Despite being on the wrong side of an overwhelming 14-4 disparity in shots on goal in the initial period, the Checkers got on the board first courtesy of rookie blue liner Trevor Carrick, who ripped a one-time feed from Chad LaRose on an odd-man rush midway through the frame to give Charlotte a lead. Kyle Hagel extended that lead in the second, deflecting in a Jared Staal wrist shot from the right wing boards for his first goal of the season.
The Admirals cut the deficit in half later in the second when defenseman Josh Manson put a blast from the point past a screened Drew MacIntyre, who had just denied a chance from a charging Chris Wagner and was then promptly run into. Norfolk completed their comeback with less than four minutes to go in the third, with Wagner hammering home a rebound out in front of MacIntyre and sending the game to overtime.
Both teams traded scoring opportunities in the extra frame but neither could break through, and it looked as though the game was going to be decided in a shootout. But with under a second left on the clock, Manson snuck a shot past MacIntyre to lift the Admirals to the win and clinch two points for the home team.Both goalies kept their teams in the mix throughout the game, with MacIntyre facing 48 shots, the second highest total the Checkers have allowed this season, and making a personal season-high of 45 saves. On the other side of the ice, the 38 saves that John Gibson made were the second-most by a Charlotte opponent this season.
The Checkers’ two goals came via two fairly unsuspecting players. Carrick, who notched his third tally of the season, was a two-way defenseman in juniors, putting up 51 points in his last year, but is still finding his touch at this level. He showed that side of his game tonight, however, joining an odd-man rush and burying a shot from the right circle.
The other Checkers strike came from Kyle Hagel, whose deflection marked his first tally of the season. Hagel has fully embraced his role as a fourth line grinder who isn’t afraid to drop the gloves to get his team going, but the veteran showed nice skills in tipping the shot just enough to beat Gibson and add to the Checkers’ lead. It was also a solid embodiment of head coach Jeff Daniels’ season-long mantra of scoring by committee.
Norfolk came storming back, however, to extend the game into overtime. In the extra frame, the Checkers created several great chances, including a shot that bounced off Gibson, into the air, and back into the blue paint before it was shoveled aside. But the biggest opportunity for the Checkers came from their biggest weapon. After the play had switched to three-on-three, Zach Boychuk collected a loose puck at his own blue line with no one between him and the Admirals goal. His attempt to continue his hot streak came up empty as he missed the net high.
The Admirals, on the other hand, were able to cash in on their last chance of the extra frame, putting a puck behind MacIntyre with virtually no time remaining on the clock. A review concluded that the puck had crossed the goal line prior to the end of the period, but the Checkers were still unhappy with the call as Michal Jordan felt Manson had knocked his stick away just prior to the goal.
Tonight marked the start of a brutal mid-week three-in-three for the Checkers. The team will head home tonight, arriving back in Charlotte well into the morning, and then prepare to host the AHL-leading Oklahoma City Barons in back-to-back contests starting tomorrow night.