Checkers News

For just the second time this season the Checkers have a winning streak, thanks to a 4-1 shellacking of the Iowa Wild.

Both teams struggled to put anything together in the first, combining for just 11 shots on goal, but Brock McGinn put the Checkers on the board late in the period. Chad LaRose then added tally of his own early in the second off of a rebound to double the Charlotte lead. The Wild came to life in the middle frame, peppering Drew MacIntyre with 19 shots, but could not put any past him, and the Checkers headed into the final intermission with a two-goal lead.

McGinn struck again in the third, ripping a wrister for his third goal in two nights to extend the home team’s advantage. The Wild broke up MacIntyre’s shutout bid just 15 seconds after, when a Danny Syvret blast from the point deflected off a Checkers player’s stick and in. Chad LaRose quickly answered for Charlotte, notching his second of the night on a shorthanded breakaway that lifted the Checkers to a 4-1 lead. Iowa couldn’t put a rally together and the Checkers rolled on to their second win in a row.

Despite the lopsided score, head coach Jeff Daniels wasn’t overly excited about his team’s play.

“We were just OK,” said Daniels. “I thought we got up 2-0 and we stopped working, stopped thinking and stopped skating. They showed up to work and there were stretches in that game where we got out-worked. I thought we came out in the third period and played better, played faster and were skating and then we scored a couple of goals there.”

Regardless of they how got there, the Checkers were able to put one in the win column, something that hasn’t come easy this season.

“We had some lulls today but getting the win is the important thing,” said LaRose. “It always boosts your confidence and everything is more fun in the room and the morale is up when you’re winning games. It’s a big win for us and we’ve got a young team, so I think they can learn a lot from the ups and downs of the season.”

The team has now won three of its last four games after dropping a season-worst four straight contests. While players mentioned a level of frustration sinking in to the locker room during the stretch, they have bounced back strongly, in large part to a solid leadership core.

“You just try to keep them all confident,” said LaRose. “You try not to be hard on the kids because it¹s the first time pro for a lot of them. You try to stay positive and make it fun for the kids.”

One of the biggest keys to the team’s recent success has been the play of McGinn. After enduring a 29-game goal drought, the rookie has been on fire offensively over the past two games, lighting the lamp three times and turning in some of his best performances.

“He’s a guy that’s capable of doing it,” said Daniels. You see it in practice and you saw it last year, and now it’s just a matter of translating to the pro level. He should be feeling really good about himself.”

“You’re going out there just trying to help out the team as much as you can and getting those goals definitely helps a lot and makes you feel a lot better about yourself,” said McGinn. “We’re kind of just starting to go out there and play and have fun. Keep it simple, get pucks towards the net and just crash and bang.”

With just their second winning streak of the season under their belts, the Checkers will return to the ice tomorrow to face this same Wild team, who have now lost six straight. Regardless of the opponent, Charlotte knows it needs to buckle down to get the consistency that has eluded it much of the season.

“We’re in no position to take anyone lightly,” said Daniels. “We’re in the bottom of the standings and we’ve got to come out and work and not take anything for granted. They’re going to come out and play hard like they did tonight and we’ve got to make sure we match that intensity and not give them any life. We’ve got to be ready to compete.”

“We want to put a streak in here so we’re still in the talk for playoff contention,” said McGinn. “We just want to come out and get a win tomorrow and keep this streak going.”

“You’ve got to stay on it and feel what it feels like to put together a 20-man win with everybody contributing no matter who scores the goals,” said LaRose. “It takes 20 guys to win, and once you feel that and know what your role is to get those guys into that you can get on a big roll and start winning games more and more.”

NOTES

The Checkers have won consecutive games for just the second time this season and first since Nov. 29-30 … MacIntyre had lost each of his previous five starts, allowing three or more goals in each. He is now 3-1-0 with a 1.76 goals-against average and .941 save percentage against Iowa this season … LaRose’s effort marked his first multi-goal game of the season. He is now in a five-way tie for the league lead in shorthanded points with four (1g, 3a) … Prior to scoring three goals in his last two games, McGinn endured a 29-game goal drought beginning Dec. 2. He had one previous multi-goal game on Nov. 21 … After scoring two or fewer goals in six consecutive games, the Checkers have scored three or more in their last two … Iowa has lost six in a row, marking the longest active losing streak in the AHL … The Checkers now lead the season series 3-2-0 … Forwards Gabriel Desjardins and Greg Nemisz missed the game due to injury … Forward Carter Sandlak was a healthy extra.