Checkers Win Seventh In Last Eight With 3-2 Win At Cincinnati
April 6, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
(Cincinnati, Ohio - Friday, April 6) With only one game remaining in the regular season, the Charlotte Checkers still don't know who they will face in the opening round of the ECHL's Kelly Cup Playoffs. Friday night's 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Cyclones in Ohio did little to clarify the Checkers playoff scenario.
Blake Bellefeuille scored a pair of goals for the Checkers, including the game-winner in the third period to lift Charlotte (42-26-1-2) to the come-from-behind win. Bruce Graham also lit the lamp for the Checkers and goalie Chris Holt won his third straight since being re-assigned to Charlotte by the New York Rangers last Sunday. Jean-Michel Daoust and Mathieu Aubin scored for Cincinnati.
The match with the Cyclones (37-29-4-2) was the first-ever meeting between Charlotte and Cincinnati. The Checkers victory Friday was their seventh in the last eight games.
Coupled with Augusta's 5-4 loss to the Florida Everblades Friday, Charlotte clinched at least fourth place in the ECHL South. If the Checkers finish in fourth place, they would have home ice in the best-of-three, mini-series playoff which would start Monday against the fifth-place Lynx. However, the Checkers are still alive to finish in third place. A Charlotte win over Columbia and a Gwinnett Gladiators loss to Pensacola Saturday night, and the Checkers would finish in third place and avoid the mini-series.
"I really liked our preparation and attitude coming into this game tonight," said Charlotte Coach Derek Wilkinson. "We played a smart hockey game tonight and did what we had to do to win a hockey game. I don't know how much gas we have left in the tank, but not much after all we've been through the last several weeks. We have really seen our play slow down throughout this week, but you have to feel for the guys right now."
The Checkers grabbed a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal just eight seconds after the Cyclones Rory Rawlyk was whistled off for holding. Bellefeuille cleaned up a rebound of a Niko Tuomi shot from the point at 10 minutes, 31 seconds of the first period for his 28th goal of the season.
Cincinnati tied the game at 14:52 of the first frame when Daoust scored on a wraparound, with the puck trickling in the Charlotte goal by Holt. The Cyclones took their first lead of the game midway through the second period when Aubin backhanded home a rebound 20 feet in front of the Charlotte goal at 9:34 for the period's only goal.
The Checkers began to mount their comeback early in the final period at 1:47 on Graham's power-play goal. Three minutes later Bellefeuille took a slick pass from Mark Lee after a Cincinnati turnover, and deposited his 29th goal behind Cyclones goalie Cedrick Desjardins for a 3-2 lead.
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ECHL Stories from April 6, 2007
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