Mark Wallace Named Royals General Manager

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, today announced that Mark Wallace, who has served as the Director of Sales for the Sovereign Center and Royals for the past three years, has been named as the Royals’ General Manager and Alternate Governor. Gordon Kaye, who has served in that capacity for the past five seasons, has stepped down from the day-to-day operations of the team to pursue other business opportunities. Kaye will maintain a supervisory position with the Royals. The announcement was made earlier this evening during the team’s second annual Town-Hall Meeting held in front of a packed room at the Coca-Cola Lounge inside the Sovereign Center.

“I’m certainly excited by the opportunities presented by my expanded role with the Royals,” said Wallace. “I look forward to continuing the standard of excellence established during the nine year history of the team. I’m confident that our organization will continue to pursue championship quality performance in all that we do both on and off the ice.”

“I’m truly going to miss managing the day-to-day operations of the Royals and particularly the daily interaction with the members of our team, our fans and the entire Reading community,” said Kaye. “I’m confident that Mark Wallace will be a strong leader for the Royals’ organization and continue his long history as an important member of the Reading and Berks County community. Ultimately, I know that Mark and Coach Larry Courville--and everyone within the organization--are committed to the same goal: bringing great hockey and entertainment to our fans.”

Wallace (45), a long-time resident of the Berks County area, came to the Sovereign Center and Royals in July of 2007 after a four year stint as the Sales and Marketing Director at the Body Zone Sports and Wellness Complex in Wyomissing. Prior to that, Wallace, who holds a Masters Degree in Communications from Clarion University, served as the Athletic Director for the Wyomissing Area School District. For twelve seasons, Wallace was the Director of Communications and Community Development for the Reading Phillies Baseball Club. He took over his position with the R-Phils after beginning his career in the sport-management field as the Sports Information Director for Albright College. Wallace is the third General Manager in team history for the Royals, who will celebrate the team’s tenth anniversary this year.

The Royals host the team’s tenth anniversary home opener on Saturday, October 23, 2010 (7:05 pm), when the Elmira Jackals visit the Sovereign Center. Also, be sure to catch the Royals’ season opener live from Trenton, New Jersey, (@ Trenton Devils Saturday, October 16, 2010 @ 7:00 pm)—and all of the team’s away games this year—on Royals TV exclusively on BCTV courtesy of Boscov’s Travel and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Season tickets for the Royals’ 2010-11 season are currently available. To become a part of Royals hockey, call 610-898-PUCK or log onto www.royalshockey.com.