of any of the top four lines at the Kings’ practice Tuesday.

The move comes one year (actually a year and a day) after he was first promoted from the Reign to the American Hockey League.

Taylor, Pelech on Dwight King.

Karl Taylor and Michael Pelech both exchanged text messages with Dwight King on Tuesday, when King became the first Reign player ever to get an NHL call-up.

(I should point out that Jon Rheault played in five preseason games with the Calgary Flames this season after being invited to their NHL training camp. In terms of regular-season call-ups at least, King’s is the first.)

“We’re very excited for him,” Taylor said. “Hopefully he gets a chance to play, does well. He’s nervous, obviously real excited – a young man getting to chance his dream.”

Continue reading “Taylor, Pelech on Dwight King.” »

Dwight King makes history.

The Kings made left wing Dwight King the first Reign player to be added to an NHL roster on Tuesday, recalling him from the American Hockey League’s Manchester Monarchs.

King was summoned following injuries to a pair of left wings in Los Angeles.

Scott Parse will undergo hip labrum surgery and is expected
to miss 3-4 months. The surgery is expected to
take place next Tuesday in Nashville
and be performed by Dr. Thomas Byrd. Alexei Ponikarovsky fractured a finger Nov. 6 and hasn’t played since, but was finally placed on injured reserve Tuesday.

Head coach Terry Murray said that King figures to slide into Ponikarovsky’s former position at left wing on a line with Michal Handzus and Wayne Simmonds. More in tomorrow’s editions of the Sun and Daily Bulletin.

King was one of nine former Reign players on AHL rosters at the time of his recall: Jon Rheault, Geoff Walker, Bud Holloway, Jordan Nolan, Jeff Zatkoff, Martin Jones, Colten Teubert and Patrick Mullen.

Reign past, present and future at Kings rookie camp.

Colten Teubert, Michael Pelech, Jordan Nolan, Dwight
King, Patrick Mullen and Garrett Zemlak are among the names confirmed
for the Kings’ rookie camp, Sept. 11-13.

On-ice practice sessions on Sunday, Sept. 12 and Monday, Sept. 13 at Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo (map) are
open to the public at no charge, while the on-ice practice sessions for
Saturday, Sept. 11 requires a ticket for the LA Kings Hockey Fest ’10
event, which takes place that same day.

The camp will conclude with two rookie games against Phoenix at
Jobing.com Arena. The first game is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 6
p.m. while the second game is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept., 15 at 2
p.m. Both games are free and open to the public.

The complete roster:

Continue reading “Reign past, present and future at Kings rookie camp.” »

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.