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ECHL Charlotte Checkers

Charlotte inches closer to playoff spot with 4-3 shootout win at Columbia

March 17, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release


(Columbia, South Carolina - Friday, March 17, 2006) The Charlotte Checkers blew a two-goal, third period lead, but outlasted the Columbia Inferno 4-3 in a shootout Friday night at the Carolina Coliseum. After Juris Stals had given the Checkers a 3-1 lead four minutes into the final period, Columbia scored twice in a 60 second span to tie the game at 3-3.

After both teams went scoreless the rest of the period and in the five-minute, sudden-death overtime session, it was Charlotte who prevailed in the shootout. Dusty Jamieson and Bryan Rodney scored in the shootout while Checkers goalie Chris Holt stopped four of five Inferno shooters to notch the win in net. Holt was spectacular all night in making 41 saves for his seventh victory of the season.

Rodney joined Stals and Daniel Sparre in scoring in regulation for the Checkers, with Columbia getting goals from Mike Stathopoulis, Jason Reimers, and Brandon Nolan. Inferno goalie Chris Houle took the loss with 20 saves.

"Chris Holt played his best game of the season tonight," commented Checkers coach Derek Wilkinson. "He displayed that swagger tonight that he showed us earlier in the season. We still made some dumb mistakes tonight that frustrate a coach but as I've said all along, we've got a talented group here. When we decide to put it all together we can be very good."

The Checkers took a 1-0 lead midway through the first period when Sparre took a perfect pass from Brandon Cullen and wristed a shot by Houle. Charlotte increased its lead to 2-0 at 11:18 of the second period as Rodney weaved his way through the Inferno defense and backhanded in his fourth goal of the campaign. Stathopoulis would get Columbia on the board late in the period to cut the Charlotte lead to 2-1.

Stals goal, on a beautiful feed from Rodney, gave the Checkers a 3-1 advantage early in the final period. But Columbia's Reimers and Nolan knotted the game at 3-3 by scoring goals just a minute apart, before the Checkers finally prevailed in the shootout.

The win was the Checkers second in their last three games, while Columbia lost its second straight. Charlotte improved its record to 29-28-5 for 63 points while Columbia earned a point in its shootout loss and now stands at 21-34-8 for 50 points.

In the playoff hunt in the ECHL's Southern Division of the America Conference, Charlotte stands in fifth place with 63 points, five points ahead of sixth place Augusta with 58 and 13 points in front of seventh place Columbia. The top six teams in the division qualify for post-season play. The Checkers magic number to clinch a playoff is eight points. Any combination of Charlotte securing points and Columbia losing points that total eight, and the Checkers will clinch a playoff spot.

The Checkers continue their two-game road trip Saturday night in Duluth, Georgia against the Gwinnett Gladiators. The next Charlotte home game is this Monday night when the Checkers will entertain the Augusta Lynx at Charlotte Bobcats Arena at 7:00 p.m.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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