MILWAUKEE, Wisc – Charlotte lost 6-1 to rivals Milwaukee Admirals in the final game of the regular season. The only chance for the Checkers to reach the play offs was for Texas to beat the Houston Aeros, that is a tall order. Houston are the home team, Texas have already been eliminated from the play offs.
Milwaukee Admirals scored a goal in the first period through Ryan Tyang then increased their lead early in the second period after a number of penalties were given away by Charlotte. Brodie Dupont was the scorer, then a few minutes later Jerome Samson got Charlotte back in the game after Drayson Bowman assisted with a beautifully hit pass.
Thang added to the Admirals score early in the third period. Ryan Flynn put number four past Justin Peters when his shot deflected off Rasmus Rissanen’s skate. Goal number five came from Jani Lajunen who had an empty net. Justin Peters who had 24 saves had been pulled by coach Jeff Daniels in an effort to close the gap on Milwaukee. A power play goal from Taylor Beck with 1.32 left in the game made sure of victory for Milwaukee.
The Checkers only had 19 shots total on Admirals goalie Jeremy Smith, in the third period they only had four shots. This is the third time in the last two weeks the Milwaukee have beaten Charlotte.
The Charlotte Checkers miss the play offs by a whisker. The regular season ended with the Oklahoma City Barons finishing the Western Division with 99 points. Second were the Toronto Marlies with 96 points then the Chicago Wolves with 91 points. Also in the playoff mix are the Rochester Americans, Milwaukee Admirals, Abbotsford Heat, San Antonio Rampage and the Houston Aeros.
Charlotte finished just outside the playoff spot with 85 points, one point short of being there. Charlotte must be bitterly disappointed, as at times this season they played outstanding hockey, especially on the road.
Of the 76 games played Charlotte won 38, lost 29, overtime loss 3 and shoot-out loss 6 a total of 85 points. They finished third in the Midwest Division and ninth in the Western Conference.
EddieMitchell@ProHockeyNews.com
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