Charlotte Checkers Report (Jan. 10)
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Welcome back folks, it’s that time of the week again to check in on our Charlotte Checkers. And boy, do I have good news to bring you. Since last week’s report, the Checkers have gone 3-0 with a weekend sweep of the Bruins and a mid-week win against the Penguins. Like I stated in last week’s report, the Checkers ended 2019 with their first 3-game win streak of the season and have since put three more victories together to total the streak at six. Just several weeks ago the team was in 7th place (out of 8) in the division where they spent the majority of the season, and have now climbed up to the 5th spot, just 10 points behind division-leader Hartford Wolf Pack.
The Checkers have found their rhythm on offense with 14 goals in their three games this week, and 26 throughout their current 6-game win streak. Last Saturday night Charlotte got the ball rolling with a 4-0 win in Providence and it was another strong showing from goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. He recorded 25 saves in the shutout victory while four different Checkers got in the scoring column. Steven Lorentz led the way with a goal and two assists. The shutout placed Nedeljkovic third in the AHL this season with three.
The two teams squared off again the next afternoon and the results were almost the same. Charlotte rookie Jacob Pritchard was the first player to light up the lamp for either team, with a goal in the first period and also his first of the season. He then scored again in the second and the Checkers never looked back. Two more goals were added on and it looked as if Charlotte goalie Anton Forsberg was going to follow up Ned’s shutout from the previous night with one of his own. But it wasn’t quite in the cards, as the Bruins scored with less than a minute to play for their first and only goal of the weekend. Forsberg was spectacular with 26 saves on 27 shots.
Looking to take their win streak to six games, the Checkers traveled to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to take on Michael Scott’s favorite AHL team, the Penguins. It was back and forth for a while as the two teams traded goals. A total of five goals were scored in the second period and that’s when Charlotte took a 4-3 lead going into the final frame. Then Julien Gauthier did his thing and increased the lead to five and Steven Lorentz put on the finishing touches with an empty netter to give the Checkers a 6-3 win. Nedeljkovic made 27 saves in the game, coming away with another win.
The team is rolling right now and I love it. It will be fun and interesting to see how long this hot streak goes. They are just three points away from third place within the Atlantic Division with plenty of season left. The long road trip will wrap up this weekend with a game tonight in Hartford and tomorrow in Bridgeport. Then the Checkers finally return home on Tuesday with a mid-week series against the Bears before taking on the Marlies next weekend. Let’s make sure to pack out Bojangles Coliseum and get loud! Go Checkers!
Garett