Checkers falter at Wheeling 6-3
December 2, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
The Charlotte Checkers deserved a better fate in their 6-3 loss to the Wheeling Nailers Thursday night in West Virginia. Charlotte led 3-1 midway through the second period before surrendering five un-answered goals the rest of the way, A soft goal, a broken stick on a clearing attempt, and two Wheeling power-play goals all contributed to the Nailers comeback.
Wheeling received a hat-trick from Kurtis McLean and a pair of goals by Terry Virtue while Charlotte got goals from Rory Rawlyk, Nathan Gillies and newcomer Ryan Fultz. Checkers goalie Pat Berrigan took the loss stopping 25 of 30 Wheeling shots, Nailers netminder Andy Franck notched the win with 27 saves. The loss was Charlotte's sixth in its last eight games.
"Fans will look at the score and think we got beat badly but that's not the case." quoted Charlotte coach Derek Wilkinson. "I was very proud of our effort tonight. We did exactly what we wanted to do on the road for two periods but honestly, some bad breaks went against us. We didn't get some saves we should have had, one of our players broke his stick on a clearing attempt and we were forced to kill off 11 power plays. To not get at least a point tonight is very disappointing"
Wheeling scored first on a power play as Fata blasted a shot by Berrigan from the left point for a 1-0 Nailers advantage at 5:36. Charlotte tied the game up late in the period at 1-1, also on the power play as Rawlyk went coast-to-coast, beating every Nailers defender and scoring right in front of Franck at 18:32. The Checkers had three power play attempts in the frame while Wheeling had four. The shots in the first period were even at six.
The Checkers scored a pair of goals in the first eight minutes of the second period to take a 3-1 lead. Gillies rammed home a rebound of a Blake Bellefeuille shot for his fifth goal of the campaign and a 2-1 Charlotte lead at 3:57. The Checkers got its second power play goal of the game at 8:11, as Fultz knocked home the puck by Franck on helpers from Mike Bayrack and Bryan Rodney.
A controversial delay of game penalty against the Checkers Steve Burgess became official after referee Bob Ritchie consulted with his linesmen. The Nailers took advantage, as McLean was wide open back door for an easy power play goal and Wheeling cut the Charlotte lead to 3-2 after two periods.
In the third period the wheels fell off the Checkers cart. A long-range goal by Mclean went over the right shoulder of Berrigan less than a minute into the period and Wheeling tied the game at 3-3. At 9:09 the Nailers took the lead for good as Rodney broke his stick on an attempted clear from his own zone. Wheeling intercepted the pass and worked the pick into Jordan Cameron who scored for a 4-3 Nailers advantage.
Wheeling increased its lead to 5-3 as Fata scored his second power-play goal of the night at 12:20. Down two goals late in the game, Wilkinson pulled Berrigan for an extra attacker in an attempt to tie the game. Twenty seconds later however, McLean completed his hat-trick by scoring an empty-net goal with under a minute to go in the contest for the 6-3 final.
The Checkers record fell to 7-6-1 for 15 points, with the Nailers improving to 12-3-1 for 25 points. Charlotte is currently 0-2-0 on its current four-game road trip, and plays in Trenton Friday night. The Checkers next home game is this Monday when they'll host the Columbia Inferno at St. Lawrence Homes Home Ice, at Charlotte Bobcats Arena at 7:00 p.m.
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