Penalty trouble doomed the Checkers early, as they found themselves shorthanded six times through the first two frames. After Phil Di Giuseppe put them out front in the waning moments of the first, extending his point streak to a team-best five games, the Griffins notched back-to-back goals on the man-advantage, one to close out the first and one midway through the second.
Captain Jeff Hoggan gave Grand Rapids a two-goal cushion quickly in the third, but Brendan Woods got it right back with his first tally of the season. Martin Frk put the home team back on top by two, and despite a last-second goal from David Wohlberg, it was enough to clinch the Griffins win, their first of the season.
The Checkers were nearly able to pull off the comeback, mounting a furious comeback in the second half of the third period. After only registering 18 shots through the first two frames, Charlotte launched 22 in the third and essentially sustaining possession for the final ten minutes. They created plenty of chances late, but had no luck putting them behind Griffins netminder Jared Coreau, who turned in a strong 37-save performance between the pipes.
Drew MacIntyre was peppered early and finished the game with 31 stops. Had it not been for several key stops by MacIntyre early on, especially facing Grand Rapids’ power play, things could have gotten out of hand. But it was the penalties that really hurt the Checkers, with Grand Rapids converting on their first two and squeaking out the one-goal victory.
The Checkers will have tomorrow to regroup before taking the ice in Grand Rapids for a rematch with the Griffins on Friday night.