Charlotte Checkers Check-In (March 22)
Photo: Gerry Cantlon/Howlings
Welcome back Checkers fans to another edition of the Friday Checkers Check-In. Last week we were preparing for a weekend series against the Rochester Americans with the AHL points lead on the line for both teams. Checkers’ head coach Mike Vellucci commented before the series that those are the type of games they want to play, saying, “Bring it on, you want to be the best, you’ve got to play against the best.” In a playoff-like atmosphere in Charlotte, the Checkers stepped up to the challenge sweeping the weekend series and limiting the Americans to just two goals all weekend. They went on to split the mid-week series against the Syracuse Crunch, who has replaced the Americans as the second-best team in the AHL. Charlotte currently sits atop with 92 points on the season, while the Crunch (out of the North Division) has 88.
Alex Nedeljkovic got the start in the net for the series opener last Friday for the Checkers, and like he’s done all year, he was fantastic. He recorded 28 saves on the game and nearly registered another shut-out, allowing just one late-game goal. Alex has simply been phenomenal all season long for the Checkers and gives the rest of the team a confidence boost when he’s between the pipes. Patrick Brown led the way in that game for Charlotte on offense, with two goals, while Aleksi Saarela and Martin Necas also got in the scoring column.
Photo: charlottesgotalot.com
The Americans would have no better luck the next night as they faced the next Charlotte goalie Dustin Tokarski. With 34 shots on goal, Rochester only scored on one of them, leading to a 3-1 Tokarski and Checkers win. Julien Gauthier, Bobby Sanguinetti, and Aleksi Saarela all scored goals for Charlotte to give them the win and the sweep of the AHL’s second best team (at the time). In a very physical game, the Checkers killed an impressive nine penalties, which should give the team and fans a lot of confidence as we look to make some noise in the playoffs in the near future.
In the first mid-week series in a month and a half, Charlotte was tasked with the Syracuse Crunch, who had taken over second place in the AHL standings and first in the North Division over the Americans. In Tuesday’s opener, it was ultimately a defensive showdown between the two teams in Bojangles Coliseum. Alex Nedeljkovic and Eddie Pasquale were phenomenal in the net for both teams, but it was Pasquale and the Crunch who came out on top in the overtime frame. Martin Necas registered the only goal for Charlotte, as they fell 2-1, but still received a point. The Checkers would receive redemption the next day however, and two points, as they bested Syracuse 4-2. Nedeljkovic was in goal for the second day in a row and recorded 32 saves on 34 shots, getting the win. Necas led the way for the Checkers with two goals.
The Checkers are rolling right now and it’s so much fun to watch as fans. Going against the best competition the AHL can provide in the span of six days, Charlotte captured seven points of a possible eight and proved to the rest of the league that they are the team to beat this season. With just a few more weeks until the playoffs begin, it’s very exciting to see the team playing like they are at the right time of the year. Playoffs should be a tremendous amount of fun. But until then, there are still games to win. Starting tomorrow night, the Checkers will play back to back games against division-rival Hartford Wolf Pack. This will end the homestand and the team will travel for a Wednesday night game in Bridgeport to take on the Sound Tigers. Come on out to Bojangles Coliseum tomorrow and Sunday to help fill the arena and catch some good hockey. Let’s show the rest of the league that Charlotte is the best hockey city and a tough place to play! You can get tickets to tomorrow night’s game against the Wolf Pack by clicking HERE, and to Sunday’s afternoon tilt by clicking HERE. Let’s go Checkers!
Garett