On Monday night, it was fair to say that the Charlotte Checkers were easily one of the three best teams in the East Coast League and that they were already playing the best hockey in the league. One of the team’s best players, Kenny Roche has been returned to the team after a stint with Providence in the American League and will be in the lineup tonight as the Checkers take on Gwinnett at the Time Warner Cable Arena.
But given that Hartford and Lake Erie, the two primary recipients of the Checkers’ best players, don’t appear headed to the playoffs, they are likely to receive back Julien Brouillette and Jared Nightingale. Matt Ford and Randy Rowe could return to The Tar Heel State and make this team even stronger.
The Checkers have only lost once in their last ten games (9-1-0-0) and are peaking at just the right time.
This could be a VERY long run in the playoffs for Michael Kahn’s team.
Here’s the official release:
ROCHE RE-JOINS CHECKERS FOR PLAYOFF RUN
Tenacious Winger Expected To Be In Line-Up Tonight Vs. Gwinnett
Charlotte Checkers head coach and general manager Derek Wilkinson announced today that winger Kenny Roche has been returned to the team from the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League.
Roche, who is under ECHL contract with the Checkers, was loaned to the Bruins on Mar. 6 in the midst of a five-game point streak. In 11 games with Providence, the native of South Boston, Mass. recorded two assists.
In 36 games with the Checkers, Roche has 17 goals and 16 assists, including three goals and six assists in the five games prior to being called up. He also spent 14 games with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack earlier this season where he notched four goals and four assists.
Roche is expected to join the Checkers for tonight’s game against Gwinnett.
The Checkers (41-21-7) will host Gwinnett tonight at 7 p.m. for their last ever regulation game in the ECHL at Time Warner Cable Arena. 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.
Leave a Reply