On the heels of a 5-1 victory last night in Toronto, the Charlotte Checkers will head into Thursday’s matchup with a 2-1 series lead in the Best of 7 third round series against the Toronto Marlies. It’s a good thing we have a 7-game series because there’s a good chance all seven games will be used. Entering this third round, the Checkers had only lost one playoff game through the first two rounds, and the Marlies hadn’t lost any. This is definitely a battle of two heavyweight hockey teams.

Game one of the series went to the Marlies after they edged out a victory in Charlotte last Friday. In a defensive contest where both goalies recorded 26 saves, the Marlies redirected a shot in the 3rd period to give them the 2-1 advantage and eventually the win.

The next night it looked as if it might be a long night in Charlotte for the home team. The Checkers found themselves in a 3-0 hole in the 2nd period, but finally turned on the switch. After experiencing so much success throughout the season, the team stayed poised and confident. From there, five unanswered goals were scored, with five different Checkers getting in the scoring column. Tomas Jurco led the way with one goal and two assists, while goaltender Dustin Tokarski came in to replace a struggling Alex Nedeljkovic excellently.

With the series tied up and momentum on their side, the Checkers traveled to Toronto, where game three was played last night. After scoring five unanswered goals in game two, the team piled on five more unanswered goals before the Marlies finally got on the board with a 3rd period goal. Five different Checkers all scored in this game as well, which goes to show how balanced this team is. Alex Nedeljkovic bounced back from a rough game two, nearly getting a playoff shutout. He made 33 saves on 34 shots in the 5-1 victory.

Game four of the series will take place tomorrow night, May 23, in Toronto at 7:00 p.m. The following night will see game five, and if necessary, the Checkers will travel back to Charlotte for games six and seven. Like I stated earlier, I think this series will at least go six games, with a very good chance it goes all seven. The Marlies are the defending champions with a strong team, and the Checkers had the best regular season out of all the teams in the AHL. Stay tuned for our chase of the Calder Cup. You can catch all the games on AHLTV. Go Checkers!

Garett

Charlotte Checkers Take a 3rd Round Series Lead