Checkers News

Drew MacIntyre and the Checkers continued their shootout dominance, upending the hottest team in the AHL by a score of 2-1.

The squads battled evenly through two high-octane periods with neither team finding the back of the net. Martin Frk finally put the Griffins on the scoreboard three minutes into the final frame, taking advantage of a Checkers’ turnover and firing one that beat Drew MacIntyre five-hole. Grand Rapids continued to pour on the pressure, but Justin Shugg knotted things up just over midway through the period, ripping a wrister top shelf. Despite several more chances for both sides, that was it for the scoring in regulation and the game moved on to overtime.

The two teams battled for the full seven minutes of the extra period, including the three-on-three portion that saw the Griffins buzz all around the net. But both goalies stood strong and the game proceeded to a shootout.

Brody Sutter was denied first and Andy Miele put the Griffins on top with a nifty deke, but Brock McGinn and Shugg each beat Tom McCollum to put the Checkers back in front. With the game on the line, MacIntyre stonewalled Kevin Porter and clinched the two points for Charlotte. The win moved them to 5-1 in shootouts, tied for the best mark in the AHL.

Head coach Jeff Daniels had a specific game plan heading into this two-game set with Grand Rapids and while the first meeting didn’t go as planned, there was certainly and improvement in tonight’s execution.

“More for 60 minutes,” said Daniels of his team’s play. “You look back at the other night, we had a good first period and then the second wasn’t bad, we just had a bad turnover. I thought tonight was more of a 60-minute effort, and then in overtime it got a little scary there. They were skating around pretty good, but at the end of the night we got the win.”

The Checkers have been plagued for much of this season by allowing late goals. The Griffins went ahead in the third period tonight, but it was a different story, with the home team showing resiliency and battling back rather than falling apart.

“As I’ve said all along, we’ve got great leadership in that locker room and on the bench,” said Daniels. “It was a one-goal game and we were one shot away, and Shuggy made a great play. It gives us a little confidence. It was a good victory for us against one of the best teams in the league.”

Going up against a Grand Rapids team that not only ranks first in the AHL, but set a franchise record tonight by extending their point streak to 17 games (13-0-4), the Checkers knew that the key would be keeping that attack in check. The patchwork defensive corps missing key players to NHL recalls and injury responded by holding the Griffins to just one goal, the first time that has happened since the streak began.

It’s just a commitment to defensive play,” said Daniels. “When you’re playing these skilled teams that can score goals, you play a little smarter and you understand that if you don¹t manage the puck and take care of the D-zone, they can embarrass you in a hurry. We’ve got some young guys on the back end now getting some good experience, and Danny Biega, Trevor Carrick and Dennis are three of our more veteran guys leading the way back there.”

The Checkers were also aided by a spectacular performance from MacIntyre, whose 47 saves matched the highest number by a Charlotte goalie this season. On top of a solid performance in regulation, the veteran continued to be unbeatable in the extra frame, moving his overtime save percentage for the season to .933 (42-for-45).

“When you’ve got a goalie like that in the crease, you’re confident whether it’s a breakaway, two-on-one or odd-man rush,” said Shugg, who became the team’s goals and points leader tonight. “When he’s in the blue paint, him or Muser, we know that they’re going to come up big.”

“He’s given us some real good games throughout the season,” said Daniels. “He’s given us a chance to win and he takes pride in that. It was a good win for him.”

The team will now head out on their longest road trip of the season, a six-game swing starting Saturday in Oklahoma City. After enjoying a lot of success at home recently, the Checkers will have to take that with them, as they currently have the worst road record in the AHL.

“As I said to the guys, bring that game on the road,” said Daniels. “That’s been our message all year. I know our record’s not good on the road, but if you look back we’ve had some real good games on the road where we haven’t won or haven’t scored goals. We’ve got to bring that effort into OK City.”

NOTES

MacIntyre is now tied for the league lead with four shootout victories. He ranks second in the league with 1,178 saves and is fourth with 2,368 minutes played … He has stopped 21 of 23 in the shootout this season … Over the course of their 17-game point streak, Grand Rapids has gone to overtime eight times … The Checkers improved to 2-3-1 against the Griffins this season with two games remaining in Grand Rapids in April … The Checkers have won six of their last eight games at home … Shugg broke a tie with Chad LaRose to take sole possession of the Checkers’ scoring lead with 32 points. He has 11 points (4g, 7a) in his last 13 games and fired a game-high eight shots … Zach Boychuk’s five-game point streak came to an end … Dennis Robertson extended his point streak to a career-best four games (1g, 3a) … Forwards Greg Nemisz and Chad LaRose and defenseman Keegan Lowe missed the game due to injury … Forward Carter Sandlak was a healthy extra.