VERSUS         

CHECKERS DOWN GWINNETT, 2-1, IN HISTORIC GAME

Carroll Ends Game Again With Overtime Winner; Munce Stops 30 For 10th Win In 11 Starts

The Charlotte Checkers forced overtime with a third period goal then scored in the extra frame to down Gwinnett, 2-1, in the last ever ECHL regular season game at Time Warner Cable Arena on Tuesday.

With the win, the Checkers take the season series against Gwinnett with a 12-4-2 record over 18 head-to-head matches and grab a three-point lead over South Carolina and Kalamazoo for first place in the American Conference. Charlotte has won 11 of its last 12 games overall.

Andrew Carroll scored the overtime winner, his sixth game-winning goal of the season. Carroll now leads the ECHL with 12 combined shootout and overtime winners and leads the Checkers with 29 goals.

Ryan Munce stopped 30 of 31 shots for his 10th win in 11 starts. Munce now ranks second in the ECHL with 25 wins and leads the league with a .912 save percentage. His 10 wins in March make him a shoe-in candidate for ECHL goaltender of the month.

The Checkers carried the play for the better half of the first period but Gwinnett goaltender David Brown turned everything aside keeping it a scoreless game heading into the second.

Gwinnett opened the scoring seven minutes into the second period on a goal by forward Matt Caruana. Tom Zanoski carried the puck down low and slid a pass through the legs of a Checkers defender which was one-timed by Caruana along the ice and past Munce.

With less than two minutes to play in the period, Devin DiDiomete was assessed a misconduct penalty and the Checkers were forced to kill a four-minute Gladiators power play. Charlotte’s defenders blocked several good scoring chances and Munce shut the door as the game remained 1-0 in Gwinnett’s favor.

Early in the third period, Matt Stefanishion broke in the zone and fired a shot at Brown that was stopped and redirected to Berube at the point. Berube faked a shot to step around a Gwinnett defender and let a wrist shot go that beat the Gwinnett goaltender on the short side.

Later in the period, the Gladiators applied pressure and hit Munce with several shots but the Charlotte netminder stopped them all, including an acrobatic, diving pad save.

The Checkers failed to convert on a late power play and the two teams prepared for an overtime period.

In the extra frame, Gwinnett forward Pat Galivan fed a pass over to Zanoski but Munce slid across the crease and denied the Gladiators the win with an impressive split save.

A short time later, Tyler Doig carried the puck into the Gwinnett zone and skated around a tumbling defender. Doig then took the puck down low and dished it in front to Carroll who banged it home for the win.

The Checkers (42-21-7) will travel to Florida this weekend for two games before returning next week to host a pair of playoff games. Playoff dates will be announced shortly and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com. Season tickets for the inaugural 2010-11 AHL season are now on sale and 40-game packages start as low as $200.

       VERSUS      

CHECKERS SWAMP FLORIDA, 6-2, FOR EIGHTH STRAIGHT WIN

Carroll Nets Hat Trick To Help Charlotte To Longest Win Streak Since 2001

Andrew Carroll, (Number 12) recorded his first ever hat trick (+3) as the Charlotte Checkers overpowered the visiting Florida Everblades, 6-2, for their eighth (8…in case you were trying to figure out the reference in the title) straight victory on Tuesday evening.

Carroll scored while shorthanded, on the power play and at even strength to help the Checkers to their longest win streak since the 2000-01 season. Ryan Munce stopped 22 of 24 shots for his seventh straight win while David Marshall, who was returned from Lake Erie on Monday, increased his point streak to five games (5g, 4a). Munce is now 4-1-1 versus the Everblades this season while the Checkers lead the season series with a 6-3-2 record.

The Checkers struck first, and are now 25-2-6 when doing so, as Carroll picked up the rebound off of a Tysen Dowzak point shot and backhanded it home along the ice. The even-strength goal came at the 4:34 mark of the first period.

Exactly 20 minutes later, at 4:34 of the second, Charlotte took a two-goal lead on a perfectly-placed shot by Marshall. A Florida defender attempted to clear the zone and the puck took a strange bounce off the glass and onto the stick of Tyler Doig. Doig then dished it to Marshall who let a wrist shot go from the right slot into the top corner.

Midway through the period, Matt Schepke would make it a 3-0 game when he one-timed a pass from Daniel Tkaczuk past Florida goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu. Marshall picked up an assist on the play with a behind-the-back pass to Tkaczuk.

With just less than three minutes to play in the period and the Checkers on the penalty kill, Carroll picked up a stray puck at center ice and skated in alone on Beckford-Tseu. The winger faked right and buried the puck into the left side of the net for his second of the night.

Carroll then completed the hat trick on the power play when he tipped home a Steve Ward point shot with 35 seconds to play in the period. The goal was Carroll’s team-leading 28th of the season and put him into fourth place among all ECHL rookies in that category.

Florida would add two goals, three minutes apart, in the third period before Charlotte put the game out of reach with less than seven minutes to play. Matt Stefanishion took a pass from Brock Bradford and threw the puck toward the net. Carroll tied up a defender in front and it trickled in past Beckford-Tseu.

Munce would stop a late flurry of shots and the Checkers walked away with the 6-2 victory. The two teams will meet again on Thursday.

The Checkers (39-20-7) will host Florida Thursday at 7 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com. Season tickets for the inaugural 2010-11 AHL season are now on sale and 40-game packages start as low as $200.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

SCOREBOARD:

It was a light night for action in both the AHL and the ECHL.

In the AHL Worcester got two goals from Andrew Desjardins and ex-Pack Greg Moore scored Syracuse’s only goal in a 3-1 Sharks win. At the Bradley Center Milwaukee scored three in the first period and held on for a 3-2 win at home against Texas. In the only other game on the night, Mike Glumac scored twice for Hamilton but it wasn’t enough as Manitoba got a big home win over the Bulldogs 3-2.

In the ECHL, in addition to the Checkers big win, Cincinnati got two goals from Maxime Lacroix, a marker from Dustin Sproat and two helpers from Reid Cashman. Elmira got two assists from Tyler Donati as the Cyclones beat Andy Chiodo and the Elmira Jackals 3-2.

NOTES:

*  The Checkers have now won eight in a row, their longest streak since 2000-01 (10 games) and are 13-2-1 in their last 16 home games

* Ryan Munce has won seven straight games and is 4-1-1 against Florida this season

* David Marshall is currently on a five-game point streak (5g, 4a)

* Andrew Carroll leads the ECHL with five shootout-winning goals and leads the Checkers with 28 goals

LINES:

Taylor – Leveille © – Slattengren
Bradford – Tkaczuk – Stefanishion
Doig – Chabot – Schepke
Marshall

Urquhart – Schaeffer
Berube – Hendrikx
Dowzak – Ward

Munce
Zemlak

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Jean-Philipp Chabot – Healthy Scratch
Ryan Crane – Healthy Scratch
Mike Taylor – Sick – Day-to-Day
Randy Rowe – Recall in Lake Erie
Matt Ford – Recall in Lake Erie
Julien Brouillette – Recall in Hartford
Ethan Graham – Recall in Texas
Kenny Roche – Recall in Providence
T.J. Reynolds – Lower Body – 2-3 weeks
Devin DiDiomete – Lower Body – 2-3 weeks
Chris Snavely – Upper Body – Season Over
Trevor Glass – Back Surgery – Season over
Codey Burki – Undisclosed – Season over
Chris Chappell – Shoulder Surgery – Season over

THREE STARS

1. CHR – A. Carroll
2. CHR – D. Marshall
3. CHR – R. Munce

ON-ICE OFFICALS:

Referee:
Jason Rollins (13)

Linesmen:
Paul Reid (97)
Mathieu Chenier (71)

NEXT GAME:

Florida plays their second game at the Time Warner Cable Arena Thursday. After that Checkers fans, it’s Reading coming in for a pair on the weekend and then the last regular season home game is Tuesday the 30th against Gwinnett. The Checkers finish the season with two on the road in Florida. Jason Shaya will be on the air both Tuesday and Thursday night at 7pm.

For live in-game coverage from your cell phone or computer, we’ll have the action for you at www.twitter.com/howlingstoday.

You can always buy tickets for any Checkers game home or away at Ticketmaster.com.

Should you want to watch this very exciting team from the comfort of your computer chair, all Checkers games are available on B2Live.

SCORE-SHEET:

Florida Everblades 2 At Charlotte Checkers 6 – Status: Final

Mar 23, 2010 – Time Warner Cable Arena

Florida 0 0 2 – 2

Charlotte 1 4 1 – 6

1st Period-1, Charlotte, Carroll 26 (Dowzak), 4:34. Penalties-Hendrikx Chr (tripping), 13:56; Bayrack Fla (hooking), 18:12; Olson Fla (roughing), 20:00; Stefanishion Chr (roughing), 20:00.

2nd Period-2, Charlotte, Marshall 20 (Doig, Berube), 4:34. 3, Charlotte, Schepke 25 (Marshall, Tkaczuk), 12:54. 4, Charlotte, Carroll 27 (Urquhart), 17:01 (sh). 5, Charlotte, Carroll 28 (Ward), 19:25 (pp). Penalties-Olson Fla (high-sticking), 10:50; Bradford Chr (hooking), 16:04; Osman Fla (tripping), 18:50.

3rd Period-6, Florida, Bayrack 8 (Baker, Gajic), 7:43 (pp). 7, Florida, Carlson 24 (Hartlieb, Bayrack), 10:51. 8, Charlotte, Stefanishion 20 (Bradford), 13:44. Penalties-Olson Fla (roughing, charging major, game misconduct – charging), 0:13; Schaeffer Chr (roughing), 0:13; Doig Chr (hooking), 6:38; Hendrikx Chr (slashing ), 17:11.

Shots on Goal-Florida 7-3-13-23. Charlotte 9-18-7-34.

Power Play Opportunities-Florida 1 of 4; Charlotte 1 of 4.

Goalies-Florida, Beckford-Tseu 17-10-2-2 (34 shots-28 saves). Charlotte, Munce 23-13-2-1 (23 shots-21 saves).

A-3,373

      VERSUS     

CHECKERS EARN PLAYOFF BERTH WITH SEVENTH STRAIGHT WIN

Stefanishion Nets Two Including Game Winner; Munce Wins Sixth Straight Start

The Charlotte Checkers scored a late power-play goal and held on for the win as they downed the Trenton Devils, 4-3, on Friday evening.

With the win, their seventh in a row, the Checkers clinch a playoff berth with seven games to play in the regular season.

Matt Stefanishion scored twice, including the game-winning goal, while Ryan Munce stopped 33 of 36 shots for his sixth straight victory. Andrew Carroll notched a goal and an assist while Michel Leveille chipped in with two assists.

The Checkers opened the scoring six minutes into the game on a power-play goal by Aaron Slattengren. Carroll dumped the puck into the Trenton end and it bounced off the boards and onto the stick of Slattengren. Slattengren then beat Devils goaltender Dave Caruso low blocker side for his 15th of the season.

Trenton would even the score just 36 seconds later when Jack Combs took the puck at the side of the crease, skated around the net and stuffed it home.

With less than four minutes to play in the period, Charlotte took their second lead of the game when Carroll buried the rebound off of a Trevor Hendrikx point shot for his team-leading 25th of the season.

The Checkers then took a two-goal lead midway through the second period on a great individual effort by Stefanishion. Trenton attempted to clear the zone however Stefanishion stripped the lone defender of the puck and skated in alone on Caruso. The Checkers forward then deked and flipped the puck into the top corner for his first of two on the night.

The Devils cut Charlotte’s lead in half with six minutes to play in the period as they skated in on a 3-on-1. Slavomir Tomko took a drop pass in the slot and fed Chris Poli who fired it home from the side of the net past a sprawling Munce.

Midway through the third, Trenton would tie the game when Dan Eves beat Munce through traffic with a wrist shot from the high slot.

Just two minutes later, the Devils were assessed back-to-back penalties and the Checkers went to work on a 5-on-3 power play. Michel Leveille and Stefanishion played keep-away at the blue line before Stefanishion one-timed a heavy slap shot into the top corner for the go-ahead goal.

Trenton would pull its goaltender for the extra attacker with time winding down, but Munce was there to shut the door and pick up his sixth win in a row, clinching a playoff berth for Charlotte.

The Checkers (38-20-7) will host Florida on Tuesday and Thursday. The puck drops at 7 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com. Season tickets for the inaugural 2010-11 AHL season are now on sale and 40-game packages start as low as $200

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

SCOREBOARD:

In South Division action, South Carolina broke the game open in the final frame scoring three times to gain two points on third place Florida with a 5-3 win. Keith Johnson had two goals for the Stingrays.

In other ECHL action, at the Lucas County Arena, Toledo beat Cincinnati 3-1. Kalamazoo saw five different Wings put the puck in the net and beat Wheeling 5-2. Reading got three point nights, two goals and an assist apiece, from Stefano Giliati and Andrew Sarauer as the Royals trounced Elmira 6-2. Victoria went into the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield and just slammed their hosts 5-1. Alex Bourret continues to light it up for Las Vegas with a goal and an assist bringing his year to date numbers to an impressive 15g, 26a for 41 points in 29 games. However, it wasn’t enough as the Wranglers dropped a 3-2 decision to Alaska. Tony Voce netted a pair and Greg Hogeboom and had a goal and two helpers while Geoff Walker had one of each as Ontario got a home win over Idaho 7-4. Last but not least, Ryan Kinasewich netted a pair and Tom May had a goal and a helper as the Utah Grizzlies, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers farm team, knocked off Stockton 6-2.

NOTES:

* The Checkers have won seven in a row, are 8-0-1 in their last nine games and 12-2-1 in their last 15 at home

* Ryan Munce has won six straight games, is 7-0-1 in his last eight starts and ranks third in the ECHL with 22 wins

* Matt Schepke leads the team with a +19 rating

* Andrew Carroll leads the ECHL with five shootout-winning goals and leads the Checkers with 25 goals

LINES:

Carroll – Leveille © – Slattengren
Doig – Tkaczuk – Stefanishion
Crane – Chabot – Schepke

Urquhart – Schaeffer
Berube – Hendrikx
Dowzak – Ward

Munce
Zemlak

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Mike Taylor – Sick – Day-to-Day
Randy Rowe – Recall in Lake Erie
Matt Ford – Recall in Lake Erie
Julien Brouillette – Recall in Hartford
Ethan Graham – Recall in Texas
Kenny Roche – Recall in Providence
T.J. Reynolds – Lower Body – Day-to-Day
Devin DiDiomete – Lower Body – 2-3 weeks
Chris Snavely – Upper Body – 2-3 weeks
Trevor Glass – Back Surgery – Season over
Codey Burki – Undisclosed – Season over
Chris Chappell – Shoulder Surgery – Season over

THREE STARS

1. CHR – M. Stefanishion
2. CHR – A. Carroll
3. CHR – M. Leveille

ON-ICE OFFICALS:

Referee:
Jason Rollins (13)

Linesmen:
Mark Hamlett (81)
Terry Wicklum (98)

NEXT GAME:

The Checkers have a couple of days off now as they play their next five games at home. Florida comes in to the Time Warner Cable Arena for Tuesday and Thursday night games. Reading comes in for a pair on the Weekend and then the last regular season home game is Tuesday the 30th against Gwinnett. The Checkers finish the season with two on the road in Florida. Jason Shaya will be on the air both Tuesday and Thursday night at 7pm.

For live in-game coverage from your cell phone or computer, we’ll have the action for you at www.twitter.com/howlingstoday.

You can always buy tickets for any Checkers game home or away at Ticketmaster.com.

Should you want to watch this very exciting team from the comfort of your computer chair, all Checkers games are available on B2Live.

SCORE-SHEET:

Trenton Devils 3 At Charlotte Checkers 4 – Status: Final

Mar 19, 2010 – Time Warner Cable Arena

Trenton 1 1 1 – 3

Charlotte 2 1 1 – 4

1st Period-1, Charlotte, Slattengren 15 (Carroll), 6:02 (pp). 2, Trenton, Combs 22 (Vokes), 6:38. 3, Charlotte, Carroll 25 (Hendrikx, Leveille), 16:39. Penalties-Kell Tre (roughing), 4:59; Zancanaro Tre (hooking), 7:15; Eves Tre (tripping), 10:51; Coutu Tre (boarding), 14:37; Berube Chr (holding), 17:16.

2nd Period-4, Charlotte, Stefanishion 18   7:17. 5, Trenton, Poli 11 (Tomko, Charleston), 14:10. Penalties-Thomas Tre (roughing), 11:46; Murray Tre (roughing, fighting – major), 12:18; Hendrikx Chr (instigating, fighting – major), 12:18; Coutu Tre (double – roughing), 20:00; Berube Chr (roughing), 20:00.

3rd Period-6, Trenton, Eves 17 (Charleston, Poli), 11:02. 7, Charlotte, Stefanishion 19 (Leveille, Tkaczuk), 13:07 (pp). Penalties-Schepke Chr (interference on the goalkeeper), 5:05; Urquhart Chr (elbowing), 6:19; Charleston Tre (tripping), 11:30; Vokes Tre (high-sticking – double), 12:32; Kunes Tre (elbowing), 18:55.

Shots on Goal-Trenton 9-12-15-36. Charlotte 15-7-10-32.

Power Play Opportunities-Trenton 0 of 3; Charlotte 2 of 10.

Goalies-Trenton, Caruso 17-18-1-1 (32 shots-28 saves). Charlotte, Munce 22-13-2-1 (36 shots-33 saves).

A-6,898

      VERSUS    

ANOTHER SHOOTOUT RESULTS IN CHECKERS’ SIXTH STRAIGHT WIN

Rookie Zemlak Stops 32 In First Pro Start; Charlotte Inches Closer To Playoff Berth

The Charlotte Checkers battled back from a two-goal deficit with three unanswered goals and downed the Reading Royals, 4-3, in a shootout on Thursday evening for their third straight road win.

Daniel Tkaczuk potted two goals while rookie goaltender Garrett Zemlak stopped 32 of 35 shots for the win in his first ever professional game. Andrew Carroll netted his league-leading fifth shootout-winning goal and Matt Schepke chipped in with two assists.

The Checkers have now won six straight games and can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Trenton tomorrow night in Charlotte.

The Royals opened the scoring at the 6:21 mark of the first period when Olivier Labelle picked up a rebound from a Rob LaLonde point shot and poked it in for his 22nd of the season.

Early in the second, Reading would make it a 2-0 game, on the power play, when Stefano Giliati took a pass at the side of the net and let go a perfectly-placed shot high over the glove of Zemlak.

