Checkers top East Division
March 7, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
CHARLOTTE, NC â The Charlotte Checkers (34-20-4; 72 PTS; 1ST East Div) finished their five game road trip this past Friday in a match against Atlantic City, then played the first in a five-game home stand versus Greenville on Saturday. On Friday night, the Checkers muscled the Boardwalk Bullies 5-1. Back on home ice, the Checkers then made it a perfect week by shutting out the Grrrowl 3-0. This week, the Checkers host Pee Dee on Tuesday, Greenville on Friday, and American Conference leader Pensacola on Saturday at Cricket Arena.
THIS WEEK
Tuesday, March 8 vs. Pee Dee, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, March 11, vs. Greenville, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 12, vs. Pensacola, 7:00 p.m.
CHECKERS NEWS
· So far this season, Charlotte has scored the most number of third period goals (6) in a single game, and made the most number of saves in a single second period (26).
· Dusty Jamieson is second in the league with 29 goals, including a four-game goal streak with 7 goals in his last four games. Jamieson is Charlotte's points leader over the last ten games with 9 goals and 2 assists for 11 points.
· Rookie Ryan Lang is working on a four game goal streak with 4 goals in his last four games. He has 5 goals and 5 assists over the past ten games.
· Team points leader on the season, Eddie Pershin is tied for ninth in the league in scoring with 21 goals and 33 assists for 54 points. Pershin and teammate Mike Wirll each have 10 points in the past ten games. Pershin is also tied for the league lead with 4 shorthand assists.
· Veteran goalie Alex Westlund is fourth in the league with 22 wins and tied for first with 3 overtime wins. Westlund is second in the league in minutes played (2298) and third in the league with 1114 saves. Westlund registered his first shutout of the season on Saturday, March 5 versus the Greenville Grrrowl.
· Thomas Bellemare is fourth in the league with 15 major penalties.
· Fellow rookie Ryan Glenn leads the league's defensemen with 2 shorthand goals.
· Dan Preston is tied for the league lead among defensemen with 3 game-winning goals.
LAST WEEK
Friday, March 4 at Atlantic City, W 5-1
The Checkers entered the game against the Boardwalk Bullies 1-2-1 against teams in the North Division. The Bullies were 4-1-0 against the East Division. On the Bullies home turf, Charlotte throttled the Bullies 5-1 thanks to Dwight Helminen's three assists, two Dusty Jamieson goals (including the game winner), and goalie Alex Westlund's masterful 36 save performance in his home state. Ryan Lang had a goal and two assists on the evening, Eddie Pershin notched two assists, and the two remaining goals were contributed by Kenton Smith and rookie All-Star Ryan Glenn. The Bullies single goal came at 13:52 of the first period when Dustan Heintz picked up Ian Walterson's rebound in the slot and slipped the puck past Westlund to tie the score at 1-1. Three goals in the second period and one in the third closed the book on the Bullies.
Saturday, March 5 vs. Greenville, W 3-0
When the Checkers last met the Grrrowl they were on the losing end of a 0-3 shutout in Greenville. This time, Charlotte was looking for some payback. The Checkers struck just :39 seconds into the contest when Dan Preston fired a Thomas Bellemare ricochet past Greenville netminder Mike Brodeur. After killing a 4:00 roughing penalty, Dusty Jamieson lit the lamp at 18:34 off a pass from Mike Wirll and Hartford monstrosity Martin Grenier. The second even strength goal of the night for the Checkers put them up 2-0 at the end of the first, and marked the seventh goal in four games for Jamieson. At 3:50 into the second and working from a one man disadvantage, Ryan Lang took an Eddie Pershin pass the length of the ice for the score. Lang finished with two points on the evening and extends his goal streak to four games. The combination of goalie Alex Westlund and a strong defense would prevent a Greenville score in the third period, giving the Checkers the 3-0 victory. The shutout allowed Westlund to finish the week 2-0-0 with 74 saves and a 0.987 goals against average.
CHECKERS LEADERS
Goals: Dusty Jamieson (29)
Assists: Eddie Pershin (33)
Points: Eddie Pershin (54)
Plus/Minus: Dusty Jamieson (+16)
PIM: Steve MacIntyre (146)
Wins: Alex Westlund (22)
GAA: Alex Westlund (2.82)
Save Pct.: Alex Westlund (.912)
• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...
ECHL Stories from March 7, 2005
- Mark Pederson Retires - San Diego Gulls
- Stanley Cup Coming To Long Beach - Long Beach Ice Dogs
- Fresno Falcons Weekly Update - Fresno Falcons
- Peoria Makes Playoff Race In North Even Tighter - ECHL
- Rivermen post five straight wins - Peoria Rivermen
- ECHL This Week - ECHL
- ECHL Transactions - ECHL
- Steelheads weekly update - Idaho Steelheads
- Titans tied for fourth after short week - Trenton Devils
- Toledo Storm weekly - Toledo Walleye
- Salmon Kings Weekly Report - Victoria Salmon Kings
- Gladiators Playoff March Update - Atlanta Gladiators
- "The Hockey News" Picks Cloutier As ECHL Top Goalie - Pensacola Ice Pilots
- Gators swamped three in a row by Everblades - Louisiana IceGators
- San Diego Goes 1-2-0 Last Week; Now Tied For Fifth Place With Idaho - San Diego Gulls
- Johnstown Chiefs Weekly Report - Johnstown Chiefs
- Las Vegas Returns Home Friday and Saturday to Face Fresno and San Diego - Las Vegas Wranglers
- Ice Dogs Weekly - Long Beach Ice Dogs
- Condors Back in Second Place - Bakersfield Condors
- Royals Roster Changesâ¦MacLean Returns, Brust Departs - Reading Royals
- Checkers top East Division - Charlotte Checkers
- Still In The Thick Of Things - Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
- Mississippi Takes Three Of Four - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Ice Pilots Have Best Record In The League At 39-13-5 For 83 Points - Pensacola Ice Pilots
- Royals roar into first place - Reading Royals
- Kelly Cup Coming to Florida - Florida Everblades
- Rays ready for four game week - South Carolina Stingrays
- Gladiators Weekly Update - Atlanta Gladiators
- Everblades weekly - Florida Everblades
- Inferno Weekly - Columbia Inferno
- Pee Dee Pride Weekly - Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz
- Aces rally past Ice Dogs 6-3 - Alaska Aces
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
