The Monsters came roaring out of the gates, building a 2-0 lead less than three minutes into the game, but Brody Sutter put his team back into it with his second goal in as many games. After Kerby Rychel pushed the Lake Erie advantage back to two in the second period, Brendan Woods and Derek Ryan answered with a pair of strikes within 90 seconds of each other to even things heading into the final frame.
Lake Erie made one more push, netting power-play and shorthanded goals back-to-back to regain their two-goal cushion in the third, seemingly putting things out of reach for Charlotte as the clock continued to melt away. But a laser from Danny Biega found its way top shelf to pull the Checkers back within one shortly after and the visitors ratcheted up the pressure. After Lake Erie took a penalty late in regulation, Charlotte netminder Drew MacIntyre headed to the bench to give the Checkers a two-man advantage. The Monsters defense held strong until Phil Di Giuseppe hammered home a rebound on the doorstep to knot the game at five with 31 seconds left and force overtime.
After a scoreless extra frame, the game progressed to a shootout, where MacIntyre continued to dominate. The veteran goalie shut the door on all three shooters he faced, while Derek Ryan found twine on his attempt to complete the comeback and clinch two points for the Checkers.
The Checkers’ offense, which began the season on fire but has since evaporated, returned when they needed it tonight. Despite seeing seven power plays, the Checkers only converted once, but it was their even-strength attack that kept them afloat. They found offense from familiar places (Ryan continued to display his top-notch scoring touch, while Sutter and Woods factored in for the second straight game), as well as from others who stepped up (T.J. Hensick shook off a four-game slide with a pair of helpers, Biega notched two points to give him six in just nine games).
MacIntyre, who has appeared in every game this season for Charlotte, may have surrendered five goals, but he stood tall when he was needed most, including a brilliant poke check to thwart a 2-on-0 in the high-octane overtime period. He also remained a brick wall during shootouts, staying perfect through two this season and moving to 27-for-29 in Charlotte sweater.
Not to be lost in the all the action down the stretch was Zach Boychuk making Checkers history. With the primary assist on Di Giuseppe’s game-tying tally, Boychuk, who already stands as the Checkers’ all-time goals leader, passed his longtime teammate Chris Terry to become the franchise’s all-time leading scorer with 255 points.
The Checkers’ month-long road trip has finally reached its conclusion, with the team emerging from the monstrous stretch with a 6-4-0-0 mark. The Checkers’ next contest will be their triumphant return to historic Bojangles’ Coliseum, where they will host the Manitoba Moose for their long-awaited home opener.
NOTES: The Checkers are now 2-0-0-0 when entering the third period tied … Phil Di Giuseppe is on a three-game point streak and has at least one point in eight of ten contests this season … Tonight marked the third time this season that the Checkers have scored the game-tying or game-winning goal inside of the final two minutes of regulation … Tyler Ganly returned to the lineup for the first time since making his pro debut in the season opener … Justin Shugg missed the game due to injury … Jake Chelios and Erik Karlsson were healthy extras