Overall Record: 16-10-4 (Home 9-5-2, Away 7-5-2)
Previous 10: 4-4-2
Standings: 2nd – South Division, 5th – American Conference
The Checkers look to benefit from a bit of a holiday break in which they have only three games in a 14-day span. They will play the next two at home before heading on their first Northern road trip of the season. The team received some good news in the last two weeks as Julien Brouillette was returned from Providence (AHL) and Aaron Slattengren, Steve Ward and Michel Leveille all returned from injuries.
Dec. 26 vs. Florida (L 3-0)
Florida scored two power-play goals and the Checkers could not catch up as they were defeated 3-0 on Saturday in front of a crowd of over 10,000 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Ryan Munce stopped 45 of 47 and the Everblades enjoyed 15 opportunities with the man-advantage. In a reversal of roles, Florida spoiled the Charlotte fans’ chances of throwing stuffed animals on the ice as part of “Teddy Bear Toss Night” by blanking the home team. On Dec. 12 in Florida, the Checkers shut out the Everblades, 3-0, ruining the chance for fans in Fort Myers to toss their bears.
Dec. 27 @ South Carolina (W 5-4)
The Checkers got two power-play goals from Randy Rowe and Andrew Carroll scored his second game-winner in three games. Miika Wiikman stopped 21 of 25 shots for the win and is now undefeated in regulation in his last eight games (5-1-1). Michel Leveille, in his fourth game since returning from injury, chipped in with three assists. Charlotte jumped ahead 2-0 and South Carolina tied it up. The two teams then traded goals and with five minutes to play, the stage was set for late-game heroics as the game was tied at 4-4. Andrew Carroll delivered once again as he potted a Jean-Philipp Chabot rebound for his third game-winning goal of the season.
PLAYER NOTES:
Ryan Munce ranks second among all ECHL goaltenders with a .922 save percentage…Tyler Doig has 13 points in his last 11 games and is tied for fifth in ECHL scoring with 35 points (9g, 26a)…Randy Rowe has four goals in the last three games…Miika Wiikman has only one regulation loss in nine games this season (5-1-2)…rookie Andrew Carroll has three game-winning goals in the last eight games and leads all active ECHL players with a .297 shooting percentage (11 goals on 37 shots)…T.J. Reynolds leads all ECHL players with 137 penalty minutes, and is tied for the league lead in plus-minus with a +18 rating…Derek Couture remains on loan to Hartford, Daniel Tkaczuk is with Syracuse, Matt Ford remains with Lake Erie and defenseman Ethan Graham is with Norfolk…Trevor Glass, Codey Burki and Chris Chappell are on the 21-day injured reserve.
MILESTONES/RECORDS:
• 400 points – Randy Rowe currently sits at 399 career ECHL points.
TEAM NOTES:
The Checkers are 8-3-1 in their last 12 home games…Charlotte has only one regulation loss in 16 tries when scoring first (11-1-4)… the Checkers had a season-high 10,980 fans at Saturday’s game
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
12/21 Delete Frank Doyle Placed on the 3-day IR
12/21 Add Julien Brouillette Returned from Providence (AHL)
12/19 Add Michel Leveille Activated off IR
12/18 Add Steve Ward Activated off IR
12/18 Add Aaron Slattengren Activated off IR
UPCOMING GAMES:
The Checkers will host Gwinnett on Sunday (2 p.m.) and South Carolina next Wednesday (7 p.m.). Ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com.
