Checkers knock off Wheeling 3-1 Saturday night
Published on December 4, 2005 under ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
(Wheeling, West Virginia - Saturday, December 3, 2005) The Charlotte Checkers dug down deep on the tail end of a tough, three games in three nights roadtrip by defeating the Wheeling Nailers 3-1 Saturday night in West Virginia. Juris Stals had a pair of goals for the Checkers and goalie Pat Berrigan played his best game of the season with 25 saves. Nathan Gillies also had a goal for Charlotte which proved to be the game winner.
"Our guys really dug down deep tonight in our third game in three nights which is always a tough game," remarked Charlotte coach Derek Wilkinson. "Patty (goalie Pat Berrigan) played his best game of the season tonight and Stals' second goal was a real beauty."
The two teams battled through a scoreless first period, with the Nailers outshooting Charlotte by a ten to nine margin. There was a big scuffle in the period as the Checkers Steve MacIntyre got the best of the Nailers Pascal Morency. When the penalties were sorted out, Morency was only given a two-minute minor while MacIntyre received a five-minute major for fighting and a game misconduct.
In the second period each team had two power plays but the goaltending and defenses took over to keep the game at 0-0. Wheeling held the Checkers to only two shots on goal while the Nailers mustered six. The physical play picked dramatically in the second frame, but the heavy hits by both teams were allowed by referee Nick Suhy.
Charlotte finally broke the scoreless tie at 4:39 of the final period when Stals zipped in Bryan Rodney's rebound for his fifth goal of the season and a 1-0 Checkers lead. The Checkers made it 2-0 five minutes later when Gillies, with pure effort, fought his way through two Wheeling defenders and somehow knocked the puck in by Nailers goalie Andy Franck for a 2-0 Charlotte advantage.
Wheeling closed the gap to 2-1 on a power play at 13:36 when Jordan Cameron scored from in close. The Checkers countered less than three minutes later as Stals scored his second goal of the game on a breakaway. Kevin Lavellee sprung Stals with a perfect pass for a breakaway and the Latvian forward cranked a shot top shelf for a 3-1 Checkers advantage.
The Nailers pulled Franck for an extra attacker with 2:35 left in the contest, but Charlotte's defense and Berrigan clamped down to notch the win and the 3-1 final.
The Checkers closed out their brutal, season-opening sixteen game schedule, which featured 13 of the first 16 on the road, finishing 9-6-1 for 19 points. Charlotte finished 2-2-0 on the recent four-game roadtrip. The loss for the Nailers was their second straight as Wheeling's record dropped to 12-5-1 for 25 points.
The Checkers return home to begin a three-game homestand on 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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