Royals among those nixed as FSN drops High School Hockey Night

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Woodbury boys hockey fans that had hoped to watch the Royals play in a Fox Sports North telecast in a couple of weeks will instead have to travel to White Bear Lake to view the game.

The cable network announced that, because of financial reasons, it has dropped the majority of the remaining games on its winter schedule — including the Royals' Jan. 12 contest at White Bear Lake.

It was to be the second season in a row that FSN featured a Woodbury/White Bear Lake tilt. Last February, the Royals clinched the Suburban East Conference championship in a 3-2 overtime thriller that was shown to a state-wide audience.

Woodbury's newest neighbor, East Ridge, had its inaugural contest telecast on FSN on Dec. 3. It was to be the second of the planned 24-game schedule for the 2009-10 season.

Network cutbacks have slashed the remaining portion of the schedule to just two nights, including a Jan. 7 doubleheader in Duluth and the various matchups featured as part of "Hockey Day in Minnesota" on Jan. 23.

Woodbury vs. White Bear Lake was one of 12 face-offs that were nixed from the remaining calendar.

The Royals/Bears game is still scheduled for 8 p.m. on that Tuesday, as of this time, rather than the traditional 7:30 p.m. time for a Suburban East Conference start.

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