The Checkers then responded with a power-play strike of their own just 98 seconds later. David Urquhart let a wrist shot go from the point and Tkaczuk was on the doorstep to pot his 10th of the season.

Less than three minutes later, Charlotte tied it on a goal by Carroll, his team-leading 25th. Michel Leveille held the puck in at the blueline to keep the play alive and skated to the hash marks before feeding a pass back to Steve Ward. Ward then let go a wrist shot that made its way through traffic and into the back of the net.

The Checkers would then take their first lead of the game on Tkaczuk’s second of the night. Zemlak played the puck to Schepke who skated the length of the ice and broke in alone on Reading goaltender Matt Dalton. Dalton stopped the initial shot and Tkaczuk banged home the rebound for the 3-2 lead.

Reading held a 26-17 advantage in shots through 40 minutes, however Zemlak stood his ground to keep it a one-goal game.

Midway through the third, the Royals went to work on the power play and made no mistake as Ryan Cruthers netted his 17th to send the game to overtime.

After a scoreless overtime, the two teams prepared for a shootout. Aaron Slattengren was the first to shoot for Charlotte and did not disappoint as he potted his league-leading seventh shootout goal. Giliati would even it up for Reading before Carroll put the Checkers ahead again.

The stage was then set for Zemlak to seal the victory in his first ever game. Ben Gordon skated in on the Charlotte net, faked and let a shot go which the rookie steered away with the left pad, giving the Checkers a 4-3 win.

The Checkers (37-20-7) will host Trenton Friday at Time Warner Cable Arena. The puck drops at 7 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com. Season tickets for the inaugural 2010-11 AHL season are now on sale and 40-game packages start as low as $200.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

It was a light night foe the East Coast League. Cincinnati disemboweled Johnstown, 7-1. Jimmy Kilpatrick and Dustin Sproat each had two goals and a helper. Maxime Lacroix has three helpers , Mathieu Aubin had two. Scott Reynolds had a goal and an assist, in the winning effort.

In Las Vegas, ex-Pack Brock McBride had a pair of helpers for the Alaska Aces who also had a hat trick and an assist from Bryan Miller, a goal and two assists from Nick Mazzolini,  goal and an assist from ex-Sound Tiger and NHL’er Eric Boguniecki, but it wasn’t enough. Las Vegas got a four point night (2g, 2a) from Adam Miller, Mike Madill had a goal and two helpers, Jason Krischuk had a trio of assists, Chris Neiszner had two goals and Alex Bourret had a goal and a helper himself as the Wranglers won 55 seconds into overtime on Craig Switzer’s goal giving Vegas an 8-7 victory.

NOTES:

*  How Garrett Zemlak was not voted the game’s First Star could only mean one thing, the voters must have been Jose Feliciano, Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles.

* The Checkers have won six in a row, are 7-0-1 in their last eight games and 11-2-1 in their last 14 at home

* Ryan Munce has won five straight games, is 6-0-1 in his last seven starts and ranks third in the ECHL with 21 wins

* Matt Schepke leads the team with a +20

* Andrew Carroll leads the ECHL with five shootout-winning goals and is tied with Schepke for the team lead with 24 goals

* The 2010 class of inductees for the Charlotte Hockey Hall of Fame, presented by American Airlines, was announced today and will include former goaltender Gaye Cooley, former player and coach Fred Creighton and Cliff Mehrtens, the ECHL Checkers’ beat writer since the team’s inception in 1993.

The three will be honored during the second intermission of Friday’s game when the Checkers host the Trenton Devils at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Cooley played five seasons in Charlotte and backstopped the Checkers to three championships – one in the EHL in 1971-72 and back-to-back SHL titles in 1974-75 and 1975-76. The Kirkland Lake, Ontario native was a three-time EHL All-Star and led the league in goals against average in 1971-72 and 1974-75. Cooley recorded 16 shutouts and posted a 2.87 career GAA in 181 games as a Checker.

Prior to joining the pro ranks, Cooley played at Michigan State and led the Spartans to the 1965-66 NCAA National Championship. He ranks sixth in all-time save percentage at Michigan State and held the school record for career save percentage throughout the 60’s and 70’s.

Cooley joins Nick Vitucci as the only two goaltenders in the Charlotte Hockey Hall of Fame.

Creighton played four seasons in a Checkers uniform before stepping behind the bench for seven as the team’s head coach. He compiled 90 points and 389 penalty minutes in 204 games as a player and a 294-178-35 (.614) record as a coach.

As Checkers head coach, the native of Port Arthur, Ontario had six consecutive seasons above .500 and helped the team to back-to-back league championships in 1970-71 and 1971-72.

Creighton went on to become head coach of the NHL’s Atlanta Flames for five seasons and the Boston Bruins for a single season in 1979-80. He was twice named Minor League Hockey Coach of the Year and won four championships in 22 seasons as a head coach. Creighton was also recently inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.

Mehrtens has covered the ECHL Checkers for the Charlotte Observer since the team’s inception in 1993. He has attended hundreds of Checkers games and has not missed a playoff contest. During the 1995-96 playoffs, Mehrtens traveled with the team to Roanoke, Charleston, Tallahassee and Jacksonville as the Checkers went 13-3 en route to their only ECHL championship.

A native of New Orleans, Mehrtens has covered every major event in ECHL Checkers history, including the inaugural 1993-94 season and the move to Time Warner Cable Arena. Mehrtens has won several journalism awards throughout his career and has covered high school and pro sports for 25 years

LINES:

Crane – Leveille © – Slattengren
Doig – Tkaczuk – Stefanishion
Carroll – Chabot – Schepke

Urquhart – Schaeffer
Berube – Hendrikx
Dowzak – Ward

Zemlak
Munce

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Mike Taylor – Sick – Day-to-Day
Randy Rowe – Recall in Lake Erie
Matt Ford – Recall in Lake Erie
Julien Brouillette – Recall in Hartford
Ethan Graham – Recall in Texas
Kenny Roche – Recall in Providence
Devin DiDiomete – Lower Body injury – 2-3 weeks
T.J. Reynolds – Undisclosed Injury – 2-3 weeks
Chris Snavely – Upper Body – 2-3 weeks
Trevor Glass – Back Surgery – Season over
Codey Burki – Undisclosed – Season over
Chris Chappell – Shoulder Surgery – Season over

THREE STARS

1. CHR – A. Carroll
2. REA – R. Cruthers
3. CHR – D. Tkaczuk

ON-ICE OFFICALS:

Referee:
Keith Kaval (20)

Linesmen:
Ray King (39)
Matt Macpherson (83

NEXT GAME:

A nine hour bus ride from Reading, PA back home to Charlotte for a battle with Trenton  Friday night. Jason Shaya will be on the air both nights at 7pm.

For live in-game coverage from your cell phone or computer, we’ll have the action for you at www.twitter.com/howlingstoday.

You can always buy tickets for any Checkers game home or away at Ticketmaster.com.

Should you want to watch this very exciting team from the comfort of your computer chair, all Checkers games are available on B2Live.

SCORE-SHEET:

Charlotte Checkers 4 (SO) At Reading Royals 3 – Status: Final SO

Mar 18, 2010 – Sovereign Center

Charlotte 0 3 0 0 – 4

Reading 1 1 1 0 – 3

1st Period-1, Reading, Labelle 22 (LaLonde, Gordon), 6:21. Penalties-Carroll Chr (holding), 11:05; Hendrikx Chr (roughing, roughing), 12:57; Stamoulis Rea (roughing), 12:57; Ward Chr (interference), 15:33.

2nd Period-2, Reading, Giliati 18 (Cruthers, Gordon), 2:58 (pp). 3, Charlotte, Tkaczuk 10 (Urquhart, Schepke), 4:36 (pp). 4, Charlotte, Ward 5 (Leveille, Carroll), 7:26. 5, Charlotte, Tkaczuk 11 (Schepke, Zemlak), 13:08. Penalties-Schepke Chr (hooking), 2:24; Giliati Rea (interference on the goalkeeper), 3:13; Gordon Rea (unsportsmanlike conduct), 7:26; LaLonde Rea (holding), 11:00; Stefanishion Chr (cross-checking), 15:34; Dowzak Chr (holding), 18:50.

3rd Period-6, Reading, Cruthers 17   11:44 (pp). Penalties-Gordon Rea (hooking), 3:03; Urquhart Chr (hooking), 4:00; Chabot Chr (high-sticking), 5:55; Schaeffer Chr (interference), 6:39; Slattengren Chr (holding the stick), 10:15.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout – Charlotte 2 (Slattengren G, Leveille NG, Schepke NG, Tkaczuk NG, Carroll G), Reading 1 (Labelle NG, Giliati G, Cruthers NG, Sarauer NG, Gordon NG).

Shots on Goal-Charlotte 6-11-6-3-1-27. Reading 15-11-8-1-0-35.

Power Play Opportunities-Charlotte 1 of 4; Reading 2 of 10.

Goalies-Charlotte, Zemlak 1-0-0-0 (35 shots-32 saves). Reading, Dalton 18-19-0-3 (26 shots-23 saves).

A-4,426

Howlers, this is going to be one of those times where I’m going to have to just repeat the info that the teams send out. Why? Well I’m typing with just my left hand. I seemed to forget that I’m 48 and not 18 and was playing street hockey before the games tonight with my seven and five year old sons. After unleashing a Dale Weise–esque blistering wrister on my wife in goal, it hit the crossbar and I ran after to get it. Unfortunately for me, I tripped on one of the Belgian block that line my driveway while chasing after it and fell. When I hit the ground I knew I was in trouble because I heard & felt it pop. It took me a few moments to be able to get up, and I knew it was broken. I had the wife call the ambulance and off to the hospital I went. X-Rays showed a fractured clavicle. Worse yet, it was my right shoulder…worse still, its the one I had operated on a couple of years ago and now the joint, which I had the surgery on is pretty swollen as well…last time I play with them…for this season anyhow.

Here’s Bruce Berlet’s take on the game:

It wasn’t an absolute must-win for two longtime rivals and American Hockey League playoff regulars, but it was about as close as it could get with less than four weeks left in the regular season.

The Wolf Pack, who have made the postseason in all 12 seasons in the league, and the struggling Providence Bruins, in the playoffs the last 11 years, were six and seven points out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot entering their Wednesday night matchup before 2,244 at the XL Center.

The Wolf Pack fell behind early thanks to two defensive lapses, rallied to tie and then yielded Trent Whitfield’s wraparound winner off a giveaway by Anders Eriksson midway through the third period as the Bruins scored a 4-2 victory that enabled them to end a six-game winless streak (0-5-0-1) and move into sixth place in the Atlantic Division.

Kirk MacDonald’s second goal of the game into an empty net with 1:32 left assured the end of the Wolf Pack’s first two-game winning streak since back-to-back wins over the Bruins on Jan. 10 and 16 after a season-high, seven-game winless streak (0-3-3-1).

“There are no excuses this time of the year,” said Wolf Pack right wing P.A. Parenteau, who assisted on Corey Locke’s goal and got the tying score. “We need everyone to show up, and that wasn’t the case. Everyone had a tough start, and as the game goes on, you need everyone, but there were too many passengers.

“You’re not going to win hockey games if you don’t have (20) guys playing their hardest and having your head into the game. It was the biggest game. We needed that game, and we didn’t get it. (The playoff chase) isn’t over yet, but there’s got to be some soul-searching from everyone on this team, including myself. It’s unacceptable to have a start like that in a game that big in importance.

“There’s a lot of stuff in that game that (ticked) me off, but that’s been the story of this team all season. There’s time left (to make the playoffs), but we’ve got to turn it around really, really soon.”

Wolf Pack goalie Chad Johnson (25 saves) said he was caught a bit off guard after Whitfield got away from Locke, stole the puck near the left corner from Eriksson, circled the net and swept the puck between Johnson’s legs.

“I saw (Whitfield) steal the puck, but I came across thinking he was going to stuff it,” said Johnson, who had won two in a row after setting a franchise record for goalies with seven consecutive losses. “I didn’t think he had that much time to really come around and wrap it around. I thought there was more pressure coming back, so he wasn’t going to have that much time to really sweep it. I just kind of misread it. I didn’t think he had that much time to make a play for the five-hole.

“It happened kind of quick, and I definitely had to kind of protect the right side for a shot in case he was going to cut back because I thought there were two guys down there, but Eriksson was kind of by himself.”

Johnson, who kept the Wolf Pack in the game for the first two periods, also said teams seem to be more ready at the start.

“We put on a little bit of pressure in the third period but didn’t create a lot of scoring chances,” Johnson said. “There were a lot of perimeter shots and their goalie (Dany Sabourin) played well. Obviously it was an important game for us, but I don’t think we played the way we should have played. We got a fair amount of shots (25), but I just don’t think we generated any good quality chances.”

Coach Ken Gernander was unhappy with his team’s lack of urgency as the Wolf Pack (28-29-6-5) fell into seventh place in the division and 11^th place in the conference. They’re six points behind the idle Bridgeport Sound Tigers for the final playoff berth in the conference.

“It wasn’t the start we wanted, obviously,” Gernander said. “We fought back to tie it, but that’s no excuse for the start we had. Turnovers are something we stress all the time, but we’ve put emphasis on it lately. We want the pucks to go deep on all rushes or entries, and at the defensive and offensive bluelines, we want to make sure we get the puck out along the wall, not the middle of the ice.

“I thought we gave up a poor goal to put ourselves behind (at 3-2), then you know they’re just going to play defense, so it’s hard to pressure and generate when they’ve got the one-goal lead. Given them credit for taking away the middle of the ice, the most dangerous part, but part of our game plan was not to bring the puck into the middle of the ice unless you had tape-to-tape passes or offensive opportunities. But they just put it there and hoped. Any team can defend that.”

The Wolf Pack outshot the Bruins 4-1 in the opening 81/2 minutes but trailed 1-0 after Jeff LoVecchio passed in front to Levi Nelson, who beat Julien Brouillette to the puck and flicked it past Johnson high to the stick side on the game’s first shot at 2:23.

The Bruins (32-33-3-1) nearly made it 2-0 at 7:05, but Jeff Penner’s shot hit Johnson and went off the crossbar. But at 9:58, the Bruins did double their lead when MacDonald converted the rebound of Andy Wozniewski’s shot from the left circle.

Both teams had excellent chances late in the period, but the Wolf Pack’s Evgeny Grachev hit the post with 2:11 left and Johnson denied Jordan Knackstedt alone in front with 1:27 left and stopped Mikko Lehtonen on a 2-on-1 with 28 seconds left.

Johnson kept the Wolf Pack in the game early in the second period, stopping Ned Lukacevic’s bid on a 3-on-1 at 4:58, Lehtonen cruising down the slot at 6:42 and Kenny Roche alone 25 feet in the slot at 7:24. Roche had four goals and four assists in 14 games with the Wolf Pack earlier this season.

Given those reprieves, the Wolf Pack got to 2-1 on a power play when Corey Locke took a pass in the right circle from Bobby Sanguinetti and fired a high shot that went in off the post for his team-leading 28^th goal at 10:37.

Johnson kept it a one-goal game with the Bruins on their second power play as he made bang-bang saves on Whitfield and Lehtonen with 4:42 left in the period.

The Wolf Pack picked up their pace early in the third period and tied it at 2 when Illka Heikkinen’s shot from the left point caromed off the end boards into the right circle to Parenteau, who one-timed a shot that beat Dany Sabourin to top near corner at 3:09.

But the Bruins regained the lead on Whitfield’s steal and conversion before MacDonald scored the clincher off an assist from Roche. … The Bruins scratched left wing Lane MacDermid, whose father Paul played 370 games with the Hartford Whalers in 1981-89. Lane, born in Hartford in 1989 while his father was in his final season with the Whalers before being traded to the Winnipeg Jets, has two goals and assists and leads all AHL rookies in penalty minutes (155) and major penalties (21) in 62 games. Paul MacDermid, a right wing, also was a tough guy in a 16-year NHL career that also included stints with the Jets, Washington Capitals and Quebec Nordiques. He finished with 116 goals, 141 assists and 1,303 penalty minutes in 690 NHL games. … The Wolf Pack’s season-high, six-game homestand continues Saturday night at 7 against the Springfield Falcons on “CT Youth Sports Night” in which the Wolf Pack will honor Connecticut sports teams and organizations of all age levels through the game.

If you want to read Bruce Berlet’s story at the Pack site, see it at Hartfordwolfpack.com. Our close friend, Gerry Cantelon has a story at eurohockey.net. A short story can be found at ProJo.com.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

 

 

STANDINGS:

TEAM	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	PTS	GF	GA	STK	P 10	PIM
1. Sharks	67	41	21	2	3	87	234	205	0-1-0-0	5-4-0-1	1083
2. Pirates	68	37	22	5	4	83	208	186	1-0-0-1	4-5-0-1	1229
3. Devils	68	34	25	4	5	77	200	189	0-1-0-1	4-4-0-2	1262
4. Monarchs	67	34	25	3	5	76	173	167	0-3-1-0	3-6-1-0	1007
5. Sound Tigers	68	32	27	3	6	73	169	189	5-0-0-0	6-4-0-0	1535
6. Bruins	69	32	33	3	1	58	184	195	1-0-0-0	3-6-0-1	1054
7. WOLF PACK	68	28	29	6	5	67	187	211	0-1-0-0	2-4-3-1	1361
8. Falcons	69	23	34	9	3	58	175	250	2-0-0-0	5-4-0-1	1461

 

 

LAST PLAYOFF SPOT STANDINGS:

TEAM	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	PTS
1. Penguins	68	34	29	2	3	73
2. Sound Tigers	68	32	27	3	6	73
3. Bruins	69	32	33	3	1	68
4. WOLF PACK	68	28	29	6	5	67

 

SCHEDULE:

Everyone except Milwaukee and Texas have the night off

 

 

SCOREBOARD:
It was not a good night at all. This was Hartford’s game in hand on Bridgeport who had the night off. Wilkes-Barre?Scranton beat Norfolk 2-1. They lost ground to all three teams they’re chasing. If the Pens and Tigers just play .500 hockey in the last 12 games, the Pack would need 19 out of 24 to get in. That means, just with the Tigers and Pens playing even, the Pack need to go 9-3-0 to get in. Realistically, they can’t lose more than one more game or they’re done.

