THREE-GOAL THIRD PERIOD HELPS CHECKERS DOUBLE-UP ADMIRALS
Samson pots two goals, one assist in 6-3 victory
NORFOLK, Va. – The Checkers scored six goals in the final two periods to double-up Norfolk, 6-3, on Wednesday and maintain first place in the Midwest division.
Jerome Samson led the way with two goals and an assist, while Riley Nash (1g, 2a) and Chris Terry (3a) also enjoyed three-point nights. Justin Peters picked up the win for the Checkers, who improved to 2-1-1 in the GEICO Challenge Cup with the Admirals.
The Checkers will now return to Time Warner Cable Arena for an important two-game set against division rival Milwaukee on Saturday and Sunday.
The two teams came flying out of the gate with plenty of shots and chances early on but it was Norfolk who would strike first on a goal by former River Rat Mike Angelidis.
Early in the second period, Samson tipped home a point shot by Terry on the power play before Norfolk regained the one-goal lead just 38 seconds later when forward Trevor Smith beat Peters on the short-side.
Charlotte would score two more before the end of the period to take a 3-2 lead. Mathieu Roy stuffed home the rebound while shorthanded and Nash put the Checkers ahead by one when he ripped a shot off the far post on a 2-on-1 with Justin Soryal.
Norfolk tied the game, 3-3, early in the third but the Checkers stormed back to score three straight, beginning with a Samson tap-in off a great feed by Terry. Terry grabbed the puck in the high slot, deked an Admirals defender and slid a pass across to Samson for the goal.
Jon Matsumoto, who is tied for the team scoring lead with Jerome Samson, then picked off a Norfolk defenseman’s pass and scored on a breakaway just 41 seconds later.
Zac Dalpe, in his first game since being assigned by the Hurricanes Monday, added a late 5-on-3 power-play goal as the Checkers went on to win.
The Checkers will return home to face the Milwaukee Admirals Saturday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.) The first 3,000 fans at Saturday’s game will receive a free pair of Checkers gloves, courtesy of Piedmont Natural Gas. For ticket and promotional information for this weekend’s games, visit www.gocheckers.com.
NOTES: Chris Terry has seven assists on a current five-game assist streak…Jerome Samson (9g, 10a) and Jon Matsumoto (8g, 11a) lead the Checkers in scoring with 19 points in 19 games…Samson has two goals and three assists in his last two games…The Checkers lead Norfolk 2-1-1 in the GEICO Challenge Cup…Justin Peters has allowed just 10 goals in six games in November (4-1-1)…Defenseman Michal Jordan has four points (1g, 3a) on a current three-game point streak.
