ECHL Charlotte Checkers

Checkers announce 2005-06 schedule

June 20, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release


Charlotte, NC - Monday, June 20, 2005: The Charlotte Checkers today release their 2005-06 season schedule. The announcement is made by Checkers President Jeff Longo and Head Coach / General Manager Derek Wilkinson. Once again, the 2005-06 season schedule features 72 games, 36 at home and 36 on the road. All Checkers home games will be played at the New Charlotte Arena. This fall Charlotte will begin its' 13th season in the 27 team, coast-to-coast ECHL, which is hockey's premier "AA" professional league.

The ECHL division and conference alignments and the format for the 2006 Kelly Cup Playoffs will be announced following the Annual Board of Governors Meeting on June 21-22.

The Checkers home schedule features 16 games on Friday and Saturday nights (ten Fridays and six Saturdays), five Sundays, three Mondays, three Tuesdays, eight Wednesdays and one Thursday. Starting times for home games Monday through Saturday will be 7:05 p.m., with start times for the five Sunday home games set for 5:05 p.m. The Checkers will play six road games to start the season before staging their home opener on Sunday, November 6 at 5:05 p.m. against the Greenville Grrrowl at the New Charlotte Arena.

"Our schedule for 2005-06 is both intriguing and challenging, which is what the Charlotte Checkers are all about," quotes Charlotte President Jeff Longo. "We have a run of away games which will get our team's game legs going, and if we can win most of those we'll be ready for our home opener in the New Charlotte Arena on November 6th. We have a good variety of weekday and weekend home games which should work to suit our fans' calendars nicely. Publishing the Checkers schedule reminds us all that the new hockey season is not that far off, and the new venue - with its close-up seating layout, mega-scoreboard, and a long list of other arena amenities - awaits us. I like the fact that we'll be taking on Gwinnett, our playoff contender from this past season, in our first regular-season game. That's great scheduling on the League's part. It's time to be thinking about Checkers hockey!"

Charlotte will start the 2005-06 campaign with six road games, while 13 of the club's first 15 contests will be away from home. In addition to the six game road trip to start the season, the Checkers will also be away from the New Charlotte Arena or a mammoth, nine-game road trip from February 21 to March 12. Charlotte fans can look forward to an eight-game homestand from March 15 to April 1, and a six-game homestand from January 15 to January 29.

Checkers Head Coach and General Manager Derek Manager also chimed in on the release of Charlotte's 2005-06 schedule. "We're all obviously very excited about moving to the New Charlotte Arena and playing in a state-of-the-art, first-class facility. This schedule will certainly be one of the most challenging ones I've ever been involved with as a player and a coach. We've got a very tough stretch of games to start the season and we're going to have to play well on the road early on. Every team had a tough schedule but this one will be a particular challenge."

Charlotte will get another healthy dose of games with many of their traditional rivals in the Carolinas. They include ten games (5 home and 5 away) against the Greenville Grrrowl and South Carolina Stingrays, and 11 games (5 home, 6 away) with the Columbia Inferno. In addition, the Checkers will play regional rivals the Gwinnett Gladiators 6 games (3 home, 3 away), and the Augusta Lynx eight games (4 home, 4 away).

The Florida Everblades, who eliminated the Checkers in last season's American Conference Finals, will make their first visit to Charlotte and the New Charlotte Arena on Friday, November 25 with face-off set for 7:05 p.m.

Charlotte will also play two teams that have not been on its recent schedules, the Toledo Storm and the Wheeling Nailers. The Checkers also have a scheduled visit to the famous and historic "War Memorial Auditorium" in Johnstown, Pennsylvania for a Tuesday, December 20 encounter with the legendary Chiefs.

CHECKERS 2005-06 SEASON SCHEDULE

**ALL TIMES EASTERN

OCTOBER, 2005 (4 games, 0 home, 4 road)

Fri, Oct 21, 2005 Charlotte at Gwinnett - TBA Sat, Oct 22, 2005 Charlotte at Greenville - 7:05 p.m. Fri, Oct 28, 2005 Charlotte at Columbia - TBA Sat, Oct 29, 2005 Charlotte at South Carolina - TBA

NOVEMBER, 2005 (9 games, 2 home, 7 road) Fri, Nov 4, 2005 Charlotte at South Carolina - TBA Sat, Nov 5, 2005 Charlotte at Gwinnett - TBA Sun, Nov 6, 2005 Greenville at Charlotte - 5:05 p.m. **** HOME OPENER Thur, Nov 10, 2005 Charlotte at Pensacola - 8:05 p.m.

Fri, Nov 11, 2005 Charlotte at Pensacola - 8:05 p.m.

Fri, Nov 18, 2005 Charlotte at Florida - TBA Sat Nov 19, 2005 Charlotte at Florida - TBA Fri, Nov 25, 2005 Florida at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Sat, Nov 26, 2005 Charlotte at Augusta - 7:05 p.m.

DECEMBER, 2005 (15 games, 8 home, 7 road) Fri, Dec 2, 2005 Charlotte at Trenton - 7:30 p.m. Sat Dec 3, 2005 Charlotte at Wheeling - TBA Mon, Dec 5, 2005 Columbia at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m.