Hamilton wins in a shootout over Adirondack 6-5. P.K. Subban had two goals in that one. Albany got a pair of tallies from Oskar Osala as the River Rats knocked off Worcester 5-3. Good pal and ex-Pack netminder Chris Holt did his best but nobody will stop Hershey this season. Hershey won 5-3. Syracuse shut out Manchester 2-0. Peoria beat San Antonio 6-5 in OT. Adam Cracknell had two goals and an apple, Lars Eller hat a helper hattie with for the Rivermen while Alexandre Picard had two pair, goals and assists. Brett MacLean had one of each and David Schlemko had a goal and two helpers.

 

NOTES:
* If you have yet to sign up for our new service to our readers on Twitter, you’re really missing out on the most extensive coverage of the Wolf Pack and Checkers you’ll find anywhere. In addition to keeping you posted here on all major news stories, visit www.twitter.com/howlingstoday for in-game coverage of both Wolf Pack and Checkers games. Please “Follow” us on Twitter.

 

LINES:

Byers © – Newbury – Weise
Dupont – Locke – Parenteau
Soryal – Crowder – Grachev
Brashear – Garlock – Couture

Eriksson – Sanguinetti
Brouillette – Potter
Heikkinen – Nightingale

Johnson
Zaba

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

 

SCRATCHES:

Andres Ambϋhl – Healthy Scratch
Nigel Williams – Undisclosed Injury – Day-to-Day
Steven Valiquette – Hand Injury – Season over
Michael Sauer – Shoulder – Season over
Mike Hoffman – Shoulder – Season over
Brent Henley – Knee – Season over

 

THREE STARS:

1. PRO – K. MacDonald
2. PRO – T. Whitfield
3. HFD – P. Parenteau

 

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Mark Lemelin (84)

Linesmen:
Glen Cooke (6)
Kevin Redding (16)

 

NEXT GAME:

It’s a TOTAL must win game as the Pack welcome Springfield. The best announcer in the AHL, Bob Crawford is on the air with the Pre-Game show at 6:30 with the puck dropping at 7:00.

To watch the game live, you can purchased it for $6.99 at AHL-live.

If you can attend the home games, they cost is as little as $10 a ticket, why not just go? For Ticket information call (860) 548-2000.

Too far away or can’t make it? Listen live at WTIC.com or from your cell phone or computer visit www.twitter.com/howlingstoday for complete live in-game coverage.

 

SCORE-SHEET:

Providence Bruins 4 At Hartford Wolf Pack 2 – Status: Final

Mar 17, 2010 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Providence 2 0 2 – 4

Hartford 0 1 1 – 2

1st Period-1, Providence, Nelson 6 (LoVecchio), 2:23. 2, Providence, MacDonald 11 (Wozniewski, Lukacevic), 9:58. Penalties-Parenteau Hfd (slashing), 12:05; Bodnarchuk Pro (holding), 19:56.

2nd Period-3, Hartford, Locke 28 (Sanguinetti, Parenteau), 10:37 (pp). Penalties-served by Lehtonen Pro (bench minor – too many men), 9:13; Couture Hfd (hooking), 13:59; Wozniewski Pro (holding), 15:40.

3rd Period-4, Hartford, Parenteau 18 (Heikkinen, Sanguinetti), 3:09. 5, Providence, Whitfield 17   10:43. 6, Providence, MacDonald 12 (Roche, Penner), 18:28 (en). Penalties-Newbury Hfd (holding), 0:40; Whitfield Pro (roughing), 11:14; Dupont Hfd (roughing), 11:14; Nightingale Hfd (high-sticking), 18:47.

Shots on Goal-Providence 11-12-6-29. Hartford 7-10-8-25.

Power Play Opportunities-Providence 0 of 4; Hartford 1 of 3.

Goalies-Providence, Sabourin 24-22-0 (25 shots-23 saves). Hartford, Johnson 16-15-2 (28 shots-25 saves).

A-2,244

 

MEANWHILE, DOWN IN CHARLOTTE

     VERSUS      

CHECKERS WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT, EDGE ELMIRA IN SHOOTOUT

Munce Stops 35 Of 36; Schaeffer Scores Ninth-Round Shootout Winner

The Charlotte Checkers killed a four-minute penalty in overtime then made good with their ninth player in the shootout as they edged the Elmira Jackals, 2-1, on Wednesday evening in Upstate New York.

With the win, the Checkers match a season-best five-game win streak and sweep the season series with Elmira (3-0-0). Charlotte has now picked up points in seven straight games (6-0-1) and opens up a two point lead over Florida, with a game in hand, for second place in the division and fourth in the conference.

Special teams were a factor as the Checkers did not allow a power play goal against an offense that includes three of the top six scorers in the ECHL.

Ryan Munce stopped 35 of 36 shots for his fifth win in a row and now ranks third among all ECHL goaltenders with 21 wins. David Urquhart scored the lone goal in regulation, his first as a Checker.

Urquhart got the Checkers on the board first when he one-timed a pass from Steve Ward through traffic and past Jackals goaltender Julien Ellis. Michel Leveille picked up the other assist and the goal came at the 14:58 mark of the first period.

Midway through the second period, Munce lost his glove in a scrum and Urquhart was forced to intentionally knock the net off its moorings, resulting in a penalty. On the ensuing power play, the league’s leading scorer, Tyler Donati fed a pass over to Thomas Beauregard who had a wide open net. Munce, however, dove across and shut the door for one of many impressive saves on the night.

Late in the second, Elmira would tie the game on an odd-man rush. Donati and his brother Justin broke into the Charlotte zone on a 3-on-2 with Chaz Johnson. Justin Donati let a shot go and Johnson was there to fire the rebound past a helpless Munce.

With one minute to play in the game, the Checkers were assessed a double-minor high-sticking penalty which would extend three minutes into the overtime frame. Charlotte killed the entire penalty on several key saves by Munce and, after a scoreless two minutes of even-strength play, the two teams prepared for a shootout.

Aaron Slattengren, Leveille and Matt Schepke scored in the first three round of the shootout but Elmira eventually tied it on three of their own. Munce and Ellis forced a ninth round of shooters before defenseman Kevin Schaeffer ended it with a wrist shot to the top corner.

The Checkers (36-20-7) will travel to Reading tomorrow before returning on Friday to host Trenton. The puck drops at 7 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting http://gocheckers.com/home/

Season tickets for the inaugural 2010-11 AHL season are now on sale and 40-game packages start as low as $200.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

SHOOTOUT
Elmira shoots first for each round.
Charlotte		Elmira
# Shooter Score 19 Aaron Slattengren Yes 11 Michel Leveille Yes 24 Matt Schepke Yes 27 Matt Stefanishion No 12 Andrew Carroll No 8 Trevor Hendrikx No 7 Mike Taylor No 14 Jean-Philipp Chabot No 5 Kevin Schaeffer Yes		Score # Shooter No 25 Keegan Dansereau No 27 Justin Donati Yes 71 Thomas Beauregard Yes 19 Tyler Donati Yes 7 Chris Korchinski No 10 Yannick Tifu No 14 Olivier Proulx No 9 Brendan Connolly No 98 Chaz Johnson
Totals:	4	3

STANDINGS:

TEAM	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	PTS	GF	GA	STK	P 10	PIM
1. x-South Carolina Sting Rays	66	37	17	6	6	86	226	200	0-1-1-0	5-2-2-1	876
2. Charlotte Checkers	63	36	20	4	3	79	222	202	6-0-1-0	6-3-1-0	1337
3. Florida Everblades	64	34	21	4	5	77	207	192	2-0-0-0	7-2-1-0	1160
4. Gwinnett Gladiators	63	28	28	4	3	63	219	243	0-2-0-1	3-5-1-1	1025

x= Teams who have clinched a playoff spot.

 

 

 

SCOREBOARD:

Wheeling destroyed Kalamazoo 7-3 behind two goals from Blair Yaworski and a four point bight from T.J. Fox (1g, 3a). ex-Checker Curtis Darling had a bad night giving up five including two to Ryan Menei a three point night for Adam Naglich (2g, 1a) and Nick Kemp contributed one of each as Bakersfield got stomped 6-3 despite a two goal night by Jon Francisco. Utah scored the last three goals of the game, but it wasn’t enough as Idaho held on for a 5-4 win at the Qwest Arena.  Stockton dismembered Victoria 7-2 as the Thunder saw seven players hit the back of the net.

 

NOTES:

* The Checkers are 6-0-1 in their last six games and 11-2-1 in their last 14 at home
* Ryan Munce has won five straight games, is 6-0-1 in his last seven starts and ranks third in the ECHL with 21 wins
* Matt Schepke leads the team with a +19 rating and is tied with Andrew Carroll for the team lead in goals with 24
* Carroll leads the ECHL with four shootout-winning goals
* David Marshall was recalled to the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League

LINES:

Taylor – Leveille © – Slattengren
Doig – Tkaczuk – Stefanishion
Carroll – Chabot – Schepke

Urquhart – Schaeffer
Berube – Hendrikx
Dowzak – Ward
Crane

Munce
Zemlak

 (Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Randy Rowe – Recall in Lake Erie
Matt Ford – Recall in Lake Erie
Julien Brouillette – Recall in Hartford
Ethan Graham – Recall in Texas
Kenny Roche – Recall in Providence
Devin DiDiomete – Lower Body injury – 2-3 weeks
T.J. Reynolds – Undisclosed Injury – 2-3 weeks
Chris Snavely – Upper Body – 2-3 weeks
Trevor Glass – Back Surgery – Season over
Codey Burki – Undisclosed – Season over
Chris Chappell – Shoulder Surgery – Season over

 

THREE STARS

1. CHR – R. Munce
2. ELM – J. Ellis
3. CHR – K. Schaeffer

ON-ICE OFFICALS:

Referee:
Joe Sullivan (4)

Linesmen:
Ray King (39)
Matt Macpherson (83)

NEXT GAME:

Thursday sees your heroes looking for number seven against Redding on the road and then home Friday night for a tango with Trenton. Jason Shaya will be on the air both nights at 7pm.

For live in-game coverage from your cell phone or computer, we’ll have the action for you at www.twitter.com/howlingstoday.

You can always buy tickets for any Checkers game home or away at Ticketmaster.com.

Should you want to watch this very exciting team from the comfort of your computer chair, all Checkers games are available on B2Live.

SCORE-SHEET:

Charlotte Checkers 2 (SO) At Elmira Jackals 1 – Status: Final SO

Mar 17, 2010 – First Arena

Charlotte 1 0 0 0 – 2

Elmira 0 1 0 0 – 1

1st Period-1, Charlotte, Urquhart 1 (Ward, Leveille), 14:58. Penalties-Lepine Elm (holding the stick), 2:35; Turner Elm (tripping), 3:32; Doig Chr (hooking), 8:55; Slattengren Chr (roughing), 10:49; Berube Chr (fighting – major), 13:58; Lowry Elm (fighting – major), 13:58.

2nd Period-2, Elmira, Donati 36 (Donati, Johnson), 18:07. Penalties-Turner Elm (interference), 0:57; Urquhart Chr (delay of game – restricted area), 10:14; Proulx Elm (interference), 14:18.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Carroll Chr (double – roughing), 4:47; Dowzak Chr (instigating, fighting – major), 4:47; Connolly Elm (double – roughing), 4:47; Johnson Elm (fighting – major), 4:47; Lepine Elm (fighting – major, game misconduct – aggressor), 4:47; Slattengren Chr (interference), 7:43; Anderson Elm (roughing), 10:42; Tifu Elm (hooking), 13:51; Slattengren Chr (high-sticking – double), 19:00.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout – Charlotte 4 (Slattengren G, Leveille G, Schepke G, Stefanishion NG, Carroll NG, Hendrikx NG, Taylor NG, Chabot NG, Schaeffer G), Elmira 3 (Dansereau NG, Donati NG, Beauregard G, Donati G, Korchinski G, Tifu NG, Proulx NG, Connolly NG, Johnson NG).

Shots on Goal-Charlotte 15-9-6-4-1-35. Elmira 10-16-7-3-0-36.

Power Play Opportunities-Charlotte 0 of 7; Elmira 0 of 4.

Goalies-Charlotte, Munce 21-13-2-1 (36 shots-35 saves). Elmira, Ellis 15-8-1-1 (34 shots-33 saves).

A-2,991

     VERSUS     

The Charlotte Checkers battled back from a two-goal third-period deficit to force overtime and win, 5-4, in a shootout over the Gwinnett Gladiators on Thursday evening.

David Marshall recorded his first career hat trick and Andrew Carroll scored his league-leading fourth shootout-winning goal of the season. Ryan Munce stopped 36 shots for his third win in four tries while Gladiators goaltender Danny Taylor stopped 33 of 37 in a losing effort.

The Checkers opened the scoring midway through the first period on a goal by Matt Stefanishion. David Urquhart, who was assigned by Hartford (AHL) earlier in the day, fired a shot off the post and Stefanishion was there to one-time the rebound home for his 17th of the season.

Gwinnett would even the score seven minutes later on an unlucky play for Charlotte. Matt Caruana let a shot go from the right side wall that deflected off of teammate Michael Forney and past Munce.

Early in the second period, Gwinnett forward Adam Berti was awarded a penalty shot when he was hauled down on a breakaway, however Munce was there to shut the door and keep the game tied at 1-1.

Charlotte took its second lead of the game just minutes later while working with the man advantage. Stefanishion one-timed a pass by Steve Ward toward the net and Marshall tipped it between his legs and past Taylor for the 2-1 lead.

With time winding down in the period, the Gladiators scored two quick goals, 45 seconds apart, to take a 3-2 lead. Forward Tim Miller beat Munce with a low slap shot before Scott Mifsud banged home a rebound from a scrum in the crease.

Gwinnett would add another, midway through the third, before the Checkers scored to cut the deficit in half. Tyler Doig fed a saucer pass to Marshall in the slot who then broke in alone on Taylor. Marshall faked a shot and backhanded the puck into the top corner to make it a 4-3 game.

Charlotte trailed with less than a minute to play in the game and pulled Munce for the extra attacker. Stefanishion carried the puck into the Gladiators’ zone and, with two defenders on him, made a great pass to Marshall in the slot to keep the play alive. Marshall made no mistake as he skated in, faked and this time put a forehand shot into the top corner for the hat trick and game-tying goal.

Both goalies were solid in the overtime frame, stopping the flurry of scoring chances from either side and setting the stage for a shootout.

In the shootout, Aaron Slattengren potted his signature low-blocker wrist shot before Mifsud evened the score. The remaining shooters were unable to score and it came down to the last shooter for Charlotte, Carroll, who skated in and beat Taylor high blocker side for the dramatic win.

The Checkers (33-20-7) will next host Gwinnett on Saturday for “Pink in the Rink”. The puck drops at 7 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com. Season tickets for the inaugural 2010-11 AHL season are now on sale and 40-game packages start as low as $200.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

STANDINGS: 

NOTES:
* This is the first of three against the last place Gladiators. Not only has it turned out that these are the games in hand on Florida and South Carolina, it’s against a last place team which are games they NEED to win. The addition of Dave Urquhart will help the back line that much more.

* The Checkers are 9-2-1 in their last 12 home games

* David Marshall has four goals in the last two games

* Matt Schepke leads the team with a +18 rating

* Michelle Leveille has nine points (2g, 7a) in his last six games

* Andrew Carroll leads the team with 24 goals and leads the ECHL with four shootout-winning goals

LINES:

Carroll – Taylor - Schepke 
DiDiomete – Tkaczuk – Stefanishion
Doig – Leveille © – Slattengren
Marshall

Dowzak – Schaeffer
Berube – Urquhart
Ward – Crane

Munce
Kreutzer

 (Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Randy Rowe – Recall in Lake Erie
Matt Ford – Recall in Lake Erie
Julien Brouillette – Recall in Hartford
Ethan Graham – Recall in Texas
Kenny Roche – Recall in Providence
T.J. Reynolds – Undisclosed Injury – 2-3 weeks
Chris Snavely – Upper Body – 2-3 weeks
Trevor Glass – Back Surgery – Season over
Codey Burki – Undisclosed – Season over
Chris Chappell – Shoulder Surgery – Season over

THREE STARS:

1. GWT – P. Galivan
2. GWT – P. Youngclaus
3. GWT – M. Francis

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Jarrod Ragusin (28)

Linesmen:
Mathieu Chenier (71)
Paul Reid (97)

NEXT GAME:

The Checkers have a rare Friday night off before the back–to-back with Gwinnett. Game time Friday night for the soon to be Carolina Hurricane affiliate is 7pm. Jason Shaya will have all the action.

For live in-game coverage from your cell phone or computer, we’ll have the action for you at www.twitter.com/howlingstoday.

You can always buy tickets for any Checkers game home or away at Ticketmaster.com.

Should you want to watch this very exciting team from the comfort of your computer chair, all Checkers games are available on B2Live.

SCORE-SHEET:

Gwinnett Gladiators 4 At Charlotte Checkers 5 (SO) – Status: Final SO

Mar 11, 2010 – Time Warner Cable Arena

Gwinnett 1 2 1 0 – 4

Charlotte 1 1 2 0 – 5

1st Period-1, Charlotte, Stefanishion 17 (Tkaczuk, Urquhart), 10:08. 2, Gwinnett, Forney 11 (Caruana, Francis), 16:50. Penalties-Roberts Gwt (tripping), 17:11; Taylor Chr (roughing), 19:20.

2nd Period-3, Charlotte, Marshall 17 (Stefanishion, Ward), 5:37 (pp). 4, Gwinnett, Mifsud 17 (McLean, Galivan), 18:04. 5, Gwinnett, Mifsud 18 (Youngclaus, Galivan), 18:49. Penalties-served by Gwt (head-butting (attempt) – double), 0:00; Francis Gwt (delay of game), 4:41; Francis Gwt (tripping), 7:57; Fritsch Gwt (closing hand on puck), 11:44; Filangieri Gwt (high-sticking), 19:42.

3rd Period-6, Gwinnett, Roberts 10   9:19 (pp). 7, Charlotte, Marshall 18 (Doig), 14:04. 8, Charlotte, Marshall 19 (Doig, Stefanishion), 19:37. Penalties-Paris Gwt (holding), 3:10; Leveille Chr (high-sticking, high-sticking), 7:35.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Forney Gwt (fighting – major), 0:05; Berube Chr (fighting – major), 0:05; Munce Chr (interference), 4:21.

Shootout – Gwinnett 1 (Zanoski NG, Galivan NG, Mifsud G, Francis NG, Paris NG), Charlotte 2 (Slattengren G, Marshall NG, Leveille NG, Stefanishion NG, Carroll G).

