The Checkers concluded their preseason game schedule with a 5-3 loss in Lehigh Valley on Saturday.
Zach Nastasiuk, Nick Schilkey and Steven Lorentz scored for the Checkers, who lost dropped back-to-back games against the Phantoms over the weekend. Rookie netminder Jeremy Helvig stopped 14 of 19 shots in just under 40 minutes of game action, with Jamie Phillips handling all five shots he faced for the duration of the contest.
The Checkers took an early lead on a goal by Nastasiuk, who signed an AHL deal with the Checkers over the summer, but fell behind 2-1 before the opening frame had ended. The game’s other five goals all took place during a furious five minutes of the second period that saw Schilkey and Lorentz each score tying goals before the Phantoms pulled away with two strikes of their own.
The Checkers, who were playing without eight players that the Hurricanes assigned earlier in the day, now return to Charlotte for a final week of practice before their regular season begins with a pair of games in Rochester this Friday and Saturday.