ECHL Charlotte Checkers

Checkers lose to Gwinnett for second straight night 6-3

March 12, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release


(Duluth, Georgia - Saturday, March 11, 2006) The Charlotte Checkers played two and a half periods of solid hockey Saturday night. It was the last half of a period that cost them, as the Gwinnett Gladiators scored four goals in the final stanza for a 6-3 win over the Checkers in Duluth, Georgia.

Guillaume Desbiens score a pair of goals and Scott Mifsud added a goal and two assists in the Gladiators triumph. Gwinnett goalie Adam Berkhoel, who played several games this season for the National Hockey League's Atlanta Thrashers, earned the win in net with 26 saves.

The Checkers got goals from Jake Ortmeyer, Bruce Graham and Mike Bayrack. Charlotte goalie Jeff Glass, just assigned back to the Checkers earlier in the day from the Ottawa Senators, played well despite yielding six goals. Three of the Gwinnett goals were power-play tallies, and Glass received little support in front of his net.

The loss was the Checkers fifth straight, their longest losing streak of the season. The defeat was also Charlotte's seventh in their last eight games, and dropped them to back to .500 overall and 12-16-2 on the road. The victory was the Gladiators seventh in a row.

"We had some good play out there tonight but we're never happy when we lose," said Checkers' forward Mike Bayrack.

The Gladiators scored 1:17 into the first period on a power play, as Awe's shot from the center point deflected in off a Checkers player in front of Glass for a 1-0 Gwinnett advantage. Later in the period on a Checkers' power play, Ortmeyer rammed in a shot off the shoulder of Berkhoel at 13:51 to tie the game at 1-1. Gwinnett outshot the Checkers 11-7 for the period.

The Checkers took their first lead of the game at 11:34, when Graham took a pretty pass from Daniel Sparre and buried it behind Berkhoel for a 2-1 lead. Charlotte's Steve MacIntyre took a penalty late in the period and Gwinnett took advantage on the power play. Slaton banged home a rebound of a Mifsud shot to tie the game at 2-2 with just under two minutes to play.

Early in the third period, Charlotte's Nathan Gillies gave the puck away deep in his own zone and the Gladiators capitalized with a goal by Josh Bennett for 3-2 lead. The Checkers managed to tie the game on a power play three minutes later as Bayrack beat Berkhoel from in close to knot the game at 3-3.

Then the roof caved in on the Checkers. Gwinnett goals by Mike York and Mifsud in a two-minute span gave the Gladiators a 5-3 lead. A late goal by Desbiens gave Gwinnett an insurance goal en route to the 6-3 final. The Gladiators scored five of the game's last six goals.

"There are some guys in our dressing room who are mad at some of their teammates and they should be," commented Charlotte coach Derek Wilkinson. "Some guys are consistently doing their jobs and others are not. We've got to figure out a way to start winning some games."

The Checkers record with Saturday's loss fell to 27-27-5 for 59 points, while the win raised the Gladiators record to 41-11-7 for 89 points.

Charlotte returns home to Charlotte Bobcats Arena Sunday afternoon to host the Greenville Grrrowl at 4:00 p.m.

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ECHL Stories from March 12, 2006


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