The Checkers came out of the gates with much more urgency than the night before, pumping 11 shots on goal and getting on the board first. The strike came courtesty of Andrew Rowe, his first in a Charlotte sweater, as he deflected a point blast from Rasmus Rissanen. Charlotte extended its lead in the second, as Rowe exited the penalty box and was sprung on a breakaway. His effort was denied by Stars goalie Anders Lindback, but Jared Staal was trailing the play and hamemred home the rebound to put the Checkers on top 2-0 heading into the final frame.
The Stars cut the lead in half midway through the third after Greg Rallo tipped in a blast from Maxime Fortunus, but the Checkers buckled down and held on, with Chad LaRose icing the game late with an empty net goal to send Charlotte home with a 3-1 victory.
Drew MacIntyre's play between the pipes was arguably the biggest factor in the win. Making his second-straight start, MacIntyre turned aside 34 of the 35 shots he faced from the potent Texas attack, denying any second chance opportunities and helping to hold the Stars' powerplay to one goal on six man advantages. The victory gives MacIntyre eight on the year and makes him just the 12th goalie in AHL history to record 200 wins.
The win ended the Checkers' eight-game road winless streak, giving them their first victory away from home since October 24th. It also marked the second time this season that they have split a two-game series with the defending Calder Cup champion Stars.
The team will now return to the friendly confines of Time Warner Cable Arena, where they have earned points in six of their last seven games, for a four-game home stand beginning Tuesday against Oklahoma City.