But he also made it a point to say that the reason he chose to scratch Graig Mischler, who just so happens to lead the team in points, Friday night was because . . . well, just because.

“I had several choices,” Clancey said. “It worked out that he was the best one. But, yeah, it was a message.”

It would appear the message was received loud and clear after the Royals handed Johnstown a 5-1 beating at the Sovereign Center.

Perhaps the message was delivered by carrier pigeon, though, considering it took the Royals a while to get going.

True, Reading took the early lead when Cail MacLean fed a pass to Jon Francisco, who was behind the defense and made a nice move before beating Chiefs goalie David Cann for a 1-0 lead 4:20 into the game.

At the time, the Royals were being outshot 5-1. In fact, Reading was outshot 11-4 in the first 10 minutes and 16-7 in the period, and another strong performance in net by Barry Brust kept the Royals in front.

But the Royals collected themselves, began to work harder and the chances rained down against the defensively hapless Chiefs.

David Massé scored on the power play, MacLean on a short-handed breakaway and Francisco after a feed from Massé in a three-goal second period to put the Royals up 4-0.

The way Brust has been playing, that lead is bigger than John Goodman's waistline. The Royals rookie goaltender now has won seven straight starts and is unbeaten in his last 10.

The Royals also continued their trend of following up a stinker with a much better effort. Reading was flat and lethargic in a loss to last-place Dayton Thursday. The Royals bounced back Friday and haven't lost two straight in regulation since dropping a pair in Peoria at the end of February.

The Royals, even though it might not seem like it, have earned points in 11 of their last 14 games.

“It was an important game for us to come out and play well,” Francisco said. “Everybody has to come to play every night, and lately we haven't been doing that.

“We were pretty solid tonight, except for maybe the first period when Barry kept us in it. We have character on this team and a willingness not to lose. We have learned from our mistakes all year long and, for the most part, this is a resilient team.”

With the win, the Royals moved three points ahead of Atlantic City for first place in the North Division. Tonight the Royals face Trenton, who beat the Boardwalk Bullies Friday and could pull within two points of the Royals with a victory.

“We are going have a tough task with Trenton,” Clancey said. “It's definitely a big four-point swing game and hopefully we bring the same game that we did tonight. But, obviously, we are playing a much tougher opponent.”

One that hopes to send a message.

Contact Matt Malinowski at 610-371-5064 or mmalinowski@readingeagle.com.