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AHL Charlotte Checkers

Checkers Open New Season Friday

October 10, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release


Charlotte, NC (October 10, 2002) - The Charlotte Checkers open up their 10th anniversary season in the East Coast Hockey league Friday night at Cricket Arena at 7:30 pm when they'll host the defending ECHL champion Greenville Grrrowl. The Checkers will attempt to win their second ECHL championship in the past decade this season, while returning the club to the off-ice success it enjoyed in the early and mid-nineties. Charlotte comes off its' second best regular season mark of 41-20-11 for 93 points, topped only by the 1995-96 Jack Riley Cup championship campaign where Charlotte posted a 45-21-4 mark for 94 points.

NEW OWNERS: The 2002-03 season excitement began last May when Felix Sabates and Carl Scheer officially purchased the Checkers from former owners George Shinn and Ray Wooldridge. Sabates and Scheer were the original owners when they brought back professional hockey back to Charlotte as the new Checkers in 1993. The club enjoyed its' finest seasons both on and off the ice under the savvy business, marketing, and promotional skills of Sabates and Scheer, boasting record crowds and, an ECHL championship in 1996.

NEW LOGO, THEME & JERSEYS: Shortly after the purchase of the Checkers in May, the new theme of the 2002-03 season "BACK AT FULL STRENGTH" was adopted. The Checkers' logo and colors were also updated. Sabates called on colleague and well known designer Alexander Julian to come up with a new design for the Checkers' jerseys, which will officially debut on Friday night.

MACADAM BACK: One of the first orders of business for the Checkers' new owners was to ink Head Coach Don MacAdam to a multi-year contract. MacAdam was signed to a three year extension, wrapping him up with the club for the future. In his first two full seasons, MacAdam took the Checkers back to the playoffs, and led Charlotte to the third best record in the ECHL last season. MacAdam is tied for the second longest tenure of coaches in the ECHL. This season will mark his fourth with the Checkers, tying him with the Jackson Bandit's Derek Clancey. Greenville's John Marks and Dayton's Greg Ireland share the lead with five seasons with their respective clubs.

THE PLAYERS: A handful of returnees from last season's Checkers' club plus a host of newcomers will dot Charlotte's 2002-03 roster.

Goaltenders: Third-year pro Bryce Wandler returns to join rookie Niklas Sundberg in net to start the season. Wandler enjoyed a banner sophomore season with the Checkers in 2001-02, sporting a sharp 2.70 GAA, 0.907 save percentage and 16-5-5 record. Sundberg also enjoyed winning campaigns at NCAA Division III SUNY Plattsburgh State, leading the Cardinals to the NCAA Division III Semi-Finals last season.

Defensemen: Leading the returnees is nine year veteran defenseman Kurt Seher, who will mentor a young blueline and will be counted on to provide leadership for the club. Third year pro Nick Bilotto will get plenty of ice as will Tampa Bay Lightning product Kenton Smith. Rookie signee Ryan Murphy, and New York Ranger rookie prospects Jeff State and Craig Weller will round out the young but talented defense.

Forwards: Free agent veteran centers Eddie Pershin and Allan Egeland, and winger Walker McDonald are all expected to provide much of the Checkers' offense this season. Both have averaged nearly a point a game during their careers in the ECHL and CHL. Wingers Vince Malts and Kevin Caulfield put up solid numbers last season and the Checkers are expecting even bigger results in 2002-03. Fan favorite centerman Konrad McKay returns to provide toughness, a grinding presence and scoring. Rookie New York Ranger prospects Brandon Cullen and Dusty Jamieson are wingers expected to step right in and generate the kind of offense they displayed in their junior careers.

BIG PLANS FOR OPENING NIGHT: Lots of thing will be happening off the ice around Friday night's opening night. Cricket Arena will display its' brand new $600,000 JUMBOTRON scoreboard, which is one of the most sophisticated piece of electronics to hit Charlotte. Beloved soloist Neal Zarelli will sing the National Anthem, while Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory will welcome back new Checkers' owners Felix Sabates and Carl Scheer, and will introduce Checkers' co-owners Steve Luquire and Mark Richardson. Before the first period faceoff, NASCAR drive Sterling Marlin will drop the first puck

TICKET INFO: Individual game tickets for all 36 Checkers' regular season home games are on sale now and may be purchased through Ticketmaster via phone at (704) 522-6500, via website, www.ticketmaster.com, or in person at the Cricket Arena Box Office located at 2700 E. Independence Boulevard in Charlotte (704) 335-3100. Group Tickets, Mini-Plans and Season Tickets also remain on sale. Specific ticket information can be obtained by calling the Checkers' office (704) 342-4423.

The Charlotte Checkers enter their tenth season as members of the East Coast Hockey League, who celebrate their 15th anniversary this season. The team is owned by Felix Sabates and Carl Scheer. The Checkers play all home games at Cricket Arena. For more information on Charlotte's professional hockey team, please visit www.gocheckers.com, or call (704) 342-4423.

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