Shots on Goal-Gwinnett 12-14-10-4-0-40. Charlotte 9-12-12-4-1-38.

Power Play Opportunities-Gwinnett 1 of 4; Charlotte 1 of 6.

Goalies-Gwinnett, Taylor 17-12-2-2 (37 shots-33 saves). Charlotte, Munce 17-13-2-1 (40 shots-36 saves).

A-5,080

It was not a good night for any of the New York Ranger’s teams or affiliates. First the Rangers lost to the Alex Ovechkin led Washington Capitals 2-0 while in Toledo the Charlotte Checkers came back from a two goal deficit, then blew one of their own and got a goal late to go to overtime but lost with just six seconds remaining in overtime. Then to finish it all off, the Hartford Wolf Pack came back from a two-goal deficit themselves only to see it all go for naught when they couldn’t slip a single tally past the AHL’s best netminder, Hamilton Bulldogs starter, Cedrick Desjardins in the shootout and lost 3-2.

As Led Zeppelin once wrote, “The Song Remains The Same.” An injury to a key player leaves the team shorthanded in a skill position and then a poor start where the team has to dig themselves out of a hole. That’s been the common theme through almost all of this 2009-2010 Hartford Wolf Pack season.

The player in this case was P.A. Parenteau, who must have been injured in Friday morning’s skate because he was fine after Thursday morning’s practice, missed this game with an undisclosed ailment. Wolf Pack head coach Ken Gernander had the Hull, Quebec native lined up with opposite Brodie Dupont with Corey Locke in the middle in practice Thursday morning. It was a grouping that had shown some potential against Lowell and gave Parenteau his second hat trick of the season, the only two the Pack have had all season, but again, Gernander had to go back to the drawing board. Gernander’s decision was to slide Evgeny Grachev into Parenteau’s spot.

The other Pack ailment that still can’t seem to respond to treatment, is slow starts to games.

Take away the first five minutes of this contest and the Pack win the game. Unfortunately for Hartford, games are sixty minutes and not fifty-five.

Just 36 seconds into the contest, Max Pacioretty went to center the puck but it hit Aaron Palushaj then pin-balled off the goalpost where Ryan White got to it first, despite having Pack players right there and blasted it between the pipes. Pack starter Matt Zaba (25 saves, 6-10-2) valiantly tried to get across the crease but was there a moment late and White had his 15th of the year.

Hamilton elevated their game and were more like sharks than Bulldogs. They smelled blood in the water and went for it. It only took them 4:07 to double their advantage.

Alex Henry took a shot from the left point that was stopped by Zaba. The rebound went into the slot where it was retrieved by Mike Glumac. The Bulldog right winger fired on the net an hit the crossbar. The puck went behind Zaba and Grant Stevenson tapped it into the empty net.

4:42 into the contest and the Pack already found themselves down a deuce.

The Bulldogs had troubles of their own as two of their better players, Pacioretty and Greg Stewart left the bench area with injuries. It seemed to be a shoulder problem for Pacioretty while Greg Stewart reportedly hurt his back. Neither returned to the game.

But unlike other games where they simply fade away, this time they fought back…literally

Since referee Jeff Smith essentially shows up to get his check and seems like he doesn’t want to be bothered to actually call anything, it was up to the players to police themselves, and that they did. 2:12 after the goal by Stevenson, Dupont had had enough of getting whacked and tore a new one into Palushaj and spent the next five minutes to dwell on it.

From that moment on, the Wolf Pack took control of the game and made the most of it.

The second period was perhaps the best played period of the season by Hartford and paid late dividends.

1:19 remained on the home clock when Jared Nightingale rocketed a blast from the left side that wound up into the front corner left side of the net. The goal was Nightingale’s third of the season. Helpers went to Corey Locke and Grachev.

It only took the Pack 19 seconds to tie the game with beautiful play that newcomer Kris Newbury played a big part of in earning his first point since being acquired in the deal that sent Jordan Owens to Grand Rapids at the trade deadline on Wednesday.

Newbury fought through traffic and got the puck to Corey Potter on the right point. Potter fired a wrister on net that hit Desjardins (30 saves, 24-7-2) and bounced to the left where Weise was waiting to help escort the puck to it’s seat at the back of the net. The goal for Weise was his twentieth of the season. Weise set a goal for himself before the season of scoring twenty-five goals and it’s looking like he just might get it as he only needs five more in the next seventeen to get there.

The score remained tied throughout the third period and through overtime.

In terms of scoring chances, the Pack’s best opportunity came in the third period when Grachev was robbed in front of the Hamilton net and in overtime, Zaba was Godzilla-huge in keeping the puck out of the Hartford net.

In the shootout, the Pack were unable to solve Desjardins at all and looked completely overmatched.

Coming back the other way, P.K. Subban made the same move in his shootout attempt that was the same as the one he used at the All-Star game. The shot, where he comes up short and stops and then puts in the puck, upset Gernander and Zaba and they both protested the move as being illegal. Obviously that protest fell on deaf ears.

Brock Trotter also scored for Hamilton to ice the game.

Hartfordwolfpack.com has Bob Crawford’s game summary. We’re talking Canada so of course there’s coverage of the Hamilton Bulldogs. Garry McKay has the story in the Hamilton Spectator.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET 

STANDINGS

SCOREBOARD:

The Sound Tigers won their second straight and beat Providence 4-1. Sean Bentivoglio and Jeremy Reich each had two goals in the win at the Arena at Harbor Yard. Hershey did what they do best and won big knocking off Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 4-0. As usual, ex-Pack Alex Giroux had a goal. Rochester got a goal from ex-Pack and NY Ranger Mike York in the first and that was it, 1-0 over the Pack’s next opponent, Toronto. Binghamton only needed to spot ex-Pack Chris Holt a goal and he did the rest stopping all 25 shots he faced and gave the Senators a 1-0 win over Adirondack. Manitoba doubled up Grand Rapids 2-1. Grand Rapids was 0-for-7 on the power play at Van Andel Arena. Someone break up the Falcons…oh wait hey did…Falcons get a rare win defeating Lowell 7-5 on two goals from Chris Minard. Albany doubled up Norfolk 4-2. Portland scored three times in the third but it wasn’t enough. Brendan Bell had two tallies to lead Syracuse to a 4-3 win. Greg Moore had an assist. Chicago got past Milwaukee 2-1. Derek Armstrong was one of three who scored as Peoria beat Lake Erie 3-1. Miika Wiikman came in to relive Josh Tordjman after he gave up two goals on nine shots and the e-Pack and Checker stopped 25 of 27 shots but the damage was done as Rockford beat the Rampage 4-1. Duncan Malloy put two past Anton Khudobin as Texas defeated Houston 4-3. Last but not least, the first place Sharks beat Abbotsford on a Dan DaSilva goal with just 3:28 remaining and the Sharks defeated the Heat 2-1.

NOTES:

* If you have yet to sign up for our new service to our readers on Twitter, you’re really missing out on the most extensive coverage of the Wolf Pack and Checkers you’ll find anywhere. In addition to keeping you posted here on all major news stories, visit www.twitter.com/howlingstoday for in-game coverage of both Wolf Pack and Checkers games. Please “Follow” us on Twitter.

* Brodie Dupont, Corey Locke and Evgeny Grachev are the only Pack players to be in the lineup for all 63 games this season.

* The Pack are 12-9-5-5 in one-goal games and 16-11-2-3 when they outshoot their opponents.

* Of the remaining 17 games in the Wolf Pack season, only six are against teams with a losing record (Toronto –1, Springfield –4, Adirondack –1). They have first place Worcester twice (both on the road), Lowell twice (both home), Providence twice (both home), Bridgeport twice (one home, one, the last game of the season, in Bridgeport) and Portland once (on the road).

* Of the last 17 games 10 are at home and seven on the road.

LINES:

Byers © – Newbury – Weise
Soryal – Crowder – Couture
Ambϋhl – Garlock – Brashear
Dupont – Locke – Grachev

Eriksson – Sanguinetti 
Heikkinen – Nightingale
Brouillette – Potter

Zaba
Johnson

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Dave Urquhart – Healthy Scratch
Nigel Williams – Undisclosed Injury – Day-to-Day
P.A. Parenteau – Undisclosed Injury – Day-to-Day
Steven Valiquette – Hand Injury – Season over
Michael Sauer – Shoulder – Season over
Mike Hoffman – Shoulder – Season over
Brent Henley – Knee – Season over

THREE STARS:

1. HAM – P. Subban
2. HAM – M. Glumac
3. HFD – D. Weise

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Jeff Smith (49)

Linesmen:
Ryan Lachine (83)
Jesse Wilmot (19)

NEXT GAME:

The Pack are just about in a must win game now every night and they haven’t been able to pull it off. Getting into the playoffs in their own division is pretty much over. They still have a chance at getting in the East, but they are going to have to get hot in a hurry if they’re going to make a real run at it. Tonight against the sixth place Toronto Marlies is a game they should win…if they can get goals which lately has not been easy and now with P.A. Parenteau not well, that job just got that much harder. Bob Crawford is on the air at 3:30 and game time is at 4:00.

To watch the game live, you can purchased it for $6.99 at AHL-live.

If you can attend the home games, they cost is as little as $10 a ticket, why not just go? For Ticket information call (860) 548-2000.

Too far away or can’t make it? Listen live at WTIC.com or from your cell phone or computer visit www.twitter.com/howlingstoday for complete live in-game coverage.

SCORE-SHEET:

Hartford Wolf Pack 2 At Hamilton Bulldogs 3 (SO) – Status: Final SO

Mar 6, 2010 – Copps Coliseum

Hartford 0 2 0 0 – 2

Hamilton 2 0 0 0 – 3

1st Period-1, Hamilton, White 15 (Palushaj, Pacioretty), 0:36. 2, Hamilton, Stevenson 6 (Glumac, Henry), 4:43. Penalties-Dupont Hfd (roughing), 6:55; Stewart Ham (slashing), 11:17.

2nd Period-3, Hartford, Nightingale 3 (Locke, Grachev), 18:41. 4, Hartford, Weise 20 (Potter, Newbury), 19:00. Penalties-No Penalties

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout – Hartford 0 (Locke NG, Weise NG, Newbury NG, Grachev NG), Hamilton 2 (Subban G, Trotter G, Russell NG, Palushaj NG).

Shots on Goal-Hartford 7-18-6-1-0-32. Hamilton 10-9-4-4-1-28.

Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 0 of 1; Hamilton 0 of 1.

Goalies-Hartford, Zaba 6-10-2 (27 shots-25 saves). Hamilton, Desjardins 24-7-2 (32 shots-30 saves).

A-3,667

MEANWHILE IN CHARLOTTE

     VERSUS              

CHECKERS EDGED IN OVERTIME BATTLE WITH TOLEDO
Leveille Records Career-High Five Points

The Charlotte Checkers forced overtime with a late third period goal but were edged, 6-5, in the extra frame by the Toledo Walleye on Saturday evening.

Michelle Leveille led the way offensively with a career-high five points and his four assists fell one shy of a Checkers single-game record. Leveille now has nine points on a current four-game streak. Ryan Munce outperformed his Toledo counterpart with 45 saves but was unable to get the win.

Munce was solid in the first frame stopping all 16 Toledo shots, including a flurry of scoring chances late in the period.

Early in the second, Toledo opened the scoring on a goal by Akim Aliu who was sent down by Rockford (AHL) earlier in the day. Akiu let go a wrist shot from the left side that trickled in just over the goal line for the 1-0 lead.

The Walleye went ahead by two, 44 seconds later, when Mike Hedden wrapped the puck around the net, picked up his own rebound and stuffed it home for his 15th of the season.

Charlotte would then break out with four goals in an 11-minute span beginning with a tally by defenseman T.J. Reynolds. Leveille broke in alone, was stopped by Pearce but managed to pass the puck back to Reynolds, who one-timed it into the back of the net for his fifth of the year.

Four minutes later, defenseman Ryan Crane took a pass from Leveille in the high slot, stepped around a Toledo defender and fired the puck low on the glove side for his fifth.

The Checkers then took their first lead of the game with less than four minutes to play in the period. Leveille took advantage of a Toledo miscue at the blueline and made a nifty move before dishing the puck to Aaron Slattengren. Slattengren let a shot go and Matt Schepke was on the doorstep to bang home the rebound.

Charlotte went ahead by two with 29 seconds left in the period when Leveille beat a Walleye defender 1-on-1 with a toe drag and let a shot go that was stopped by the Toledo goaltender. Andrew Carroll, who scored the shootout-winning goal the night before, was parked in the crease and stuffed home the rebound for his team-leading 24th of the season.

Early in the third period, Toledo scored two goals 20 seconds apart before taking a 5-4 lead on Aliu’s second of the game with only three minutes to play in the game.

With time winding down, Leveille picked up the rebound off a Matt Stefanishion shot and beat Pearce between the legs for his second goal in as many nights and fifth point of the game. The goal came with just 41 seconds to play and set the stage for overtime.

In the overtime period, the Checkers had a chance to win, however a Toledo defenseman swiped the puck out of the crease as it was rolling toward the goal line. Then, with six seconds to play, Chris Robertson broke in alone on Munce and beat him on the blocker side for the overtime game-winner.

The Checkers (31-20-7) will continue their road trip tomorrow in Toledo before returning home on Thursday, Mar. 11 to host Gwinnett. The puck drops at 7 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com. Season tickets for the inaugural 2010-11 AHL season are now on sale and 40-game packages start as low as $200.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

STANDINGS:

SCOREBOARD:

Gwinnett scored three times and Florida answered with two in a wild first period of action at Germain Arena. Gwinnett hung on for a 4-3 win. It was Reading over the Johnstown Chiefs 6-4. Oliver Labelle had two goals for Reading, Sean Berkstresser had two for Johnstown. Kalamazoo scored in all three periods and knocked off Elmira 4-1. Trenton doubled up Wheeling 6-3 at WestBanco Arena. Idaho was lead by a five point night from Mark Derlago (2g, 3a) and got a two goal night from Tyler Spurgeon as the Steelheads put a whooping on Bakersfield 7-3. Ontario needed a shootout to get by Las Vegas 4-3 and Stockton got goals from seven different Thunder  players as they knocked off Victoria 7-3.

NOTES:

* Michelle Leveille is currently on a four-game point streak (2g, 7a)

* Andrew Carroll leads the team with 24 goals and ranks tied for first among all ECHL players with three shootout-winning goals

* T.J. Reynolds leads the ECHL with 239 penalty minutes and leads the Checkers with a +18 rating

* Julien Brouillette and Derek Couture are up with Hartford (AHL), Kenny Roche is with Providence (AHL), Ethan Graham is with Texas (AHL) while Matt Ford and Randy Rowe are with Lake Erie (AHL)

LINES:

Slattengren – Leveille © – Taylor
Schepke – Tkaczuk – Stefanishion
Chabot  – Carroll – Marshall
Marshall

Berube– Reynolds
Dowzak – Schaeffer
Ward – Crane

Munce
LaGrand

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Tyler Doig – Lower Body Injury – Day-to-Day
Kenny Roche – Recall in Providence
Julien Brouillette – Recall in Hartford
Trevor Glass – Lower Body – Mid-March
Chris Snavely – Upper Body – 2-3 weeks
Codey Burki – Undisclosed – Season over
Chris Chappell – Shoulder Surgery – Season over

THREE STARS:

1. TOL – C. Robertson
2. CHR – M. Leveille
3. TOL – A. Aliu

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Keith Kaval (20)

Linesmen:
Cilint Evans (32)
Ray King (39)

NEXT GAME:

By the end of Saturday night’s game with Toledo, tempers were running hot on both sides of the benches. Expect a barnburner with the Walleye Sunday afternoon.  The Checkers then get on the bus for a ride home to Charlotte where they have three extremely important games against last place Gwinnett. The Checkers really need to win all three. Jason Shaya will be on the air at 4pm.

For live in-game coverage from your cell phone or computer, we’ll have the action for you at www.twitter.com/howlingstoday.

You can always buy tickets for any Checkers game home or away at Ticketmaster.com.

Should you want to watch this very exciting team from the comfort of your computer chair, all Checkers games are available on B2Live.

SCORE-SHEET:

Charlotte Checkers 5 At Toledo Walleye 6 (OT) – Status: Final OT

Mar 6, 2010 – Lucas County Arena

Charlotte 0 4 1 0 – 5

Toledo 0 2 3 1 – 6

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Slattengren Chr (roughing), 7:27; Rankin Tol (interference on the goalkeeper), 7:43; Taylor Chr (tripping), 7:56; Danis-Pepin Tol (boarding), 11:07; Stefanishion Chr (holding), 13:04; Peralta Tol (interference on the goalkeeper), 13:52; Smith Tol (cross-checking), 15:49; Reynolds Chr (hooking), 18:34; Peralta Tol (interference), 19:39.

2nd Period-1, Toledo, Aliu 1 (Robertson, Piche), 1:47. 2, Toledo, Hedden 15 (Keefe, MacMillan), 2:31. 3, Charlotte, Reynolds 5 (Leveille, Taylor), 8:50. 4, Charlotte, Crane 5 (Leveille, Slattengren), 12:41. 5, Charlotte, Schepke 21 (Schaeffer, Leveille), 16:31. 6, Charlotte, Carroll 24 (Leveille, Slattengren), 19:31. Penalties-DiDiomete Chr (fighting – major), 6:19; Danis-Pepin Tol (fighting – major), 6:19; MacMillan Tol (hooking), 6:53; Marshall Chr (holding the stick), 8:05; Carroll Chr (roughing, roughing), 20:00; Robertson Tol (roughing, roughing), 20:00.

3rd Period-7, Toledo, Tanguay 22 (Smith, Sawyer), 6:57 (pp). 8, Toledo, Keefe 1 (MacMillan, Hedden), 7:17. 9, Toledo, Aliu 2 (Danis-Pepin, Smith), 16:57 (pp). 10, Charlotte, Leveille 16 (Stefanishion, Slattengren), 19:19. Penalties-Schepke Chr (hooking), 5:23; Chabot Chr (fighting – major), 13:46; Piche Tol (fighting – major), 13:46; DiDiomete Chr (unsportsmanlike conduct, unsportsmanlike conduct), 15:29.

OT Period-11, Toledo, Robertson 14 (Aliu), 4:54. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Charlotte 8-9-9-2-28. Toledo 16-12-17-6-51.

Power Play Opportunities-Charlotte 0 of 6; Toledo 2 of 7.

