Royals notes

The Royals already have as many losses as they did through Thanksgiving week last year.
But Reading dropping its first three games is no reason for concern.
"I’m not overly worried," said Reading coach Derek Clancey.
The youthful Royals, who have a league-high 10 rookies, lost twice on opening weekend to Trenton.
   The Titans are laden with experience and talent. Reading lost 3-1 with an empty-net goal in the first meeting and 3-2 in the second, when it fired 43 shots, but was stifled by goalie Andrew Allen.
   Saturday was more of the same at Atlantic City, where the Royals held a 37-24 advantage in shots and lost 1-0 on a fluky goal.
   Finding the win column is a matter of getting the offensive ball rolling, according to Reading center Graig Mischler. Minus a few breakdowns, the Royals have proven themselves to be solid defensively.
   "And that’s usually the hardest thing to get going," he said.
   Meanwhile, Clancey might continue to tweak his roster. That process started Monday, when the Royals signed forward Larry Courville, who ditched retirement last season to average a point a game for the Johnstown Chiefs.
   "I think our young guys are good, but you’ve got to have that mix of veteran, middle-of-theroad and young guys to make it all work like we did last year," Clancey said.
   In the meantime, the Royals will buckle up for the road bumps that lie ahead, hoping they soon become fewer and farther between.
   "It is a concern because our division is very experienced," Clancey said of having nearly a dozen rookies. "With any experienced team you’re going to get the jump early on a non-experienced team because we’re going to make mistakes that they’re not making.
   "But come January or February we may be better off for it."
   Tough enough: It’s rough being a tough guy in Reading these days.
   Colt King can attest to that.
   The Royals released him over the weekend because they had too many bodies.
   With King fighting for a spot in a lineup that included rugged forwards Dan Sullivan and George Parros, one could argue that Reading had too much toughness and not enough skill, especially considering it has scored just four goals in three games.
   King didn’t appear in any Royals games. He started the season on the seven-day injured reserve list because Reading couldn’t fit him on its active roster.
   But the rookie has already found a new home. The Augusta Lynx has claimed him off waivers.
   Coming and going: Although American Hockey League affiliate Manchester recalled forward George Parros, the Monarchs were kind enough to send a forward. Dan Welch was assigned Monday.
   In his third season with Manchester, Welch, a eighth-round draft pick of Los Angeles in 2000, has one assist in two Monarchs games. Prior to his pro career, he played parts of three seasons with the University of Minnesota.
   New digs: The Royals have made Body Zone their new home, having practiced there since Oct. 26. The Sovereign Center melted its ice after Reading’s Oct. 23 home opener to accommodate the circus, which visited downtown last weekend.
   Reading doesn’t play its next home game until Nov. 12 against Wheeling.
   The Royals hit the Body Zone ice this morning after a 9 a.m. core training session with one of the facility’s instructors.
   Quotable: "I’d like to see us establish more of a presence in front of their net. We’re getting shots, but we’re not getting second and third rebounds. I’d like to see us get better in that area because defensively we’re not that bad." — Royals coach Derek Clancey.
   Loose puck: American Hockey League affiliate Manchester (7-0-0-0) has a leagueleading 14 points.
   Contact Julie Pelchar at 610-371-5065 or japelchar@readingeagle.com.