Like last night, the Checkers dominated the Wolves early, outshooting them 30-10 through two periods, but saw Blair Jones’ opening goal erased late in the second when Zach O’Brien punched home a rebound to tie things up. But the home team almost immediately got the go-ahead tally, with Kyle Hagel securing a Trevor Carrick feed in the slot and threading a laser into the back of the net, giving the Checkers a 2-1 advantage heading into the final period of regulation.
The Checkers continued to pour it on in the third, stifling the Wolves. Jones gave Charlotte a cushion with a one-time cannon that blew by Chicago goalie Jordan Binnington. That proved to be the nail in the coffin, as the Checkers locked down the Wolves and avoided another comeback, skating away with a fresh two-game win streak.
Brought in to replace some outgoing talent and spark some life, Jones has done just that with three points in his first two games with the team, though he is quick to praise his new teammates.
While Jones paced the offensive attack, it was a less likely name that netted the game winner, as Hagel continues to power the Checkers’ fourth line in any way he can.
“To see Hags get rewarded for all the yeoman’s work he’s been doing is really heartwarming,” said head coach Mark Morris. “To score a goal like that on a great pass from Carrick and also fight a heavyweight on the other team and do well and stand up for his teammates, that was a character win for us all around.”
One of the Checkers’ biggest deficiencies during their slump has been their inability to score goals at five-on-five. Tonight they finally broke through that wall, with all three goals coming at even strength.
“We held the puck in their end for long periods of time and they’ve got two great defensemen in Harrold and Benoit,” said Morris of the team’s boost in five-on-five production. “I thought our guys did a good job of wearing them down. Binnington did a great job early in the game but as soon as he cracked things started to open up and they started to press.”
There were some other factors that added to that success.
“We just weren’t getting the bounces really [during the slump],” said Carrick. “I thought we had some pretty good offensive play down low at five-on-five tonight but we’re getting some bounces now, which is nice.”
It’s still early on, but the introduction of Jones and Andrew Miller into the lineup seems to have awakened the Checkers in more ways than one.
“Sometimes it’s nice,” said Carrick of getting new faces in the lineup. “Those guys have been great for us so far. I think other guys in the room see that and the compete level goes up. There’s a few more healthy scratches and guys are competing for a job now and trying to get in the lineup. I feel like the energy level is a little higher on the ice and guys are playing harder trying to stay in the lineup.”
“Early on in the year we might have fumbled that one coming down the stretch,” said Morris. “But I think the added depth and experience, especially in a guy like Jones who is a big strong guy and has that experience, it’s good for everybody to see.”
With some momentum behind them, the Checkers will now prepare to kick off a three-game set with the division-leading Rockford IceHogs in what could be their most important stretch of the season. These two solid performances are hopefully a step away from their downward skid and signs of a positive swing for the Checkers down the stretch.
“We’ve got 17 games to go here so we’ve got to make a pretty good push,” said Jones. “Just one game at a time, chip away and keep climbing in the standings.”
“You can see the regular season winding down and we want to get as many points in the bank and give ourselves the best shot we can of getting in,” said Morris. “Every point is important.”