Goalies-Charlotte, Munce 16-13-2-1 (51 shots-45 saves). Toledo, Pearce 12-13-1-0 (28 shots-23 saves).

A-8,000

     VERSUS             

CHECKERS STRIKE EARLY, EDGE NAILERS IN SHOOTOUT
Munce Stops 34 of 36; Carroll Scores Shootout Winner

The Charlotte Checkers started their three-game northern road swing with a win as they edged the Wheeling Nailers, 3-2, in a shootout on Friday evening.

Ryan Munce rebounded from Wednesday’s loss to Cincinnati with 34 saves on 36 shots for his 16th win of the season. Andrew Carroll notched his third shootout-winning goal of the season, tying him for first in the ECHL while Kenny Roche added two assists to extend his point streak to five games.

The Checkers got things going just four minutes into the game on a goal by team captain Michel Leveille. Aaron Slattengren chipped the puck from the high slot past a Wheeling defender and onto the stick of Leveille who then faked Teslak and wrapped the puck around the sprawling goaltender’s pads.

Later in the period, Wheeling would tie the game when Casey Pierro-Zabotel took the puck out from a scrum in the corner, skated behind the net and passed it out into the slot. Defenseman Kyle Bushee took the pass and fired a wrist shot over the glove of Munce who seemed to be interfered with on the play.

Charlotte killed a late 5-on-3 Wheeling power play and Munce stood his ground keeping the game tied at 1-1 through the first 20 minutes.

The Checkers would take their second lead of the game late in the second period on a great play by Kenny Roche. Roche, at end of his shift, stripped the puck from a Wheeling defenseman on the forecheck and fed Ryan Crane in the high slot. Crane made no mistake and let a hard wrist shot go that beat Teslak high over the glove.

The Nailers applied pressure in the third period, however Munce was solid and made several key stops, including a split-save to rob leading scorer T.J. Fox.

With time winding down in regulation, Charlotte was assessed a hooking penalty and Wheeling pulled its goaltender for the 6-on-4 advantage. A point shot resulted in a scrum in front and Noah Clarke dug the puck free and stuffed it home to tie the game at 2-2 with 50 seconds to play.

After a scoreless overtime in which the Checkers killed an early penalty, the two teams prepared for a shootout. In the shootout, Wheeling took an early 2-1 lead before Leveille beat Teslak low blocker to tie it up with one shooter remaining for each team. Jordan Morrison was stopped by Munce before Andrew Carroll skated in, faked right and beat Teslak with a shot that hopped over the pad and in.

The Checkers (31-20-6) will continue their road trip tomorrow and Sunday in Toledo before returning home on Thursday, Mar. 11 to host Gwinnett. The puck drops at 7 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com. Season tickets for the inaugural 2010-11 AHL season are now on sale and 40-game packages start as low as $200.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

STANDINGS:

SCOREBOARD:

The Checkers next opponent, Toledo got two goals each from Maxime Tanguay and J.C. Sawyer one their way to bedeviling Trenton 5-3. The Cyclones swept through South Carolina and got the point deuce with a 4-2 win over the Sting Rays. Dominic Osman had a hat trick leading the second place Everblades over last place Gwinnett, 7-5. Elmira got an overtime winner over Johnstown 5-4. Idaho dismantled Bakersfield 5-0. On the West coast Las Vegas scored FOUR times in the third period, two from Ned Lukacevic including one that was a short-handed penalty shot and the game tying goal came from ex-Wolf Pack forward, Alex Bourret’s feed and went on to win in a shoot out over ex-Checker goalie Curtis Darling and the Ontario Reign, 7-6. was leading Las Vegas3-1 late and despite giving up two in the third period, Victoria won on the road beating Stockton 5-3.

NOTES:

* Scott LaGrand was tonight’s backup goaltender du jour. LaGrand is 40 years old and hasn’t played sine 2000-2001. He’s an old teammate of Head Coach Derek Wilkinson’s from their days together during the 1994 – 1995 season in the IHL with the Atlanta Knights. Wilkinson had LaGrand on the bench in uniform because Eddie Giacomin couldn’t get there in time. We kid, but understand that finding a suitable backup / spot starter at this time of the season isn’t an easy task for Wilkinson to pull off.

*  For Devin DiDiomete fans, he was a factor in this game. He’s getting his legs back and is playing VERY strong hockey for Charlotte. He’s coming close in terms of scoring. He got three real good chances in this game. We’re predicting he breaks through against Toledo this weekend. He’s right there. Once he gets the monkey off his back, he’ll start pouring in the goals. He was a 20 goal scorer in juniors. He can do it.

* Kenny Roche has a five-game point streak (3g, 7a)

* Ryan Munce is 8-4-1 in his last 13 games

* Andrew Carroll leads the team with 23 goals and ranks tied for first among all ECHL players with three shootout-winning goals

* T.J. Reynolds leads the ECHL with 237 penalty minutes and leads the Checkers with a +19 rating

* Julien Brouillette and Derek Couture are up with Hartford (AHL), Ethan Graham is with Texas (AHL) while Matt Ford and Randy Rowe are with Lake Erie (AHL)

LINES:

Slattengren – Leveille © – Roche
Schepke – Tkaczuk – Stefanishion
DiDiomete – Taylor – Carroll
Marshall

Berube– Reynolds
Dowzak – Schaeffer
Ward – Crane

Munce
LaGrand

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Jean-Philipp Chabot – Healthy scratch
Tyler Doig – Lower Body Injury – Day-to-Day
Julien Brouillette – Recall in Hartford
Trevor Glass – Lower Body – Mid-March
Chris Snavely – Upper Body – 2-3 weeks
Codey Burki – Undisclosed – Season over
Chris Chappell – Shoulder Surgery – Season over

THREE STARS:

1. CHR – A. Carroll
2. CHR – K. Roche
3. WHL – A. Clarke

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Keith Kaval (20)

Linesmen:
Ray King (39)
Zach Roberts (77)

NEXT GAME:

The team has a four plus hour ride from Wheeling to Toledo where they will spend the weekend with a back-to-back with the Walleye.  After that they come home for three straight with Gwinnett.  Jason Shaya will be on the air at 7pm.

For live in-game coverage from your cell phone or computer, we’ll have the action for you at www.twitter.com/howlingstoday.

You can always buy tickets for any Checkers game home or away at Ticketmaster.com.

Should you want to watch this very exciting team from the comfort of your computer chair, all Checkers games are available on B2Live.

SCORE-SHEET:

Charlotte Checkers 3 (SO) At Wheeling Nailers 2 – Status: Final SO

Mar 5, 2010 – WesBanco Arena

Charlotte 1 1 0 0 – 3

Wheeling 1 0 1 0 – 2

1st Period-1, Charlotte, Leveille 15 (Slattengren, Roche), 4:09. 2, Wheeling, Bushee 6 (Pierro-Zabotel, Boogaard), 13:01. Penalties-Fox Whl (boarding), 9:23; Roche Chr (holding), 14:02; Slattengren Chr (roughing), 14:48; DiDiomete Chr (unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:37; D’Aversa Whl (unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:37; Schmidt Whl (slashing ), 19:36.

2nd Period-3, Charlotte, Crane 4 (Roche), 18:16. Penalties-Crane Chr (roughing), 5:46; Power Whl (roughing), 5:46; Roche Chr (hooking), 7:12; DiDiomete Chr (fighting – major), 9:48; Clarke Whl (tripping), 9:48; Lord Whl (fighting – major), 9:48; Slattengren Chr (tripping), 19:56.

3rd Period-4, Wheeling, Clarke 18 (Fox, D’Aversa), 19:10 (pp). Penalties-DiDiomete Chr (misconduct), 13:48; Power Whl (slashing ), 13:48; Marshall Chr (hooking), 17:19; Reynolds Chr (delay of game), 19:35.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Higgins Whl (unsportsmanlike conduct), 5:00.

Shootout – Charlotte 3 (Slattengren G, Marshall NG, Roche NG, Leveille G, Carroll G), Wheeling 2 (Ryan G, Ganzak G, Fox NG, Lord NG, Morrison NG).

Shots on Goal-Charlotte 4-11-6-3-1-25. Wheeling 13-8-12-3-0-36.

Power Play Opportunities-Charlotte 0 of 4; Wheeling 1 of 6.

Goalies-Charlotte, Munce 16-13-1-1 (36 shots-34 saves). Wheeling, Teslak 11-15-2-3 (24 shots-22 saves).

A-3,116

Frustration, Head Coach Ken Gernander agreed, would be the best word to describe how he feels after watching his troops play a hard fought game but come up short for the 33rd time in 59 games (26-26-3-4) as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers beat the Hartford Wolf Pack for the second time in three days 2-1 in front of 7,985 at the Arena at Harbor Yard Sunday afternoon.

“Last night (against first place Worcester, a 4-2 win) was a good game, a good effort,” Gernander said. “Tonight (Sunday) poor decisions, poor judgment. We can’t keep going up one step forward, two steps back. We gotta start making some progress and winning some games.”

The poor decision and poor judgment Gernander is likely referring too came on the game winner by NHL veteran Brendan Witt with just 8:07 remaining in the third.

Dale Weise, who was the first star of the game in Saturday night’s contest was the goat in this one.

“We’ve been stressing since day one that we want to enter the zone wide , challenge to the outside, don’t bring pucks to the middle of the ice.” Gernander said.

Weise did just that. On a break out during a four-on-four situation, Weise tried to come up the middle of the neutral zone only to see it go very wrong.

“You could see it develop in the neutral zone.” Witt said. “We had their guys caught and had a three-on-two. I just took the puck off Weise and ‘Flooder’ (Mark Flood) stepped up to give it to Mauldie (Greg Mauldin) and we transitioned real well.” The veteran of 14 NHL seasons said. “We had a good odd-man rush. I just jumped in the play and Greg (Mauldin) made a great pass to me and I just finished it. It’s always good to be able to contribute.”

Matt Zaba (28 saves, 6-8-1) was between the pipes for the New York Rangers top farm team. “It went over my pad and under my glove.” He said of the winning shot. “I thought I had it with my pad, but I should have just caught it I think. (Witt) made a good shot. It was a three-on-two odd-man rush so it was a good play by them. We got kind of caught, but that’s four-on-four hockey.”

“The ‘D’ always scores the big goals.” Sound Tigers head coach Jack Capuano, a former defenseman joked.

For the Pack, this one was no laughing matter. Once again, it came down to the Pack just taking too many penalties that changed the nature of their game.

“Discipline was a big issue,” Gernander said. “You can’t generate (offense) when your short handed. “I’m disappointed to only get two points (out of five games in the last seven days).”

“I thought some of the calls were bad.” Pack captain Dane Byers said. “I’m not going to make excuses and blame everything on the penalties, but a lot of the times it changes the momentum of the game.” He said. “We just took too many bad penalties.”

As you might imagine, Capuano didn’t see it quite the same way. “Some of the penalties that we got, we deserved them; same on the other side. You just concentrate and tell (The players) to stay disciplined and keep the shifts short you can stay disciplined in all areas of your game.”

As the first period came to a close the Pack began to bury themselves in a sea of bad penalties.

First Nigel Williams went off for a hooking call at 18:15. 1:32 later, Byers was sent to join Williams in the sin bin and gave the Tigers a 28 second five-on-three to close the period.

The Pack kept the Tigers off the score board as the first expired, but they were outshot 9-3 and did not look sharp.

As they came out to start the second period, the Pack still had 14 seconds to kill of a two-man disadvantage, but at 44 ticks of the clock in, Jordan Owens got called for a High Stick and put the Pack behind the eight-ball for 1:03 of being two-players down.

This time they wouldn’t get so lucky.

“(Matt) Martin was standing in front of me.” Zaba said. “I saw (Mauldin) shoot it but I didn’t see where the puck went after that so I just went down and tried to be big. (Mauldin) made a good shot. it was a good five-on-three goal for them. They made a good play.”

“You can’t give any team in this league that many five-on-three opportunities, especially after you just killed one off and you then you go right again after.” The Pack’s netminder added. “It’s taxing on our penalty killers. It definitely affects you for the rest of the game. We did a good job killing them off. That should have given us some momentum. I thought in the third period we really came out and took it to them. They got the one break that they needed and they capitalized on it.”

The Pack scored their only goal of the game with just 1:41 remaining on the clock in the second period.

Martin went to the penalty box to serve two minutes for a slashing call. It created a short four-on-four that bore no fruit for either squad, but when the Pack got on the ice for their fourth power play of the game, they would finally light the lamp behind the glass.

Bobby Sanguinetti, playing in just his third game after missing a month with a high ankle sprain, heeded the call of his co point man, Williams. The defenseman then blasted a shot/pass the missed the net wide left from the left point position. The angle caused a perfect bounce of the back boards that came to Locke on the right doorstep. Locke collected the puck and fired a backhanded shot over Lawson who tried to get back to cover the open side, but it was too late.

In order to try and generate some offense, Gernander switched up his lines to start the third period. It didn’t help.

“For four games in five nights I thought both teams played extremely well,” Capuano said. “It was a hard fought game; a lot of special teams; a lot of top guys from both teams played a lot of minutes because of the special teams situations so, I thought they were a little bit tired there at the end with their power play because they were playing so many minutes, but I thought it was a good hockey game.”

“We’ve got 21 games left till the start of the playoffs so we gotta get on a roll,” Byers said and then summed it up perfectly for his team. “Every game now obviously, everyone knows its a huge game. Every game now till the end of the year has to be the biggest game of the year so it’s like the playoffs right now for us. We gotta flight and claw for every point.”

Hartford Wolf Pack 1 At Bridgeport Sound Tigers 2 – Status: Final

Feb 21, 2010 – Arena at Harbor Yard

Hartford 0 1 0 – 1

Bridgeport 0 1 1 – 2

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Nightingale Hfd (fighting), 0:43; Reich Bri (fighting), 0:43; Williams Hfd (roughing), 4:53; Joensuu Bri (roughing), 4:53; Dupont Hfd (tripping), 6:03; served by Figren Bri (bench minor – too many men), 9:26; Haley Bri (roughing), 13:13; Williams Hfd (hooking), 18:15; Byers Hfd (roughing), 19:46.

2nd Period-1, Bridgeport, Mauldin 20 (Flood, Moore), 1:23 (pp). 2, Hartford, Locke 24 (Williams, Sanguinetti), 18:19 (pp). Penalties-Owens Hfd (high-sticking), 0:44; Williams Hfd (delay of game), 3:31; DiBenedetto Bri (hooking), 3:56; Couture Hfd (roughing, fighting), 7:06; Martin Bri (roughing, fighting), 7:06; Soryal Hfd (fighting), 8:27; Haley Bri (fighting), 8:27; Dupont Hfd (holding), 13:58; Byers Hfd (goaltender interference), 15:18; Martin Bri (slashing), 16:45.

3rd Period-3, Bridgeport, Witt 1 (Mauldin, Flood), 11:53. Penalties-Soryal Hfd (misconduct), 3:29; Morency Bri (misconduct), 3:29; Reich Bri (hooking), 11:27; Byers Hfd (tripping), 11:35; Bentivoglio Bri (holding), 16:03.

Shots on Goal-Hartford 3-10-9-22. Bridgeport 9-11-10-30.

Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 1 of 6; Bridgeport 1 of 8.

Goalies-Hartford, Zaba 6-9-1 (30 shots-28 saves). Bridgeport, Lawson 11-11-3 (22 shots-21 saves).

A-7,985

MEANWHILE DOWN IN CHARLOTTE

The Wolf Pack (25-23-3-4, 57 pts.) dropped three Atlantic-Division games between Friday and Monday, remaining tied with Bridgeport and Providence for fifth place in the Atlantic.  The Pack fell to the P-Bruins by a 7-1 score in Providence on Friday night, lost a 6-4 GEICO Connecticut Cup verdict at home to Bridgeport Saturday, and then were downed 7-4 in a holiday matinee at Portland on Monday.  Dane Byers (3-1-4) and defenseman Nigel Williams (1-3-4) led the Pack with four points apiece in the three games, and Williams has at least a point in a personal pro career-high four straight games (1-4-5).

 This week:

The Wolf Pack continue a busy stretch of five games in seven days this week, which features three home games at the XL Center.  The Norfolk Admirals visit Hartford for a 7:00 game on Wednesday, and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers come to town Friday night for a GEICO Connecticut Cup battle, on Guida’s Family Value Night.  The Worcester Sharks, the Atlantic Division leaders, invade the XL Center on Saturday night (7:00), before the Wolf Pack finish up the hectic stretch with a visit to Bridgeport on Sunday (3:00). 

Wednesday, February 17 vs. Norfolk at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

• This game wraps up a four-game season series between the Wolf Pack and the Admirals, and the Pack are 1-1-1-0 in the first three games between the two teams.  The Admirals won the only previous encounter at the XL Center, 5-4, on January 27.
• Norfolk is on a 10-2-1-1 run in its last 14 games and has climbed into third place in the East Division, with a 27-25-3-1 record for 58 points.
• Goaltender Jaroslav Janus, who made 29 saves in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Wolf Pack in Norfolk February 5, has won his last three starts, allowing a total of only three goals on 82 shots.
• As with all Wolf Pack Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday-night home games, this night features $3 domestic drafts and snacks in the XL Center Atrium.
• Radio – live with Bob Crawford in HD on WTIC’s 96.5 HD 2 and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and www.wtic.com. 

Friday, February 19 vs. Bridgeport at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

• Being a Friday home game, this is a Guida’s Family Value Night.  Family Value packages start as low as $45 and include three tickets, three hot dogs or pizza slices, three sodas and a Wolf Pack souvenir.  Guida’s Family Value Night packs are available at the XL Center box office and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
• At 24-23-3-6 for 57 points, the Sound Tigers are tied with the Wolf Pack for fifth place in the Atlantic Division.  Bridgeport has only two wins in its last 10 games, but has at least a standings point in six of those contests (2-4-1-3).
• Saturday’s 6-4 home loss to Bridgeport was the Wolf Pack’s first regulation defeat in six GEICO Connecticut Cup games this season (3-1-0-2).  The Pack are 2-1-0-0 in three home games on the year vs. the Sound Tigers.
• Sound Tiger leading point-scorer Greg Mauldin (18-22-40 in 53 GP) lit up the Wolf Pack for five points in Saturday’s Bridgeport win, with a goal and four assists.
• Radio – live with Bob Crawford in HD on WTIC’s 96.5 HD 2 and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and www.wtic.com. 