Tue , Dec 6 , 2005 Charlotte at Gwinnett - TBA Fri, Dec 9, 2005 South Carolina at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Sat, Dec 10, 2005 Wheeling at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Fri, Dec 16, 2005 Florida at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Sat, Dec 17, 2005 Charlotte at Augusta - 7:05 p.m.

Sun, Dec 18, 2005 Columbia at Charlotte - 5:05 p.m. Tue, Dec 20, 2005 Charlotte at Johnstown - TBA Thur, Dec 22, 2005 Augusta at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Mon, Dec 26, 2005 Greenville at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m.

Tue, Dec 27, 2005 Charlotte at Greenville - 7:05 p.m.

Wed, Dec 28, 2005 Augusta at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Sat, Dec 31, 2005 Charlotte at South Carolina - TBA

JANUARY, 2006 (13 games, 9 home, 4 road) Wed, Jan 4, 2006 South Carolina at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Fri, Jan 6, 2006 Charlotte at Augusta - 7:05 p.m. Sat, Jan 7, 2006 Charlotte at Greenville - 7:05 p.m. Wed, Jan 11, 2006 Pensacola at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Fri, Jan 13, 2006 Pensacola at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m.

Sat, Jan 14, 2006 Charlotte at Augusta - 7:05 p.m.

Sun, Jan 15, 2006 Columbia at Charlotte - 5:05 p.m. Tue, Jan 17, 2006 Texas at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Fri, Jan 20, 2006 Mississippi at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m.

Sat, Jan 21, 2006 Texas at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Sat, Jan 28, 2006 Toledo at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Sun, Jan 29, 2006 Toledo at Charlotte - 5:05 p.m. Tue, Jan 31, 2006 Charlotte at South Carolina - TBA

FEBRUARY, 2006 (14 games, 8 home, 6 road) Wed, Feb 1, 2006 Columbia at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m.

Fri, Feb 3, 2006 South Carolina at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m.

Wed, Feb 8, 2006 Mississippi at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Fri, Feb 10, 2006 Gwinnett at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Sat, Feb 11, 2006 Charlotte at Columbia - TBA Mon, Feb 13, 2006 Wheeling at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Wed, Feb 15, 2006 Wheeling at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m.

Fri, Feb 17, 2006 Greenville at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m.

Sat, Feb 18, 2006 Pensacola at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m.

Tue, Feb 21, 2006 Charlotte at Dayton - TBA Wed, Feb 22, 2006 Charlotte at Toledo - 7:05 p.m. Fri, Feb 24, 2006 Charlotte at Greenville - 7:05 p.m.

Sat, Feb 25, 2006 Charlotte at South Carolina - TBA Tue, Feb 28, 2006 Charlotte at Columbia - TBA

MARCH, 2006 (14 games, 8 home, 6 road) Tue, Mar 7, 2006 Charlotte at Mississippi - 8:05 p.m. Fri, Mar 10, 2006 Charlotte at Texas - 8:05 p.m.

Sat, Mar 11, 2006 Charlotte at Texas - 8:05 p.m.

Sun, Mar 12, 2006 Charlotte at Mississippi - 6:05 p.m.

Wed, Mar 15, 2006 Augusta at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Fri, Mar 17, 2006 Charlotte at Columbia - TBA Sat, Mar 18, 2006 Columbia at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m.

Sun, Mar 19, 2006 Augusta at Charlotte - 5:05 p.m. Tue, Mar 21, 2006 Gwinnett at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Wed, Mar 22, 2006 South Carolina at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m.

Fri, Mar 24, 2006 Greenville at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m.

Sat, Mar 25, 2006 Charlotte at Columbia - TBA Tue, Mar 28, 2006 Greenville at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m. Fri, Mar 31, 2006 South Carolina at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m.

APRIL, 2006 (3 games, 1 home, 2 road) Sat, Apr 1, 2006 Gwinnett at Charlotte - 7:05 p.m.

Fri, Apr 7, 2006 Charlotte at Columbia - TBA

Sat, Apr 8, 2006 Charlotte at Greenville - 7:05 p.m.

TEAM BREAKDOWN:

Augusta Lynx - ( 8 games, 4 home, 4 away)

Columbia Inferno - ( 11 games, 5 home, 6 away)

Dayton Bombers - ( 1 game, 0 home, 1 away)

Florida Everblades - ( 4 games, 2 home, 2 away)

Greenville Grrrowl - ( 10 games, 5 home, 5 away)

Gwinnett Gladiators - ( 6 games, 3 home, 3 away)

Johnstown Chiefs - ( 1 game, 0 home, 1 away)

Mississippi Sea Wolves( 4 games, 2 home, 2 away)

Pensacola Ice Pilots ( 5 games, 3 home, 2 away)

S. Carolina Stingrays - ( 10 games, 5 home, 5 away)

Texas Wildcatters - ( 4 games, 2 home, 2 away)

Toledo Storm - ( 3 games, 2 home, 1 away)

Trenton Titans ( 1 game, 0 home, 1 away)

Wheeling Nailers ( 4 games, 3 home, 1 away)

NOTE: Season ticket information for the Checkers inaugural season in the New Charlotte Arena can be obtained by calling the Checkers office at (704) 342-4423.

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