Checkers prepare for playoffs
April 4, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
CHARLOTTE, NC â This week, the Charlotte Checkers (38-25-6; 82 PTS; 3RD East Div) continued their five game road trip, playing the Greenville Grrrowl Friday night and the Gwinnett Gladiators Saturday night. The Checkers dominated the Grrrowl, topping them 4-1 and upping their record against Greenville to 7-2-0 this season. On Saturday, the Checkers fell to the Gladiators 6-4. The Checkers are currently seeded sixth in the American Conference playoff picture. This week, Charlotte will travel back to Gwinnett Tuesday night, then return home for their last two regular season games. They face the Greenville Grrrowl and the South Carolina Stingrays on Friday and Saturday night respectively.
LAST WEEK
Friday, April 1, at Greenville, W 4-1
Juris Stals and Bogdan Rudenko each scored a pair of goals for the Checkers, and Charlotte netminder Alex Westlund made 25 saves in the convincing victory. The Checkers took the lead just one minute, 28 seconds into the first period on a power play as Stals knocked home a puck for a 1-0 advantage. Charlotte made it 2-0 late in the first period at 16:46 as Rudenko rammed in his fifth goal of the season. The Checkers dominated the period outshooting Greenville 18-9. The Grrrowl got on the board early in the second period, as Martin St. Pierre fired a goal past Westlund at 1:16. In the final period Stals connected on a breakaway at 12:35 of the period for his second goal of the night and a 3-1 Charlotte advantage. The Checkers closed out the scoring with Rudenko's second goal of the night at 18:24 with Charlotte working a two-man advantage for the 4-1 final.
Saturday, April 2, at Gwinnett, L 6-4 The Gladiators opened the scoring at 6:47 of the first period as a shot found its way past Checkers goalie Kelly Guard for a 1-0 Gwinnett advantage. The Checkers penalty killers did well until the end of a Steve MacIntyre five-minute major, when Gwinnett broke through at 16:53 beating Guard from the short side. Gwinnett got a third goal with just 38 seconds left in the period for a 3-0 Gladiators first-period lead. In the second period the Gladiators increased their lead to 4-0 at 5:45. The Checkers began their comeback 1:29 into the third period when a Juris Stals blast found the back of the Gladiators net to make the score 4-1. Ryan Glenn's shot from the point four minutes later eluded the Gladiators goalie putting Charlotte within two. Three minutes later Gwinnett extended their lead to 5-2. Bogdan Rudenko pulled Charlotte back to within two goals at 10:16. With the Checkers on a power play and their goalie pulled for an extra attacker, Charlotte's Mike Wirll nudged the Checkers to within one goal with 1:13 remaining in the game. Again with their goalie pulled, the Checkers had a six-on-four advantage in an attempt to tie the game. However, Gwinnett scored on the empty net to ice the game for the Gladiators.
THIS WEEK
Tuesday, April 5, at Gwinnett, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, April 8, vs. Greenville, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 9, vs. South Carolina, 7:00 p.m.
CHECKERS NEWS
· The Checkers are currently third in the East Division with 82 points. They are tied for sixth in the American conference, and are tied for fifteenth in the league overall.
· Eddie Pershin is tied for the thirteenth highest point total in the league with 25 goals and 40 assists for 65 points. He is tied for first in the league for shorthanded assists (4).
· Bogdan Rudenko leads the team in scoring over the last ten games with a total of 12 points (7g-5a). He and Juris Stals lead the team in points over the last five games with 6 points each.
· Alex Westlund is fourth in the league in minutes played (2807) and fifth in saves (1322).
· Lee Falardeau is tied for first in the league with five game winning goals on the season.
· Dwight Helminen leads the league in short handed assists (3), while Ryan Glenn leads the defenseman in short handed goals (2).
· Defenseman, Thomas Bellemare, is tied for fourth in the league for major penalties with 19 on the season.
· Regan Darby is the third leading defenseman in the league for penalty minutes with 246. He is tied for second among defensemen for minor penalties with 53 minutes.
CHECKERS LEADERS
Goals: Dusty Jamieson (29)
Assists: Eddie Pershin (40)
Points: Eddie Pershin (65)
Plus/Minus: Dusty Jamieson (+13)
PIM: Regan Darby (246)
Wins: Alex Westlund (26)
GAA: Alex Westlund (2.71)
Save Pct.: Alex Westlund (.912)
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