Royals Head Coach Larry Courville to Help Lead ECHL All-Stars

Reading Head Coach Represents Eastern Conference Behind the Bench at the All-Star Classic in Colorado

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League and the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, today announced that Head Coach Larry Courville has been selected to serve as a coach for the ECHL All-Star team that will take on the Colorado Eagles in the league’s annual All-Star Classic presented by University of Colorado Health scheduled for Wednesday, January 23, 2013, at the Budweiser Event Center in Loveland, Colorado. Courville will serve as the assistant coach for the team, while Rob Murray of the Alaska Aces Murray will serve as head coach for the game by virtue of the Aces having the ECHL’s top winning percentage through December 30, 2012. Courville earned his role with the All-Star team by virtue of the Royals having the top winning percentage in the Eastern Conference through that same time period. Alaska is 26-8-0-0 (.765), and leads the ECHL with 52 points and 26 wins while Reading is 23-7-1-1 (.750) for 48 points, which leads the Eastern Conference. Courville is the second coach in Royals team history to serve behind the bench in an ECHL All-Star game, joining Karl Taylor, who coached the American Conference team in the 2006 All-Star Classic at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Courville, (37) who hails from Timmins, Ontario, but currently resides with his wife and three children in Palmyra, Pennsylvania, is in his fourth full season as the head coach of the Royals, after taking over mid-season in early January of 2009 when the team was fourteen games under .500 at 9-23-2. Since that time, Courville has served as the team’s coach for 286 games, compiling an overall record of 155-106-25 for a career win percentage of (.586). Courville holds the team record for regular season games coached (286) and regular season games won (155). His 2010-11 team set a team record with forty-four wins and this year’s club established another record by running off eleven consecutive victories. In all three of his prior full seasons with the Royals, Courville’s teams have made the playoffs, and his 2009-10 team went on the longest playoff run in team history before being eliminated in game seven of the American Conference Finals. Courville has coached more playoff games (29) and won more playoff games (15) than any coach in team history. The 2013 ECHL All-Star Week, presented by CCM, begins on Tuesday, January 22 with the ECHL All-Star Skills Competition, presented by OtterBox, and continues with the ECHL All-Star Game, featuring the Colorado Eagles taking on the ECHL All-Stars, on Wednesday, January 23. Both events begin at 7:05 p.m. (MT) at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colo. The Royals return to action tonight (Friday, January 4 @ 7:05 pm), when the team travels to First Arena in Elmira, New York to take on the Elmira Jackals. As with all Royals road games this season, Friday’s game will be televised locally in Berks County on BCTV courtesy of Boscov’s Travel and Apple Vacations. The Game Night Broadcast kicks off at 6:35 pm on Sports Radio 1240 am and 98.5 fm. Royals multi-game flex plans for the 2012-13 season presented by Steve Moyer Subaru are available at 610-898-7825 and through the Royals website: www.royalshockey.com. Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook at Reading Royals and "Follow" us on Twitter @RRoyalshockey for the latest team information.