Charlotte Checkers Report (Jan. 17)
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It’s been another successful week for the Charlotte Checkers, who posted a 3-1 record since last Friday. The team was on a 6-game win streak when I wrote the previous report last Friday, but it was then snapped on the road in Hartford. But the Checkers showed their resilience and followed that up with three consecutive wins. If you’re counting, that’s nine wins in the last ten games. That is good enough to move Charlotte into 3rd place in the Atlantic Division, just seven points behind the Hartford Wolf Pack for the lead. It is an incredible run, as the team has charged from the bottom of the standings and some had already given up on them for the season.
Last Friday’s matchup with Hartford began with the intensity ramped up to ten. A total of six goals were scored by both teams in the first period alone, with the score 3-3 heading into the second. Unfortunately, Charlotte was never able to sneak one past Wolf Pack goalie Adam Huska after the opening period, and ultimately fell 6-3. Anton Forsberg manned the net for Charlotte. Both goaltenders made 28 saves on the night, but in the end it was Huska that got the better of Forsberg and the Checkers.
The Checkers bounced back in a nice way the next night in Bridgeport, however, with a 5-2 win over the Sound Tigers. It was a good way to end the 7-game road trip, especially for Charlotte’s Max McCormick who recorded his first career hat trick. With a goal in the first to tie the game at two and a goal late in the third, he sent home the empty netter less than two minutes later to record the hat trick. Alex Nedeljkovic took care of the rest with 23 saves on the night, adding another win to his resume.
After what seemed like forever, the Checkers finally played in front of the home crowd in Bojangles Coliseum on Tuesday. It was the first game of a mid-week series against the Hershey Bears, who sit in 2nd place ahead of the Checkers in the Atlantic Division. Oliwer Kaski had a big night, scoring the first two goals of the game, giving the Checkers a 2-0 lead. The Bears got on the board at the end of the second, but couldn’t beat Forsberg for the rest of the game, who had 26 saves on 27 attempts for the Checkers. David Gust and Steven Lorentz added goals for the home team, who went on to win 4-1 in front of a sellout crowd.
The next night featured a rematch between the two teams. With five different players racking up goals, the Checkers held a 5-1 lead going into the third period, giving the fans a lot of confidence about leaving the coliseum happy. But that confidence would slowly wane as the Bears chipped away one by one. Three goals were scored in a five-minute span and the game was suddenly a 5-4 tight contest heading into the final three minutes. But Nedeljkovic made some big saves down the stretch and sealed the deal as the clock hit zero. It was a good win that tested the team’s defense in the final minutes, and also an important win as they attempt to chase down the Bears for 2nd place within the division.
The action continues this weekend at Bojangles Coliseum with games Saturday and Sunday against the Toronto Marlies. The Marlies are currently 4th in the North Division with 45 points on the season. Then the Checkers will get a week off before returning to action the following weekend against the Penguins. Get your tickets online at www.gocheckers.com and come out to support Charlotte hockey. Go Checkers!
Garett