Checkers News

After being plagued by offensive struggles through the first five games, the Checkers finally broke out, throttling the Iowa Wild 5-1 for their first regulation win of the season.

Five different players found the net for the Checkers, and Drew MacIntyre turned in another superb performance between the pipes, turning aside 26 of the 27 shots Iowa threw at him.

Rookie Phil Di Giuseppe started the scoring early, tapping in a cross-crease pass from Chad LaRose just 1:24 into the first, the fastest Checkers goal to start a game this season. Carter Sandlak, another rookie, struck later in the period, his first professional goal, as he chipped in the rebound off of a shot from newly acquired forward A.J. Jenks.

The team added another tally before the first period ended, with Greg Nemisz ripping a wrist shot from the left side boards that found the top right corner of the net. The Checkers took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission, tying their most goals in an entire game this season. They also fired 11 shots in the first frame, the highest number thus far for a team that had been struggling in that department.

The second period saw a regression, with the Checkers registering just three shots and the Wild narrowing the lead to 3-1, but Charlotte put their foot back on the gas in the third. Rookie Brock McGinn extended the lead just 34 seconds into the frame, collecting a pass from a falling Alex Aleardi behind the net and squeezing a shot past Wild goalie John Curry. The final nail in the coffin was delivered by Chad LaRose, who deflected a blistering one-timer from Di Giuseppe over the extended blocker of Curry and sealed the 5-1 Checkers victory.

The Checkers, who entered tonight’s contest ranked in the bottom ten in the AHL in power play and penalty kill, were aided by the improved performance of their special teams, killing all four of their penalties and capitalizing on one of three man-advantages.

Charlotte will look to put together back to back wins for the first time this season as they return to the ice tomorrow night for a rematch against the Wild, who are now the AHL’s only team without a point.

NOTES

Nemisz (1g, 1a), Di Giuseppe (1g, 1a), Larose (1g, 1a) and Michal Jordan (0g, 2a) all registered a team-high two points … McGinn and Sandlak both scored their first professional goals, with Sandlak’s also being his first point … Mike Aviani made his professional debut, registering one shot and a +1 rating … LaRose scored his 300th professional point with his third period goal … Brendan Woods played in his 50th professional game all in the AHL … Justin Shugg missed his third straight game with an injury, while Beau Schmitz was a healthy extra.