Saturday, February 20 vs. Worcester at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

• The first 3,000 fans into this game will receive a free Wolf Pack mouse pad, courtesy of Comcast.
• The Sharks enter the week in first place in the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of Manchester, at 33-16-2-2 for 70 points.  Worcester is only 2-2-0-0 in its last four games, but has lost only twice in regulation in its last 12 outings (9-2-1-0).
• The Wolf Pack have swept the previous three games between themselves and the Sharks this season, and posted a 4-3 win October 25 in the only prior meeting at the XL Center.
• Shark eighth-year pro defenseman Danny Groulx leads all AHL blueliners in assists, and is tied for tops in the league in points among defensemen (8-33-41 in 53 GP).
• As with all Wolf Pack Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday-night home games, this night features $3 domestic drafts and snacks in the XL Center Atrium.
• Radio – live with Bob Crawford in HD on WTIC’s 96.5 HD 2 and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and www.wtic.com. 

Sunday, February 21 at Bridgeport (Bridgeport’s Arena at Harbor Yard), 3:00 PM

• This is the Wolf Pack’s fourth of five visits on the year to Bridgeport, and they have a win and two shootout losses to show for three previous trips.
• Radio – live with Bob Crawford in HD on WTIC’s 96.5 HD 2 and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and www.wtic.com. 

Recent Transactions:

Corey Potter – recalled from the Wolf Pack by the New York Rangers February 9, returned February 11, recalled February 13 and returned February 14.
Chad Johnson – returned to the Wolf Pack by the New York Rangers February 11.
Matt Zaba – recalled from the Wolf Pack by the New York Rangers February 11.
Andrew Carroll – signed Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement with Wolf Pack February 12.
Donald Brashear – loaned to the Wolf Pack by the New York Rangers February 13.

Pack Tracks:

The Wolf Pack players will be wearing specialty jerseys at their home games Friday, February 26 against Springfield and Saturday, February 27 vs. Portland, and the jerseys will be auctioned off throughout the February 27 game.  Proceeds from the auction benefit the March of Dimes, and the jersey design can be seen on the Wolf Pack’s official website, www.hartfordwolfpack.com.

The Wolf Pack will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with “Go Green Night” Saturday, March 13.  The Mighty Ploughboys will be performing live, as the Wolf Pack host the Lowell Devils that evening at 7:00.

At every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday-night Wolf Pack home game for the balance of the regular season, fans can enjoy $3 drafts and snacks in the XL Center Atrium.  Also, the Comcast Coliseum Club features a “Warmup Menu”, with $3 domestic drafts and appetizers, before every Wolf Pack home game at the XL Center.

Individual tickets for Wolf Pack games are on sale now at the XL Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations including Macy’s at the Buckland Hills Mall and at the Westfarms Mall. Tickets may also be charged by phone at 1-800-745-3000 or online at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.  Information on all of the Wolf Pack’s many terrific ticket options, including group discounts, season tickets, partial plans, Birthday Bash packages and more, is available by calling the Wolf Pack ticket office at (860) 548-2000, and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.

Every Friday-night Wolf Pack home game at the XL Center is Guida’s Family Value Night.  Family Value packages start as low as $45 and include three tickets, three hot dogs or pizza slices, three sodas and a Wolf Pack souvenir.  To order your Guida’s Family Value Night pack, visit the XL Center box office, or go on-line to www.hartfordwolfpack.com. 

Once again this season, the Wolf Pack are partnering with WTIC Radio to air Wolf Pack hockey action.  All of the Wolf Pack’s regular-season and playoff games will air on 96.5 WTIC-FM’s HD 2 channel and will be streamed on-line at www.wtic.com. Select games will be carried live on the 50,000-watt AM powerhouse, WTIC NewsTalk 1080.  The next Wolf Pack game scheduled to be on WTIC NewsTalk 1080 is Saturday, February 27, when the Pack host the Portland Pirates at 7:00 PM.

The AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack is operated by Northland AEG LLC, a joint partnership between Northland Investment Corporation and AEG Facilities.  The team is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers.

Since 1972, the CT Lottery has generated more than $19.3 billion in sales and has transferred nearly $6.7 billion to the state’s General Fund.  Prizes have exceeded more than $11.1 billion.  Purchasers must be 18 years or older.  If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-346-6238.  For more information about the Connecticut Lottery Corporation, call (860) 713-2000, or visit the CT Lottery web site at ctlottery.org. 

TRACK THE PACK AT WWW.HARTFORDWOLFPACK.COM

________________________________________________

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that goaltender Steve Valiquette has been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL), and goaltender Matt Zaba has been assigned to Hartford.

Valiquette, 32, has posted a record of 4-5-1, along with a 3.73 goals against average and an .877 save percentage in 11 appearances with Hartford this season.  Valiquette posted a 4-1-1 mark, with a 2.29 goals against average and a .919 save percentage in a six-game stretch from December 12 vs. Bridgeport to December 30 vs. Springfield, including back-to-back wins on December 12 vs. Bridgeport (2-1) and December 18 vs. Toronto (6-1) where he registered a 0.99 goals against average and a .960 save percentage in the two contests.

The Etobicoke, Ontario native was signed by the Rangers as a free agent on July 1, 2006.

Zaba, 26, has posted a 0-0-0 record, with a 3.56 goals against average and an .875 save percentage in one appearance with the Rangers this season.  He made his NHL debut in a 6-0 loss at Montreal on January 23, entering the game at 6:18 of the second period and stopping 14 of 16 shots, including nine of 10 in the third.  In addition, Zaba has dressed as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup in six games this season.  He returns to Hartford where he has posted a 5-8-1 record, along with a 3.03 goals against average and a .905 save percentage in 18 AHL appearances this season.  He has posted a 2-4-0 record, with a 2.36 goals against average and a .930 save percentage in his last six games with the Wolf Pack dating back to a 5-4 loss vs. Norfolk on January 27.  Last season, Zaba ranked seventh in the AHL in goals against average (2.33), tied for eighth in save percentage (.920) and 12th in wins (25).  He also led the league in shootout save percentage with a .930% success rate.  Zaba was named AHL Goaltender of the Month for February, and he finished the regular season with a 14-2-0 mark and a 1.84 goals against average, a .937 save percentage and one shutout in his final 16 contests.  He made his AHL debut on October 18, 2008, at Toronto.

The Yorkton, Saskatchewan native was signed by the Rangers as a free agent on August 20, 2007.

Here’s the official release from Charlotte:

CARROLL GETS SECOND SHOT WITH HARTFORD

Checkers Leading Goal Scorer Loaned To AHL’s Wolf Pack

Charlotte Checkers general manager and head coach Derek Wilkinson announced today that Andrew Carroll has been loaned to the American Hockey League’s Hartford Wolf Pack.

Carroll, 24, leads all Checkers and ranks fourth among ECHL rookies with 21 goals, including five game-winners and two shootout-winners. In 40 games this season, the native of Shoreview, Minn. has 33 points, including a career-high four-point game against Gwinnett on Jan. 18.

A fan favorite who is not afraid to mix it up, Carroll ranks fourth among all ECHL rookies with 10 fighting majors and has compiled 82 penalty minutes.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound winger earned a call-up to the Wolf Pack in December where he played two games, registering seven penalty minutes.

Prior to his rookie season, Carroll played four seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and was named team captain during his sophomore campaign.

In a separate transaction, the Checkers have claimed defenseman Ryan Crane off waivers from the Reading Royals. In five games in Reading, Crane notched one goal and one assist along with six penalty minutes.

The veteran of eight seasons has 13 goals, 49 assists and 197 penalty minutes in 154 career ECHL games.

Charlotte (27-15-6) will travel to Gwinnett this weekend for two important games before returning home to host the Toledo Walleye on Thursday for the ‘Midnight Game’. Puck drops at 11:59 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com

Andy Carroll has been charged with assault

The 21-year-old is accused of attacking another reveller inside the Blu Bambu, on Newcastle’s Bigg Market, in December.

Carroll, of Prestwick, Newcastle, will face magistrates in Newcastle later this month.

After Newcastle’s relegation from the Premier League, Carroll has been a regular this season as the club looks to return to the top flight at the first attempt.

The England U21 international has scored eight goals in 20 matches for top-of-the-table Newcastle this season.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “Andrew Carroll, 21, of Prestwick, Newcastle, has today been charged with assault.

“This follows an incident at Newcastle’s Blu Bambu nightclub in the early hours of December 7 2009.

“He will appear at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on February 25.”

     VERSUS     

CHARLOTTE ENDS ROAD TRIP WITH 3-2 WIN OVER CHIEFS 
The Charlotte Checkers ended their four-game northern road trip with a win as they defeated the Johnstown Chiefs, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon. With the win the Checkers end up 2-2-0 on the trip and jump Florida to overtake second place in the South Division.

Charlotte has now defeated Johnstown in four straight tries this season – two on the road and two at home.

Andrew Carroll scored his team-leading 21st goal of the season while David Marshall notched the game-winner, giving him three goals on the four-game swing. Michel Leveille chipped in with two assists, bumping him to 10th in ECHL scoring while Ryan Munce stopped 28 of 30 shots for his ninth win of the year.

Munce gave the Checkers something to get excited about early on when he made a brilliant stacked-pad save on Brian Kaufman.

Charlotte seemed to feed off the save as they went on the attack and eventually opened the scoring. On the power play, Leveille and Aaron Slattengren played keep-away and eventually ended the tic-tac-toe play with a beautiful pass to Carroll who tucked it home for his fourth goal in four games against the Chiefs.

The Checkers outshot Johnstown 13-6 in the first period but could only muster the one goal.

Johnstown would tie it up just over five minutes into the second period when Sean Berkstresser broke in on a shorthanded breakaway and stuffed home his own rebound.

The Chiefs then took the lead 25 seconds later. Kaufman fed a pass to Shields who faked forehand and beat Munce with a backhand.

The lead wouldn’t last long, however, as Charlotte tied the game 40 seconds later on a shorthand breakaway of its own. Checkers leading scorer Tyler Doig blocked a shot along the boards and broke in alone on Chiefs goaltender John Murray. Doig deked right and fired a shot off the blocker-side post and in.

The Checkers did not stop there and jumped ahead just over five minutes later. Leveille fed Ethan Graham who penetrated the zone and dished a pass over to Marshall. Marshall then unleashed a one-time shot from the blueline under the crossbar and in for the one-goal lead.

Charlotte and Johnstown traded scoring chances in the third but neither team could solve their respective opponent’s goaltender.

With less than two minutes left, Doig was assessed a holding penalty and the Chiefs went to work on the power play, however Ryan Munce was there to turn away the remaining shots and preserve the victory for the Checkers.

Charlotte (24-15-5) will host two important games with potential playoff implications on Thursday, Feb. 4 and Friday, Feb 5 against the Florida Everblades. Ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

NOTES:

* Johnstown is owned and coached by Neil Smith, yes Rangers fans, that Neil Smith

* Charlotte is 13-3-1 in its last 17 home games…

* The Checkers are 7-1-0 against East Division opponents this season…

* Andrew Carroll has 10 goals and six assists in his last 13 games and his five game-winning goals are the second highest total in the entire ECHL. Carroll ranks third among rookies and sixth overall in the ECHL with 21 goals

* David Marshall has three goals in his last four games…

* Tyler Doig ranks fourth in ECHL scoring with 52 points (13g, 39a) and is the only player in the top 100 scorers with over 100 penalty minutes…

* Julien Brouillette has eight points (4g, 4a) in his last nine games and ranks seventh among all ECHL defensemen with 26 points (10g, 16a)…

* T.J. Reynolds leads the ECHL with 199 penalty minutes and is fifth in overall plus-minus with a +16 rating…

* Julien Brouillette, Derek Couture, Kenny Roche and Kevin Schaeffer are with Hartford (AHL) while Matt Ford and Randy Rowe are with Lake Erie (AHL)…

* Trevor Glass, Chris Snavely and Chris Chappell are on the 21-day injured reserve 

LINES:

Carroll -Leveille © – Doig
Slattengren – Tkaczuk – Schepke
Chabot – Taylor – Marshall
Burki

Berube – Reynolds
Graham – Ward
Dowzak

Munce

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Chris Snavely – 21-day IR
Trevor Glass – Close to returning
Chris Chappell – Season ending injury

THREE STARS:

1. CHR – M. Leveille
2. CHR – D. Marshall
3. JHN – J. Murray

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Keith Kaval (20)

Linesmen:
Ray King (39)
Zach Roberts (77)

NEXT GAME:

Second place will be on the line Thursday and Friday night in Charlotte as ten Checkers will do battle with Florida in what are two four point games. Two Checker wins would be huge in establishing a grip on Second place in the South division

You can buy tickets for any Checkers game home or away at Ticketmaster.com.

Should you want to watch this very exciting team from the comfort of your computer chair, all Checkers games are available on B2Live.

SCORE-SHEET:

Charlotte Checkers 3 At Johnstown Chiefs 2 – Status: Unofficial Final

Jan 31, 2010 – Cambria County War Memorial Arena

Charlotte 1 2 0 – 3

Johnstown 0 2 0 – 2

1st Period-1, Charlotte, Carroll 21 (Slattengren, Leveille), 16:50 (pp). Penalties-Chabot Chr (fighting – major), 7:17; Ralph Jhn (fighting – major), 7:17; Slattengren Chr (tripping), 7:43; Reynolds Chr (delay of game), 11:02; Schulz Jhn (holding), 13:21; Shields Jhn (closing hand on puck), 16:32; Myers Jhn (interference), 18:38; Leveille Chr (interference on the goalkeeper), 18:43.

2nd Period-2, Johnstown, Berkstresser 12 (Myers), 5:33 (sh). 3, Johnstown, Shields 18 (Kaufman, Fitzpatrick), 5:58. 4, Charlotte, Doig 13   6:38 (sh). 5, Charlotte, Marshall 11 (Graham, Leveille), 11:57. Penalties-Ralph Jhn (tripping), 3:37; Reynolds Chr (roughing), 5:58; Shields Jhn (interference), 8:04; Gendur Jhn (high-sticking), 13:17.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Burki Chr (unsportsmanlike conduct, misconduct, game misconduct – abuse of officials), 5:46; Fitzpatrick Jhn (slashing ), 14:33; Myers Jhn (hooking), 16:34; Doig Chr (holding), 18:12.

Shots on Goal-Charlotte 13-11-12-36. Johnstown 6-12-12-30.

Power Play Opportunities-Charlotte 1 of 8; Johnstown 0 of 6.

Goalies-Charlotte, Munce 8-9-1-0 (30 shots-28 saves). Johnstown, Murray 3-11-2-0 (36 shots-33 saves).

A-2,010

It seems that every time you read a sports story these day’s it’s either a police blotter report, a huge overblown contract signing or some sort of a drug story. When you follow the link to NHL.com and read this story about the  Charlotte Checkers’ Andrew Carroll, it’ll likely touch your heart and renew your faith in the fact that not all athletes are blowhard millionaires and that the old cliché that there are still some players out there who do it for “for the love of the game.”

Here’s hoping that Andrew Carroll is one of the few who reaches he fulfillment of all his dreams…He certainly deserves it.

(Photos courtesy of Charlotte Checkers.com)

     VERSUS              

Carroll’s Two Goals, Two Assists Lead Charlotte Over Gwinnett 6-4

The Charlotte Checkers, down by two late in the second period, scored four unanswered goals and battled their way to a 6-4 victory over the Gwinnett Gladiators on Monday afternoon in Duluth, GA.

Andrew Carroll scored two goals, including the game-winner and added two assists. Carroll now leads the team and ranks tied for third among all ECHL rookies with 18 goals. Leading scorer Tyler Doig notched a goal and two assists while Daniel Tkaczuk and Matt Schepke chipped in with a goal and an assist each.

Special teams were a factor in the game as the Checkers scored three with the man advantage while Gwinnett recorded two short-handed tallies. Charlotte erased three two-goal deficits for the win and has picked up a point in four straight games (3-0-1) versus the Gladiators.

The Gladiators opened the scoring just over four minutes into the game while killing a penalty when Adam Berti, on a two-on-one with Matt Caruana, beat Checkers goaltender Ryan Munce for his 10th of the season.

Gwinnett would then go ahead by two, three minutes later, on another short-handed two-on-one. Scott Marchesi crossed the Checkers blueline and fed a pass to Michael Forney behind the Charlotte defender. Forney made no mistake and slid it home for the 2-0 lead.

The Checkers then made it a one-goal game on the power play, midway through the period, when Carroll banged home a rebound from a Julien Brouillette point shot. The goal came at 11:22 of the first period and Doig also picked up an assist on the play.

Less than two minutes later, Gwinnett took their second two-goal lead of the game when former Checker Jason Lawrence one-timed a shot past Munce on the power play.

Charlotte would add a goal late in the period to cut the Gwinnett lead in half. The Checkers’ top line of Carroll, Doig and Michel Leveille buzzed around the opposing team’s net firing shot after shot at goaltender David Brown before Doig dug the puck free and banged it home.

The Gladiators again went ahead by two, less than a minute into the second period, as Tom Zanoski sent a shot toward the net that deflected off a Charlotte defender’s skate. Munce made the initial save off the deflection and Chris Higgins was on the doorstep to tap home the rebound.

It looked as though Gwinnett would head to the locker room after two periods with a two-goal lead, however the Checkers battled back and scored their first of four straight goals with less than four minutes to play in the frame. Tkaczuk took the puck on the right-wing wall and dished to Schepke in the slot who then fired a wrist shot over the glove of Gwinnett goaltender David Brown.

The third period was all Charlotte as David Marshall and Carroll notched power-play goals four minutes apart. Marshall took the puck out of a scrum and fired it top shelf over a sprawling Brown before Carroll tucked home a rebound off a shot from Doig for his second of the game. The goal would prove to be the game-winner, giving Carroll a team-leading four on the season.

With eight seconds remaining, the Checkers added some insurance when Tkaczuk scored an empty-net goal from a near-impossible angle. Carroll picked up an assist on the goal for a career-high four-point game while Munce stopped 26 of 30 for his second straight win. Leveille and Tkaczuk extended their point streaks to four games.

