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CHARLOTTE, NC (October 19, 2007) – The Columbia Inferno battled back in the third period but came up short at the Charlotte Checkers won 5-4 on the season opener in front of 8,727 fans.

Blake Bellefeuille scored on a shorthanded opportunity at 2:52 as he picked the puck up at the blue line on a breakaway. At the 15:00 mark, Dusty Jamieson scored and Kenton Smith scored at 17:03 as the Checkers took a 3-0 lead. Coach Troy Mann pulled starting goaltender Todd Ford and replaced him with Jeff Jakaitis who stopped 13 of 15 shots in the game.

The Checkers took a 5-0 lead when Bellefeuille scored his second goal of the night at 1:02 and Lee Falardeau added his first of the season at 3:39 on the power play. The Inferno answered back at 3:58 when Daniel Sparre, on a breakaway, received passes from Tyler Doig and Peter Tsimikalis. Captain Brad Ralph scored at 5:07 with help from Patrick Wellar and Owen Fussey

Jeff Miles scored with a wrist shot from the left side of Checkers goaltender Chris Holt at 14:54 to notch the first of two goals in the third period. At 18:18, Fussey sends the puck over the shoulder of Holt and brings the Inferno back to within one goal.

Columbia outshot the Checkers 27-26 and went 0-for-6 on the power play.

The Inferno travel to face the South Carolina Stingrays on Saturday, October 20 at 7:05 p.m. Columbia returns home on Friday, October 26 at 7:05pm to face the Augusta Lynx. Tickets are available by calling 251-2222 or visiting the Carolina Coliseum Box Office.