Charlotte Checkers vs. Norfolk Admirals
Trailing 4-1 at the second intermission, the Checkers very nearly completed the comeback in their second and final exhibition game in Norfolk on Saturday.

Forwards Nicolas Blanchard and Justin Shugg scored third-period goals to bring Charlotte within one at Scope Arena, but the team was unable to convert a power-play opportunity with 3:01 remaining in regulation and ultimately fell by a 4-3 score.

Rookie center Victor Rask had the Checkers’ other goal, while goaltender Mike Murphy made 30 saves as Norfolk out-shot Charlotte by a margin of 34-26. After scoring two power-play goals in their first exhibition game, the Checkers went 1-for-9 against Norfolk on Saturday, including a missed five-on-three opportunity in the second period. Shugg’s goal, in which he batted the puck out of mid-air and past goalie John Gibson, represented their lone man-advantage strike.

Together with their 4-2 triumph over the Admirals at Extreme Ice Center one day earlier, Saturday’s loss caused the Checkers to finish the preseason with a split of their home-and-home series against Norfolk. Training camp continues next week, leading up to the regular-season opener at Oklahoma City on Friday.

NOTES

Charlotte killed five of six Norfolk power plays … Rookie defenseman Danny Biega engaged in a fight against Teigan Zahn with 24 seconds remaining in the game … Austin Levi, Matt Marquardt, Sean Dolan, Mark Flood and Aaron Palushaj each had one assist for Charlotte … Flood’s assist gave him three in two preseason games, tying him with Zach Boychuk (1g, 2a) and Palushaj (2g, 1a) for the team’s preseason scoring lead … Boychuk, defenseman Michal Jordan and goalie Justin Peters were healthy extras for Charlotte and did not play.