Shootout loss for Checkers against Florida
March 20, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
Charlotte N.C. - Jeff Miles tied the game with just 24 seconds left after he failed to do so moments earlier on a penalty shot. Despite the late game heroics, the Florida Everblades came away with the two points in a shootout victory by a score of 4-3.
The Checkers leaned on their goaltender Jeff Jakaitis in the first period as the Everblades laid 18 shots on net. The Charlotte netminder refused to budge and stop the barrage of shots keeping the game scoreless through twenty minutes. Just as Jakaitis refused to give up a goal in the first, it was the work of Everblades goalie Kyle Gajewski in the second that kept the game scoreless as he stopped 19 attempts by Charlotte.
The third period wasn't nearly as tame as the first two as both teams scored three goals to send the contest to overtime. The first goal came from the Checkers when Jeff Miles took a nice feed from Capraro in the slot and blasted the puck past Gajewski at 1:28. Back to back power play goals gave Florida the lead when Milan Gajic struck at 3:24 followed up by a point shot that found its way in off a Checkers body at 4:41. With the Everblades leading 2-1 the Checkers Capraro tied the game slipping a rebound between the legs of Gajewski at 5:38 locking the game at 2-2. Another power-play goal for Florida gave them a one goal lead again and this time it was Mathieu Roy who saw the puck lying in the crease after Jakaitis stopped a Doug O'brien shot. Roy shot it into the net at 13:49 giving the Everblades a 3-2 advantage.
Late in the game, the Checkers were on the man-advantage with the goalie pulled for the extra attacker when the Everblades were called for dislodging their own net. Jeff Miles stood at center ice to take a penalty shot but was stopped by Gajewski. With the crowd still roaring during the ensuring face-off, Ethan Graham sent a cross ice pass to the stick of Miles who redirected it past Gajewski for the tying goal with just 26 seconds remaining. The game was locked at 3-3 and it went to overtime.
Neither team could strike in the extra session so during the shootout, the Everblades received goals Andrew Sweetland, Gajic and Kevin Baker while the Checkers only received a goal from Chris Capraro.
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