The Checkers (21-13-5-0) will host the Wheeling Nailers on Friday night for “Race Night”. Game time is 7 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com. Fans are encouraged to attend the autograph session with Joey Logano and other drivers beginning at 6 p.m.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

STANDINGS:

NOTES:

* Andrew Carroll has seven goals and six assists in his last eight games and scored a career-high four points (2g, 2a) on Monday

* Michel Leveille (2g, 6a) and Daniel Tkaczuk (2g, 4a) are each on four-game point streaks

* Tyler Doig ranks fifth in ECHL scoring with 47 points (11g, 36a) while Leveille ranks 10th with 41 points (14g, 27a)

* Defenseman Julien Brouillette has seven points (3g, 4a) in his last six games and ranks fourth among all ECHL defensemen with 25 points (9g, 16a)

* Miika Wiikman has only two regulation losses in 14 games this season (8-2-3)

* T.J. Reynolds leads all ECHL defensemen with 151 penalty minutes, and is second in overall ECHL plus-minus with a +20 rating

* The Checkers are 12-3-1 in their last 16 home games

* Derek Couture remains on loan to Hartford (AHL), Kenny Roche is with Providence (AHL) while Matt Ford and Randy Rowe are with Lake Erie (AHL)

* Trevor Glass and Chris Chappell are on the 21-day injured reserve

LINES:

Schepke – Tkaczuk – Slattengren
Doig – Leveille © – Chabot
Carroll – Taylor – Marshall
Burki

Brouillette – Ward
Berube - Schaeffer
Dowzak

Munce
Wiikman

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

T.J. Reynolds – Suspension
Chris Snavely – 21-day IR
Mike Harder – Healthy Scratch
Ethan Graham – 7-day IR
Trevor Glass – 21-day IR
Chris Chappell – 21-day IR

THREE STARS:

1. CHR – 12 Andrew Carroll
2. CHR – 20 Tyler Doig
3. CHR – 24 Matt Schepke

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Nick Krebsbach (8)

Linesmen:
Mathieu Chenier (71)
Paul Reid (97)

NEXT GAME:

SCORE-SHEET:

Charlotte Checkers 6 At Gwinnett Gladiators 4 – Status: Final

Jan 18, 2010 – The Arena at Gwinnett Center

Charlotte 2 1 3 – 6

Gwinnett 3 1 0 – 4

1st Period-1, Gwinnett, Berti 10 (Caruana), 4:09 (sh). 2, Gwinnett, Forney 4 (Marchesi), 7:16 (sh). 3, Charlotte, Carroll 17 (Brouillette, Doig), 11:22 (pp). 4, Gwinnett, Lawrence 9 (Brocklehurst, Miller), 13:10 (pp). 5, Charlotte, Doig 11 (Carroll, Leveille), 18:28. Penalties-Siddall Gwt (slashing ), 2:43; Roberts Gwt (kneeing), 6:06; Taylor Chr (boarding), 8:11; Forney Gwt (hooking), 10:51; Chabot Chr (tripping), 12:06; Carroll Chr (interference), 13:43.

2nd Period-6, Gwinnett, Higgins 5 (Zanoski), 0:50. 7, Charlotte, Schepke 12 (Tkaczuk, Ward), 16:19. Penalties-Zanoski Gwt (roughing), 0:50; Brouillette Chr (hooking), 3:11; Zanoski Gwt (diving), 3:11; Tkaczuk Chr (holding the stick), 11:02; Filangieri Gwt (hooking), 14:08; Schepke Chr (slashing ), 19:06.

3rd Period-8, Charlotte, Marshall 8 (Schepke), 11:54 (pp). 9, Charlotte, Carroll 18 (Doig, Brouillette), 15:54 (pp). 10, Charlotte, Tkaczuk 8 (Carroll), 19:52 (en). Penalties-Brouillette Chr (slashing ), 0:13; Caruana Gwt (tripping), 11:00; Paris Gwt (holding), 15:22; Berube Chr (holding), 16:15.

Shots on Goal-Charlotte 13-9-8-30. Gwinnett 8-10-12-30.

Power Play Opportunities-Charlotte 3 of 7; Gwinnett 1 of 7.

Goalies-Charlotte, Munce 7-7-1-0 (30 shots-26 saves). Gwinnett, Brown 6-8-2-0 (29 shots-24 saves).

A-5,385

CHECKERS STEAMROLL GLADIATORS
Nine Different Goal-scorers Propel Charlotte To 9-4 Victory

The Charlotte Checkers broke out of a three-game slide in exciting fashion as they got goals from nine different players and downed the Gwinnett Gladiators, 9-4, on Wednesday evening in Uptown Charlotte.

Miika Wiikman had a tremendous game stopping 26 of 30 shots including three separate breakaways in the first period alone.

Michel Leveille led the way with a goal and three assists while Andrew Carroll, Aaron Slattengren, Tyler Doig and Matt Schepke each recorded a goal and two assists. Kevin Schaeffer, Julien Brouillette, Daniel Tkaczuk and Kenny Roche rounded out the scoring for the Checkers, whose nine goals were the most by the team since a 10-3 victory over Wheeling on Oct. 20, 2006.

Slattengren opened the scoring for Charlotte, just over four minutes into the game, on a rebound down low before Gwinnett tied it 22 seconds later.

From there, Gwinnett would take a 2-1 lead as Matt Siddall broke in alone, took a shot at Wiikman and buried his own rebound.

The Checkers then tied the game on a slap shot by Brouillette and, with less than two minutes to play in the period, Gwinnett took the lead again on a slap shot of its own.

The second frame was all Charlotte as the team tied an ECHL season-high with five goals in a period.

Carroll started the action when he tipped home a Leveille point shot at 2:21. Schaeffer then recorded his second goal of the season on a wrist shot from the point to put the Checkers ahead 4-3. Gwinnett would tie it up midway through the period, however Charlotte added three more, on goals by Leveille, Roche and Tkaczuk, and headed into the locker room up 7-4 after 40 minutes of play.

Just under five minutes into the third, Charlotte increased its lead to four as Matt Schepke, who was set up behind the Gwinnett net, fed a pass to Tkaczuk who tucked it home for his seventh of the season. Tkaczuk was returned to the team from Hartford (AHL) prior to the game and now has 20 points (7g, 13a) in 13 games for the Checkers.

Doig then scored with less than three minutes to play to cap off a run of five unanswered goals and the Checkers cruised to a 9-4 victory.

Wiikman (8-2-2) earned his eighth victory of the season and the Checkers kept pace with Florida, who also won tonight, for second spot in the competitive South Division.

The Checkers (19-13-4-0) will travel to Gwinnett Saturday before returning home to host the Kalamazoo Wings on Sunday. Game time is 2 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

STANDINGS

NOTES:

* Andrew Carroll has five goals and three assists in his last five games

* Miika Wiikman has only two regulation losses in 13 games this season (8-2-2)

* Aaron Slattengren has nine points (4g, 5a) in his last seven games

* Tyler Doig ranks fifth in ECHL scoring with 42 points (10g, 32a)

* T.J. Reynolds leads all ECHL defensemen with 151 penalty minutes, and is second in overall ECHL plus-minus with a +20 rating

* The Checkers are 11-3-1 in their last 15 home games

* Trevor Glass, Chris Snavely and Chris Chappell are on the 21-day injured reserve

LINES:

Doig – Leveille © – Roche
Schepke – Tkaczuk – Slattengren
Chabot – Taylor – Carroll
Harder – Marshall

Schaeffer - Berube
Brouillette - Ward
Dowzak

Wiikman
Munce

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

T.J. Reynolds – Suspension
Chris Snavely - 21-day IR
Codey Burki – Healthy Scratch
Ethan Graham - 7-day IR
Trevor Glass - 21-day IR
Chris Chappell - 21-day IR

THREE STARS:

1. CHR – M. Leveille
2. CHR – A. Carroll
3. CHR – M. Schepke

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Nick Krebsbach (8)

Linesmen:
Mathieu Chenier (71)
Terry Wicklum (98)

SCORE-SHEET:

Gwinnett Gladiators 4 At Charlotte Checkers 9 – Status: Final

Jan 13, 2010 – Time Warner Cable Arena

Gwinnett 3 1 0 – 4

Charlotte 2 5 2 – 9

1st Period-1, Charlotte, Slattengren 5 (Schepke), 4:26. 2, Gwinnett, Higgins 1 (Lawrence), 4:48. 3, Gwinnett, Siddall 12 (Berti), 5:38. 4, Charlotte, Brouillette 8 (Tkaczuk, Dowzak), 14:09. 5, Gwinnett, Zanoski 18 (Mifsud, Marchesi), 18:33. Penalties-Marchesi Gwt (hooking), 9:41; Mifsud Gwt (hooking), 16:22.

2nd Period-6, Charlotte, Carroll 16 (Leveille, Brouillette), 2:21 (pp). 7, Charlotte, Schaeffer 2 (Carroll), 8:01. 8, Gwinnett, Higgins 2 (Brocklehurst, Miller), 10:05 (pp). 9, Charlotte, Leveille 13 (Carroll, Doig), 12:47. 10, Charlotte, Roche 16 (Leveille, Doig), 17:00. 11, Charlotte, Tkaczuk 7 (Schepke, Slattengren), 18:55. Penalties-Roberts Gwt (holding), 1:27; Schaeffer Chr (hooking), 9:55.

3rd Period-12, Charlotte, Schepke 11 (Harder, Slattengren), 4:49. 13, Charlotte, Doig 10 (Dowzak, Leveille), 17:05. Penalties-Berube Chr (cross-checking), 6:23; Chabot Chr (hooking), 12:37; Galivan Gwt (fighting – major), 15:16; Marshall Chr (fighting – major), 15:16.

Shots on Goal-Gwinnett 11-6-13-30. Charlotte 17-14-9-40.

Power Play Opportunities-Gwinnett 1 of 3; Charlotte 1 of 3.

Goalies-Gwinnett, Brown 5-7-1-0 (40 shots-31 saves). Charlotte, Wiikman 8-2-1-1 (30 shots-26 saves).

A-3,861

P.A. Parenteau returned to the Hartford lineup which had struggled to score goals, having not tallied more than two goals as a team since November 27th, and immediately injected some vitality as the Pack dominated all over the ice and scored in every way imaginable en route to a 6-1 thrashing of the Toronto Marlies in front of 2,621 at the XL Center Friday night.

“The team has been playing just okay for the last couple weeks,” Parenteau told reporters after the game. “It’s always fun to play with guys when you have chemistry going.”

Dane Byers benefited most from Parenteau’s return as the Nipawin, Saskatchewan native scored twice. Toronto had no answer for the reunited Pack top line of Byers, Parenteau and the league’s leading scorer, Corey Locke.  The trio accounted for seven or the team’s fifteen points on the night as Parenteau chipped in a pair of helpers, Byers had two goals and Locke added in three apples of his own.

Steve Valiquette’s game continued to regain the form he had that got him a three year reign as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup in New York. The Pack netminder stopped 23 of 24 shots by the Marlies. The lone tally for the visitors came off a Brendan Mikkelson shot from the high slot that Valiquette did not see as he was screened during a first period power play shot that got past the Etobicoke, Ontario native.

The Pack came out with a decided confidence that hasn’t been in the locker room for some time. They played with edge and control of the puck all over the ice.

Just 1:56 into the game, Byers tallied his first when Parenteau circled from left to right behind the Marlie net and came out and just threw the puck at ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger, Joey MacDonald (38 saves, 2-5-0). The puck hit the Marlie netminder and went into the air. Byers was right there and smacked it in over MacDonald’s right shoulder.

Just 1:13 later the Pack tallied again when enforcer Mike Hoffman, who signed a professional try-out contract with the Wolf Pack on December 10th, did a tremendous job fighting off two Marlies just to keep the puck in the offensive zone, took the puck and moved with it into the high slot and unloaded a hard shot that hit defenseman Jonas Frogren and deflected past MacDonald’s glove.

After Mikkelson’s tally at 8:29 and after the Pack killed off two consecutive calls against defenseman Corey Potter, Toronto took penalties for Too Many Men on the ice and Cross-Checking that game the Pack the first of what would be three, two-man advantages on the night. Potter redeemed himself in the resulting advantage when his shot from the left point got past MacDonald. Potter’s shot redirected when it hit defenseman Josh Engel’s stick. and with Byers, the game’s second star, drawing Mikkelson to him in front of MacDonald and the Marlie netminder never saw it.

It was 3-1 at the end of one with the Pack having a 17-7 shots advantage.

The Pack added a second five-on-three goal at 16:05 of the second when Locke took a Matt Gilroy pass on the low right side. Locke saw Byers open in front and tried to feed him. The pass hit Byers’ stick and got just past Phil Oreskovic, who had recovered, and through MacDonald.

The Pack got their league leading eleventh shorthanded goal when Brodie Dupont took the puck away from Tyler Bozak and fed Jordan Owens, back from missing two games from a puck that he took to the face against Portland on the 11th. Owens certainly hasn’t lost a step of speed from the injury as he blew right past Bozak and cut across the crease and beat a fallen MacDonald for his fifth goal of the year and second shorthanded tally on the season.

The Pack would finish their throttling of the Marlies when Derek Couture scored at 1:16 into the third period. As Ryan Garlock came out of the penalty box he took the puck and put it on net. After a scramble in front, where Paul Crowder falling got a stick on it and the puck hit the post. When it did, it fell right in front of Couture who had an easy time burying it into the twine.

“It was important to have a good start; we kept the pressure on them all night.” Parenteau said.

Brian Ring has the Hartford perspective at Hartfordwolfpack.com.  For Toronto report, you can get a laugh checking out TheStar.com or TorontoMarlies.com.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

STANDINGS:

NOTES:

* P.A. Parenteau has points in his last eight games (6g, 9a, 15 pts) for the Wolf Pack and 12 of the 14 he’s played in (10g, 12a, 22pts).

* Pack are 9-2-0-1 when leading after one period, 13-1-0-1 when leading after two and 8-6-1-1 when when outshooting their opponents.

* Corey Potter’s goal in the first ended an eight game scoreless streak, Paul Crowder ended a six game scoreless streak.

* Andres Ambϋhl was a healthy scratch for the first time this season.

* Derek Couture has his first multi game goal scoring streak of the season.

* Rangers Assistant GM and “Cap-ologist” Cam Hope was in the building

* Devin DiDiomete, despite what it said on the scoreboard, does NOT speak six languages. It was a joke that he didn’t think would get used.

* The Pack have scored four shorthanded goals in the last four games.

* Devin DiDiomete continued to show amazing bravery taking to fighting guys MUCH bigger than he is and holding his own. It has visibly inspired his teammates along the way.

* For two teams with no real juice between them, this game was pretty chippy throughout. There were four fights in the game. As the buzzer sounded the entire Marlie team surrounded the Pack bench and tensions were clearly VERY high. Head Coach Ken Gernander held back an obviously furious Dale Weise.  The two teams don’t meet again until March 7th when Hartford travels to Toronto.

LINES:

Byers © – Locke – Parenteau

Grachev – Dupont – Weise

Owens – Crowder – Couture

DiDiomete – Garlock – Hoffman

Williams – Gilroy

Potter – Nightingale

Urquhart – Sauer

Valiquette

(Assistant Captains bold & italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Andres Ambϋhl – Healthy

Justin Soryal – Upper Body – Day-to-Day

Matt Zaba – On recall with the NY Rangers

Illka Heikkinen – On recall with the NY Rangers

Bobby Sanguinetti – On recall with the NY Rangers

Mathieu Dandenault – Lower Body – Indefinite

Brent Henley – Lower Body Injury – Four to Six weeks

THREE STARS:

1. HFD – C. Locke
2. HFD – D. Byers
3. HFD – P. Parenteau

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Ryan Fraser (14)

Linesmen:
Kevin Redding (16)
David Spannaus (8)

NEXT GAME:

Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep Howlings from their appointed duty covering the Hartford Wolf Pack’s battle Saturday night against the Hamilton Bulldogs.

To watch the game live, you can purchased it for $6.99 at AHL-live.

On the other hand, you can attend the game for as little as $10 a ticket? So why not just go? For Ticket information call (860) 548-2000.

Or you can listen live at WTIC.com.

SCORE-SHEET:

Toronto Marlies 1 At Hartford Wolf Pack 6 – Status: Final

Dec 18, 2009 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Toronto 1 0 0 – 1

Hartford 3 2 1 – 6

1st Period-1, Hartford, Byers 7 (Parenteau, Locke), 1:56. 2, Hartford, Hoffman 1   3:09. 3, Toronto, Mikkelson 2 (Bozak, Hanson), 8:29 (pp). 4, Hartford, Potter 3 (Locke, Parenteau), 19:21 (pp). Penalties-Weise Hfd (elbowing), 7:24; Potter Hfd (hooking), 8:52; Potter Hfd (holding), 13:01; served by Deveaux Tor (bench minor – too many men), 18:23; Oreskovic Tor (cross-checking), 18:37.

2nd Period-5, Hartford, Byers 8 (Locke, Gilroy), 16:05 (pp). 6, Hartford, Owens 5 (Dupont), 19:28 (sh). Penalties-Perry Tor (holding the stick), 2:04; Williams Hfd (interference), 3:47; Bodie Tor (roughing), 5:53; Parenteau Hfd (roughing), 5:53; Evans Tor (slashing), 14:22; Rosehill Tor (tripping), 15:01; Evans Tor (instigating, fighting, misconduct – instigating), 16:36; Weise Hfd (fighting), 16:36; Garlock Hfd (delay of game), 19:03.

3rd Period-7, Hartford, Couture 4 (Crowder, Garlock), 1:16. Penalties-Rosehill Tor (fighting), 2:29; Hoffman Hfd (fighting), 2:29; Deveaux Tor (roughing, roughing, unsportsmanlike conduct, misconduct), 3:08; DiDiomete Hfd (unsportsmanlike conduct), 3:08; Williams Hfd (tripping), 4:34; Boyce Tor (tripping), 9:06; Oreskovic Tor (fighting), 12:09; DiDiomete Hfd (fighting), 12:09; Ondrus Tor (cross-checking), 12:56; Rosehill Tor (kneeing), 13:29; Berry Tor (fighting), 14:11; Byers Hfd (fighting), 14:11; Parenteau Hfd (roughing), 14:11.

Shots on Goal-Toronto 7-10-7-24. Hartford 17-12-15-44.

Power Play Opportunities-Toronto 1 of 6; Hartford 2 of 11.

Goalies-Toronto, MacDonald 2-5-0 (44 shots-38 saves). Hartford, Valiquette 2-2-0 (24 shots-23 saves).

A-2,621

Referees-Ryan Fraser (14).

Linesmen-Kevin Redding (16), David Spannaus (8).

