ECHL Charlotte Checkers

Checkers pick up six points last week

March 19, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release


CHARLOTTE, NC - The Charlotte Checkers won three out of four games last week giving them 71 points on the season. The Checkers are tied with the Augusta Lynx for the fifth and final spot in the South Division's bracket of the 2007 Kelly Cup Playoffs. While it appears Gwinnett, Florida and Texas are in good position for the playoffs, no team in the South Division has locked up a post-season berth yet. South Carolina is currently in fourth place with 75 points and will play Augusta three more times this season. The Checkers will face Augusta twice and South Carolina once more this season.

CHECKERS THIS SEASON

34-24-3, 71 pts

LAST WEEK

3-1-0, 6 pts

Friday, March 16, 2007 at Columbia, W, 6-3 The Charlotte Checkers received a hat trick and a five-point performance from Mark Lee, and a five-assist effort from Blake Bellefeuille in a 6-3 triumph over the Columbia Inferno Friday night at the Carolina Coliseum. Alex Westlund, making his first start for Charlotte since February 2, was superb with 41 saves to raise his record to 12-5-1-0 as Charlotte won its second straight.

The victory was the Checkers third straight at Columbia (24-27-4-5) this season without a defeat, while Charlotte improved its record to 5-1-0 overall versus the Inferno in the nine-game season series. The win also put the Checkers ten games over .500 at 33-23-1-2.

Saturday, March 17, 2007 vs. Florida, W, 6-1 The Checkers continued an excellent week of play Saturday night, winning their third straight with an impressive 6-1 triumph over the Florida Everblades Saturday night before another sellout crowd of nearly 10,000 fans at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

Hannu Pikkarainen scored a pair of goals and added two assists for Charlotte, and goalie Alex Westlund was solid for a second consecutive game with 32 saves in pacing the Checkers to the victory. Mark Lee also chipped in with a goal and an assist, giving him seven points in the past two games. Other Charlotte goals came from Kenton Smith, Bruce Graham, and Mike Ouellette.

Sunday, March 18, 2007, L, at Columbia, 2-3 The Charlotte Checkers had their three-game winning streak snapped Sunday in a 3-2 loss to the Columbia Inferno at the Carolina Coliseum. Brad Ralph's goal with three minutes remaining proved to be the game-winner, as Columbia won the game with a pair of third-period goals.

The Checkers took a 2-1 lead into the third period after second-period goals by Blake Bellefeuille and Nathan Gillies. But Charlotte got shut out in the final period and yielded goals by Ralph and Luke Fulghum as the Inferno completed their comeback.

CHECKERS NOTES

- Mark Lee has a point in each of the Checkers last six games for a total of 15 points in those six games. Lee notched 11 points in four games last week. - Lee registered a hat trick plus two assists in the Checkers win over Columbia on Friday (3/16).

GAMES THIS WEEK Tuesday, March 20, 2007 @ Pensacola, 8:00 pm ET Friday, March 23, 2007 @ Augusta, 7:30 pm ET Sunday, March 25, 2007 @ South Carolina, 4:00 pm ET

CHECKERS LEADERS

Goals: Graham, Bruce (31)

Assists: Lee, Mark (43)

Points: Lee, Mark (63)

Plus/Minus: Ouellette, Mike (+12)

PIM: Vodrazka, Jan (171)

Wins: Westlund, Alex (13)

GAA: Westlund, Alex (2.79)

Save Pct.: Westlund, Alex (.916)

CHECKERS BROADCAST INFO

Tune into all Charlotte Checkers away games as they broadcast on TEAMLINE. Fans can click the TEAMLINE logo on the Checkers website, www.gocheckers.com, or listen on the phone at 800-846-4700, code 2820. Fans can also watch several games this season on the B2 Network. Click the B2 Network logo on the Checkers website to view a list of available games as well as watch the game live. On the web or on the phone, listen as the voice of the Checkers, Tim Donelli, brings you all of the Checkers action.

Check out the Charlotte Checkers Statistics



ECHL Stories from March 19, 2007


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