Checkers vs. Lynx: 11/11/06

[SD12]

CHECKERS PRESS RELEASE

(With comments from Head Coach Derek Wilkinson)

CHECKERS DEFEATED BY LYNX 4-1 IN VETERANS DAY GAME

CHARLOTTE, NC - The Charlotte Checkers lost a hard fought Veteran?s Day game against the Augusta Lynx in front of 5,855 fans at St. Lawrence Homes Home Ice at Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Bruce Graham led the team in scoring with the only Charlotte goal of the evening.

In the first period, Augusta scored two unanswered power play goals. The first goal was from center, Louis Goulet at 9:30 in the period. Goulet was assisted by both Ryan Lang and Shane Hynes to put the Lynx up 1-0. The second Augusta goal was from Jamie Johnson with one minute left in the period. Johnson had help from forward, J.B. Bittner and defenseman, Sean Blanchard.

The second period started with the Lynx up 2-0 and an even-strength goal from Lang at 1:56, and the assists were given to both Bittner and Johnson. The only Checkers goal came late in the second period at 16:02 with an even-strength goal from Bruce Graham with the assist given to Kenton Smith making the score leading into intermission 2-1.

The final goal of the evening was scored at 12:45 in the third period by Lang, giving him his second goal of the evening. Lang was again assisted by both Bittner and Johnson to give Augusta the lead and win with a final score of 4-1.

"The second and third periods, we were really good," commented Checkers Head Coach Derek Wilkinson. "The first ten minutes of the game was where we hurt ourselves. We just couldn't find a way to get a bounce. We had a lot of chances where we either missed the net or the puck skipped wide of the goal. The first ten minutes though, we didn't do ourselves any favors."

Alex Westlund took the loss for Charlotte stopping 33 of 37 shots on goal, and Dave McKee was given the win for Augusta with 27 saves.

The Checkers next home game is against the Gwinnett Gladiators on Saturday, November 18 at 7:30 p.m. at Charlotte Bobcats Arena. After the game on November 18 the UNC Charlotte Ice Hockey team will take on North Carolina State on St. Lawrence Homes Home Ice. For ticket information call the Checkers at 704-342-4-ICE or purchase and print your tickets at www.gocheckers.com (http://www.gocheckers.com).

BOX SCORE (http://echl.leaguestat.com/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=1011)

[SD12]

CHARLOTTE OBSERVER

CHARLOTTE HOPES SUNK BY FORMER TEAMMATE

by Keith Cannon

CHARLOTTE, NC - The Charlotte Checkers' first struggle Saturday was just getting home. Then they had to play a game.

The Checkers, who took more than 12 hours to get back after Friday night's 5-1 win in Johnstown, Pa., looked like a bus-fatigued team in a 4-1 loss Saturday to the Augusta Lynx.

Coach Derek Wilkinson was more willing to blame the quirky ECHL schedule, which has the team off until Friday's game at South Carolina.

"We'll come back with seven games in 10 days," he said, "but at least we have a chance to let some people heal up."

Saturday night, Ryan Lang, who played for the Checkers (6-3) in 2004-05, had two goals and an assist and Jamie Johnson added a goal and an assist for Augusta (5-5). The Lynx broke a two-game losing streak.

"We just didn't have any jam in the first 10 minutes, and we didn't do ourselves any favors," Wilkinson said. "We played pretty well in the second period, but couldn't find a way to get a bounce."

Charlotte appeared to have trimmed the deficit to one when Nathan Gillies' backhanded power-play shot trickled past goaltender Dave McKee with 10 1/2 minutes left. But the goal was disallowed. Wilkinson said he had no idea why.

[SD12]

AUGUSTA LYNX PRESS RELEASE

LYNX KING CHECKERS, 4-1

CHARLOTTE, NC - Charlotte, NC – Ryan Lang scored twice and added an assist to lead the Augusta Lynx to a 4-1 win over the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday night at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

Lang would score in the second and third periods with help from new linemates Jamie Johnson and J.B. Bittner, his team leading fifth and sixth goals of the year.

Louis Goulet led off the scoring for Augusta with a power play goal at 9:30 of the opening frame, firing home a one-time shot off a Lang pass that beat Charlotte goaltender Alex Westlund high glove for a 1-0 lead.

Johnson would follow with a power play marker of his own, scooping the puck high glove once again and tucking it underneath the crossbar at 18:59 from Bittner and Sean Blanchard for a 2-0 margin.

Bruce Graham ruined the shutout bid by Augusta’s Dave McKee at 16:02 of the second period with a wrist shot that beat the Lynx netminder up high for the Checkers’ only goal. McKee earned his fifth win of the year with 37 saves on the night.

The Lynx travel to Charleston to take on the South Carolina Stingrays at 4:05 pm Sunday, with radio coverage beginning with the Classic Stucco and Stone Pre-Game Show one half-hour before puck drop on your Home for Lynx Hockey, NEWSTALKSPORTS 163.