MEANWHILE BACK IN CHARLOTTE

     VERSUS      

CHECKERS DROPPED BY RED HOT STINGRAYS
Late Comeback Not Enough As South Carolina Earns 12th Straight Win

The hottest team in the ECHL, the South Carolina Stingrays, scored two timely goals in the second period and hung on to defeat the Charlotte Checkers, 4-3, on Friday night. With the victory, the Stingrays tied a franchise record of 12 consecutive wins.

Aaron Slattengren, who returned to the lineup after missing the last 19 games with an injury, recorded two assists in a losing cause for the Checkers. South Carolina netminder Todd Ford stopped 36 of 39 shots for the win.

South Carolina would draw first blood on a goal by ECHL rookie scoring leader Nikita Kashirsky. Kashirsky took the puck down low, dragged it across the crease and beat a sprawling Ryan Munce for his team-leading 17th of the season. The goal was assisted by Josh Godfrey and came at the 9:31 mark of the first period.

The Checkers answered with two minutes left in the period on a laser of a shot by rookie Andrew Carroll. Mike Harder gained the zone and dropped the puck back to Carroll who then fired it over the shoulder of Ford for his ninth of the season.

With just under six minutes to play in the second period, the Checkers were assessed a bench minor for too many men on the ice and South Carolina went to work on the power play. A shot from the point was redirected on its way toward the net and beat Munce along the ice. The goal was credited to forward Matt Scherer.

The Stingrays then took a two-goal lead just 96 seconds later on a Checkers turnover down low. Dain Prewitt let a shot go and Rob Ricci was there to put home the rebound.

South Carolina would add another before Charlotte cut the score to 4-2, midway through the third. Tyler Doig took a shot from the point and rookie Jean-Philipp Chabot was there to tip it home.

With less than seven minutes to play, the Checkers made it a one-goal game on the power play when Aaron Slattengren took a shot from the right wing and Mike Harder was there to pot the rebound.

Charlotte pressed late in the third but Ford was there to turn aside the remaining 10 shots he faced.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow in South Carolina before returning to Charlotte on Sunday for their fourth meeting in five nights.

The Checkers (14-7-4-0) will once again host the Stingrays on Sunday at Time Warner Cable Arena. Game time is 2 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL GAME SHEET 

NOTES:

* Tyler Doig has seven assists in his last seven games…

* Kenny Roche has five goals and an assist in his last six games, including two game-winners…

* The Checkers are 7-2-1 in their last nine home games…

* T.J. Reynolds leads all ECHL defensemen with 99 penalty minutes and 11 fighting majors and leads the Checkers with a +15 rating…

* Trevor Glass, Codey Burki and Aaron Slattengren are on the 21-day injured reserve.

THREE STARS:

1. SC – R. Ricci
2. SC – M. Scherer
3. CHR – M. Harder

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Tim Mayer (11)

Linesmen:
Mathieu Chenier (71)
Paul Reid (97)

NEXT GAME:

The Checkers challenge South Carolina for the third time in a series where they’re playing five of each teams six consecutive games against each other.

SCORE SHEET:

South Carolina Stingrays 4 At Charlotte Checkers 3 – Status: Final

Dec 18, 2009 – Time Warner Cable Arena

South Carolina 1 2 1 – 4

Charlotte 1 0 2 – 3

1st Period-1, South Carolina, Kashirsky 17 (Godfrey), 9:31. 2, Charlotte, Carroll 9 (Harder, Slattengren), 18:00. Penalties-Campbell Sc (slashing ), 11:49; Harder Chr (hooking), 19:47.

2nd Period-3, South Carolina, Scherer 7 (Fornataro, Ricci), 14:29 (pp). 4, South Carolina, Ricci 11 (Prewitt), 15:55. Penalties-Taylor Chr (holding), 5:52; Schepke Chr (roughing), 10:16; Kashirsky Sc (hooking), 11:30; Slattengren Chr (bench – too many men), 13:45.

3rd Period-5, South Carolina, Johnson 11 (Campbell), 1:25. 6, Charlotte, Chabot 4 (Doig, Roche), 10:05. 7, Charlotte, Harder 6 (Slattengren, Doig), 13:41 (pp). Penalties-Ricci Sc (hooking), 1:37; Bruess Sc (interference), 6:02; Scherer Sc (fighting – major), 6:02; Berube Chr (instigating, fighting – major), 6:02; Johnson Sc (holding), 12:04; Godfrey Sc (delay of game), 12:43.

Shots on Goal-South Carolina 11-12-2-25. Charlotte 15-5-19-39.

Power Play Opportunities-South Carolina 1 of 4; Charlotte 1 of 5.

Goalies-South Carolina, Ford 14-4-0-1 (39 shots-36 saves). Charlotte, Munce 5-3-1-0 (25 shots-21 saves).

A-4,317

Referees-Tim Mayer (11).

Linesmen-Mathieu Chenier (71), Paul Reid (97).

      VERSUS     

CHECKERS GIVE UP LATE GAME LEAD, LOSE IN OVERTIME 

The Charlotte Checkers held a late third-period lead, took a costly penalty and then fell to the South Carolina Stingrays in overtime on Wednesday evening at Time Warner Cable Arena.

With the win, South Carolina increased their league-high win streak to 11 games. Charlotte, having picked up a point in overtime, is now 7-1-1 in its last nine games at home.

The Checkers were without the services of leading scorer Michel Leveille and former ECHL All-Star defenseman Steve Ward, who both sat out with injuries.

Neither team could get anything going in the first period as only 13 shots were recorded and no penalties were called.

The Checkers then opened the scoring with less than two minutes to play in the second period. David Marshall took a pass from Andrew Carroll and let a wrist shot go from the left side that trickled between the legs of Stingrays goaltender Todd Ford.

Just over eight minutes into the third period, South Carolina would tie the game on a goal by forward Gregg Johnson. Johnson streaked down the left wing and let a slap shot go that beat Ryan Munce over the glove.

Charlotte then regained the lead five minutes later when the team’s leading goal scorer Kenny Roche lifted a shot past Ford on the short side. The goal was Roche’s fifth in the last five games and was assisted by Tyler Doig and Mike Taylor.

With two and a half minutes to play in the game, defenseman Kevin Schaeffer was assessed a five-minute major penalty and the Stingrays took advantage on the power play as Matt Fornataro scored the game-tying goal.

South Carolina remained on the power play but Munce shut the door, saving a point in the standings, and the teams prepared for overtime.

In the overtime period, Stingrays defenseman Josh Godfrey took a pass from Nikita Kashirsky and one-timed a shot past Munce for the game-winner. The goal was a power-play marker as the major penalty carried over into the extra frame.

Munce, who was named ECHL Goaltender of the Week on Tuesday, stopped 29 of 32 shots, while Ford stopped 27 for the victory.

The Checkers (14-7-4-0) will once again host the Stingrays on Friday at Time Warner Cable Arena. Game time is 7 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL GAME SHEET

NOTES:

* Kenny Roche has five goals in his last five games, including two game-winners

* Ryan Munce has stopped 112 of the last 116 shots he has faced

* The Checkers are 7-1-1 in their last nine home games

* T.J. Reynolds leads all ECHL defensemen with 99 penalty minutes and 11 fighting majors and leads the Checkers with a +15 rating

* In Friday’s game, Randy Rowe played in his 500^th pro game and Harder his 600^th

* Trevor Glass, Codey Burki and Aaron Slattengren are on the 21-day injured reserve.

THREE STARS:

1. SC – J. Godfrey
2. SC – G. Johnson
3. CHR – K. Roche

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Curtis Marouelli (24)

Linesmen:
Dan Cohen (65)
Mathieu Chenier (71)

NEXT GAME:

The strange ECHL schedule continues. The Checkers started the month playing two of three against Gwinnett. Then they got a break and played Elmira. Then three in a row against the Florida Everblades. Now they have, get this, after playing them tonight five of their next six are against South Carolina. Checkers go at it again when the two teams face off Friday night in The Time Warner Cable Arena.

SCORE SHEET:

South Carolina Stingrays 3 (OT) At Charlotte Checkers 2 – Status: Final OT

Dec 16, 2009 – Time Warner Cable Arena

South Carolina 0 0 2 1 – 3

Charlotte 0 1 1 0 – 2

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

2nd Period-1, Charlotte, Marshall 5 (Carroll, Berube), 18:10. Penalties-Reynolds Chr (roughing), 3:55; Scherer Sc (interference), 4:38; Snavely Chr (hooking), 7:47; Rowe Chr (interference), 9:12; Yeo Sc (high-sticking), 19:40.

3rd Period-2, South Carolina, Johnson 9 (Johnson), 8:16. 3, Charlotte, Roche 13 (Doig, Taylor), 13:20. 4, South Carolina, Fornataro 13 (Godfrey, Johnson), 17:47 (pp). Penalties-Johnson Sc (high-sticking), 5:47; Doig Chr (high-sticking), 10:48; Schaeffer Chr (cross-checking major, game misconduct – cross-checking), 17:30.

OT Period-5, South Carolina, Godfrey 3 (Kashirsky), 1:41 (pp). Penalties-Doig Chr (misconduct), 1:41.

Shots on Goal-South Carolina 6-10-13-3-32. Charlotte 7-12-9-1-29.

Power Play Opportunities-South Carolina 2 of 6; Charlotte 0 of 3.

Goalies-South Carolina, Ford 13-4-0-1 (29 shots-27 saves). Charlotte, Munce 5-2-1-0 (32 shots-29 saves).

A-4,051

Wilkinson said he’s in exceptional shape. “He came into training camp as one of the top two or three of all the players in camp including the guys in New York.” No doubt that’s part of the hard work and dedication Carroll has in making the most of his chances.

Carroll has improved his offensive ability as well posting eight goals and four assist for twelve points in sixteen games. Wilkinson told Howlings that Carroll was very excited about this opportunity to come to Hartford even on a PTO. “When I told him he had gotten the call up from Hartford, there was this silence on the other end of the phone. His response was, ‘Really? They want me? Do they know I’d play for free?’ He’s that kind of a special kid and I couldn’t be happier for him.”

After the way the Pack played over the weekend, the Pack are likely looking for more grit and to get harder to play against. From the limited amount of games we’ve seen Carroll play, he would fit that bill.

Here’s the official release:

WOLF PACK SIGN FORWARD ANDREW CARROLL TO PTO

*           *           *           *

Had Eight Goals and 12 Points in 16 ECHL Games with Charlotte HARTFORD, December 7, 2009:  Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has signed forward Andrew Carroll to a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement.

Carroll, a rookie out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, comes to the Wolf Pack from the team’s ECHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.  In 16 games with the Checkers, the 6-0, 200-pound native of Shoreview, MN scored eight goals, good for a tie for third on the Charlotte club, and added four assists for 12 points, along with 30 penalty minutes.

Last season Carroll joined the Checkers after his college season ended.  He was scoreless, with two PIM, in one regular season game and chipped in two assists, with 11 PIM, in six ECHL playoff contests.  In 43 WCHA games with Minnesota-Duluth in 2008-09, Carroll registered five goals and seven assists for 12 points, and served 36 minutes in penalties.

In 153 career games in four years at UMD, the 24-year-old Carroll had 29 goals and 28 assists for 57 points, plus 113 penalty minutes

Wilkinson had his own very busy day as well. Not only was he dealing with the Carroll call-up, but the Syracuse Crunch also called center, Daniel Tkaczuk. He did get a little bit of help on the back-end as Tysen Dowzak as assigned to the Checkers by the Rangers from the Central Hockey League. We’ll check in later with Jess Rubenstein of The Prospect Park tells Howlings that “Dowzak is a good kid who has a huge amount of size. The knock on him is that coaches want him to be more physicial. He is a smart player but he needs a mean streak if he wants to go anywhere with a career.”

Here’s the official release:

TKACZUK, CARROLL CALLED UP; DOWZAK ASSIGNED

High-scoring Veteran And Rookie Forward Latest To Get The Call

Charlotte Checkers general manager and head coach Derek Wilkinson announced today that Daniel Tkaczuk has been loaned to the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch and rookie Andrew Carroll has been loaned to the Hartford Wolf Pack, also of the AHL.

Tkaczuk, a former member of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, has 18 points (6g, 12a) in 12 games since joining the Checkers, including a three-goal, two-assist performance on Nov. 26 against Gwinnett. The 30-year-old native of Toronto, Ontario spent the last six seasons in the German Elite League, Finnish Elite League and Italian League, where he led Milan to two consecutive Italian League Championships in 2004 and 2005.

Carroll, 24, has eight goals and four assists in 16 games for the Checkers this season. On Dec. 4, he scored his first career game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over Elmira. The Shoreview, Minn. native had a team-high five-game goal scoring streak from Nov. 13 to Nov. 20.

In a separate transaction, defenseman Tysen Dowzak was assigned to the team by the New York Rangers. Dowzak appeared in two preseason games with the Checkers before being reassigned to Bossier-Shreveport of the Central Hockey League.

The Checkers (12-6-2-0) will continue their five-game road trip on Wednesday in Florida and will return to Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 16 to host South Carolina. Game time is 7 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com

Notes: Randy Rowe has nine points (5g, 4a) in six games since being activated off injured reserve…Daniel Tkaczuk has 18 points (6g, 12a) in 12 games since joining the team…T.J. Reynolds leads all ECHL defensemen with 94 penalty minutes and 10 fighting majors and leads the Checkers with a +12 rating…Derek Couture remains on loan to Hartford, Matt Ford remains with Lake Erie (AHL) and defenseman Ethan Graham is with Norfolk (AHL)…Trevor Glass and Aaron Slattengren are on the 21-day injured reserve.

Even more news as T.J. Reynolds was named the ECHL Plus performer of the month.

Here’s that release:

REYNOLDS NAMED ECHL PLUS PERFORMER OF THE MONTH

Checkers Blueliner Led League With +13 Rating In November

Eight Checkers players ranked in the top 10 for plus-minus rating in November in the entire ECHL, including rookie defenseman, and runner-up Plus Performer, Mike Berube who was +12

The ECHL announced today that Checkers veteran defenseman and resident enforcer T.J. Reynolds has been named the AMI Graphics ECHL Plus Performer of the Month for November after leading the league with a plus-minus rating of +13.

Reynolds was even or better in 11 of 12 games in November, helping the Checkers to an 8-3-2 record. On Nov. 15 against Elmira, he was +4 and scored a goal in a 4-2 win. Reynolds leads the Checkers and is tied for third among league defenseman with a plus-minus rating of +12 while his seven assists and 10 points rank second among Charlotte defensemen.

The 28-year-old blueliner from Kitchener, Ontario also leads all ECHL defensemen in penalty minutes with 94.

A veteran of seven seasons, Reynolds has played in 152 American Hockey League games, prior to joining the Checkers, and has also seen action in the ECHL and United Hockey League. In 367 career games, he has 12 goals, 40 assists and 1467 penalty minutes.

– FLU IN REMISSION: The flu virus circulating through the University of Alabama campus in recent weeks appears to finally be on the decline.

“It seems much, much better,” John Maxwell, director of the UA student health center, said Wednesday. “We randomly have checked some during the day just to see if we’re still seeing it. I think (Tuesday) and (Wednesday), we haven’t seen any positives. That is good news.”

Where did I find it? State news, local news, education news? Dream on. It was buried several inches deep in the Friday, Sept. 18,  on-line edition of  the sports pages of the Mobile Register.

It seems sometimes, if it weren’t for sports reporting, we’d no news at all from our Alabama campuses.

Even the NPR affiliate in Birmingham, AL, WBHM found H1N1 among college students in Alabama only worth a mention in the context of game days.   Andrew Yeager’s September 18, 2009, report,  Tide Flu, noted that

Sports Economist Andrew Zimbalist says canceling a game at a small, division three school such as Stillman is less problematic than at a division one program. There’s more at stake for big universities.

“For the schools themselves they can generate in ticket sales millions of dollars in each game. And then they have television contracts. They have television contracts that can also generate millions of dollars or the equivalent of that per game.”

Beyond that, Zimbalist points out if a season is interrupted by cancellations, it could affect perceptions of teams making it to post-season play.

“That becomes tainted if one of the contending teams misses a game or two because of a swine flu epidemic.”

What’s Stillman?

Stillman College, founded in 1876,  is a small (~1050)  four-year liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, and is, like the main campus of the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa.

When 37 of its players and several coaches had flu symptoms in the days leading up to its opening game, the College cancelled the game and the SAIC marked the game up as a  forfeit to Stillman’s opponent, Clark Atlanta.

The team’s coach, L. C. Cole,  told Tuscaloosa News sportswriter Andrew Carroll,

We had to make a decision in the best interest of our athletes. We didn’t want to do any further harm. The college did the best thing as a precaution for our team and our student body too.

This is Cole’s first year at Stillman. Responsibility and integrity: not just talk from this coach.

Meanwhile, down at the University of Florida, we have this from Florida Gators Head Coach Urban Meyer:

“It is a panic level of proportion I’ve never seen before,” Meyer said Sunday, a day after his team’s 23-13 victory over Tennessee. “You hear about, I think, Wisconsin had 40 players. Ole Miss had 20 players. My wife, with her great insight, said, ‘Do you realize the swine flu and everything is hitting the Florida campus last week.’ My gosh.. . .

“We’re trying the best we can, but it’s real,” Meyer said. “We go to the extremes. They get a separate dorm room for them. They get a separate hotel room for them. They put them right on whatever the flu stuff is. Our guys, our team doctors, they’re on it as fast as you can get on it.”

And the Gators have all now had seasonal flu shots. The Associated Press’s Mark Long reported:

The regular flu shots were the latest course of action. They came about a week after one school official predicted that as many as 40 percent of students could catch swine flu.

Uh, what exactly is the connection between those two sentences? The shots available now are the seasonal flu shots. They aren’t going to keep the Gators safe from H1N1.

The AP report goes on to note that only 3 Gators were sick with flu during last Saturday’s game against Tennessee.

[Jeff] Demps, [Jermaine] Cunningham and [Aaron] Hernandez all played against Tennessee on Saturday, but none of them seemed up to par. Demps, who had a 101-degree temperature, ran four times for 31 yards and a touchdown. Hernandez caught four passes for 26 yards. And Cunningham finished with one tackle. “They were beat up pretty good,” Meyer said.

Playing a guy in a contact sport who is running a “101-degree temperature”? That might be how they “go to the extremes” in Florida, but I’d rather have my kid playing for Coach L.C. Cole (the Stillman coach, remember?).

Additionally, I should announce the winner from the previous poll. With 14 votes (well, really 13, because I voted once), the winner is… THEY ARE ALL CREEPY!!!! Thanks to everyone who voted early and often.