April 02, 2012 7:27 AM
Overall record: 35-24-9 (Home: 18-12-4 | Road: 17-12-5)
Last week’s record: 2-0-0 | Last 10 games: 4-5-1
Standings: 2nd Midwest Division | 5th Western Conference
Thanks to a successful road trip, the Checkers will carry some momentum into their final home stretch of the regular season.
 Charlotte won consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 4-10 over the weekend, taking a 5-3 win over Grand Rapids on Friday followed by a 4-1 victory over Peoria on Saturday. That vaulted them from a three-way tie for eighth place into their current three-way tie for fifth, though they officially hold the No. 5 seed due to having played fewer games than both Houston and San Antonio. The Checkers are also just three points behind division-leading Chicago with one game in hand.
Since the Checkers also sit only one point ahead of ninth place, every point will continue to be crucial during this week’s four-game home stand. That stretch starts Tuesday with two games against the Milwaukee Admirals, who are creeping back into the playoff picture, and two more against the Abbotsford Heat, who sit just one point ahead of Charlotte.
Charlotte 5, Grand Rapids 3 – Recap
After falling into a 2-0 first-period deficit, the Checkers scored four unanswered goals en route to a 5-3 road victory over Grand Rapids on Friday. Chris Terry scored two goals, including a late empty-net tally, and Justin Peters made 28 saves as the Checkers finished the season with a perfect 4-0-0 record against the Griffins. Jerome Samson, Sean Dolan and Evgenii Dadonov also scored for Charlotte.
Charlotte 4, Peoria 1 – Recap
Despite again surrendering the initial goal, the Checkers scored four unanswered goals for the second consecutive night to top the division rival Rivermen by a 4-1 score in Peoria on Saturday. Brett Sutter tied career highs with two goals and three points, while Zac Dalpe and Chris Durno also found the back of the net for Charlotte. Mike Murphy made 20 saves as the Checkers won consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 4-10 and moved into a tie for fifth place in the Western Conference.
 Special offer for Checkers/Bobcats doubleheader on April 7
Show ticket for one game, get discounted ticket to the other.
Fan Appreciation set for April 7
Giveaways, prizes and more at first-ever AHL/NBA doubleheader on Saturday, April 7.
Wheels for Forest
The Checkers will be holding a special “Wheels for Forest” fundraiser prior to their April 7 game (12 p.m.) to benefit Hickory Ridge High School student Forest Walton, who suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Checkers look for 'killer instinct'
Finishing chances had been stumbling block in recent slide.
Krueger nearing return
Rookie defenseman prepares to rejoin lineup following month and a half on sideline.
Blanchard out indefinitely
Return date for veteran Checkers winger uncertain following injury suffered in Hershey
 TERRY STREAKS AGAIN: With two assists against Peoria on Saturday, forward Chris Terry extended his point streak to six games (3g, 6a). It marks his third streak of six or more games this season, as he previously went on runs of eight and seven contests. His seven-game streak that ended on Jan. 27 was his most prolific, producing 14 points. Terry’s run has moved him into a tie for 16th in the AHL with 57 points (15g, 42a) in 66 games.
MAJOR PLUS: Playing his first two games since suffering an upper-body injury on Feb. 18, rookie defenseman Justin Krueger recorded an assist and a plus-3 rating across Charlotte’s recent games in Grand Rapids and Peoria. Krueger is now plus-16 on the season, tying him for third among first-year AHL players and giving him an 11-point lead over the next-highest Checker, fellow rookie Justin Shugg (plus-5).
DADONOV STRIKES: Though he had more assists (11) than all but two of his teammates (Chris Terry and Bobby Sanguinetti) since joining the Checkers in a late-January trade, Evgenii Dadonov did not score a goal against a goaltender until Friday’s win over Grand Rapids. Dadonov’s only other tally as a Checker went into the empty net on Jan. 24 – a span of 22 games.
THE MAGIC NUMBER: The Checkers are 29-4-2 when scoring three or more goals this season. All four of those regulation losses were the result of games in which the team scored exactly three goals, making them 18-0-1 when scoring four or more. When the Checkers score two or fewer goals, they are 6-20-7 for the season.
SPECIAL SPECIAL TEAMS: The Checkers are one of two teams (Hershey) to rank in the AHL’s top five in both the power play and penalty kill. They are tied for No. 4 on the power play with a 19.9 percent success rate and rank second on the penalty kill at 85.5 percent.
STREAKS
• (D) Bobby Sanguinetti has points in each of his last six games (March 16-March 25; 2g, 8a)
• (LW) Chris Terry has points in each of his last six games (March 20-31; 3g, 6a)
• (LW) Justin Shugg has points in each of his last three games (March 25-31; 1g, 2a)
• (C) Brett Sutter has assists and points in each of his last two games (March 30-31; 2g, 2a)
• (C) Sean Dolan has points in each of his last two games (March 30-31; 1g, 1a)
• (LW) Chris Durno has points in each of his last two games (March 30-31; 1g, 1a)
• (RW) Jerome Samson has points in each of his last two games (March 30-31; 1g, 1a)
• (D) Michal Jordan has assists and points in each of his last two games (March 30-31; 2a)
INJURIES
• (D) Bobby Sanguinetti – missed two games, last played March 25 at Hershey
• (RW) Nicolas Blanchard – missed three games, last played March 24 at Hershey
• (LW) Justin Soryal – missed eight games, last played March 11 vs. Chicago (out for season)
| CATEGORY |
RECORD |
AHL RANK |
LAST WEEK |
| Power play: |
19.9% |
t-4 |
4 |
| Penalty kill: |
85.5% |
2 |
2 |
| Goals per game: |
2.79 |
t-16 |
18 |
| Shots per game: |
32.4 |
5 |
7 |
| Goals allowed per game: |
2.74 |
t-9 |
10 |
| Shots allowed per game: |
30.3 |
15 |
16 |
| Penalty minutes per game: |
14.4 |
7 |
7 |
| CATEGORY |
LEADER(S) |
| Points: |
Chris Terry (57), Bobby Sanguinetti (42), Zach Boychuk (40) |
| Goals: |
Zach Boychuk, Jerome Samson (19), Zac Dalpe (18) |
| Assists: |
Chris Terry (42), Bobby Sanguinetti (33), Zach Boychuk (21) |
| Power play goals: |
Jerome Samson (8), Bobby Sanguinetti (7) |
| Shorthanded goals: |
Zac Dalpe (2) |
| Game-winning goals: |
Five tied at (3) |
| Shots on goal: |
Jerome Samson (195), Chris Terry (180), Zac Dalpe (168) |
| Penalty minutes: |
Justin Soryal (164), Nicolas Blanchard (101), Chris Terry (57) |
| Plus/minus: |
Justin Krueger (+16), Justin Shugg (+5) |
| Wins: |
Mike Murphy (18), John Muse (10), Justin Peters (7) |
| Goals-against average: |
John Muse (1.81), Mike Murphy (2.59), Justin Peters (2.77) |
| Save percentage: |
John Muse (.941), Mike Murphy (.911), Justin Peters (.907) |
• March 27 – (D) Brandon Gentile released from professional tryout
• Tuesday, April 3 vs. Milwaukee (7:00 p.m.)
- Wet Your Whistle Weekday
12 oz. Bud Lights for $3.50
• Thursday, April 5 vs. Milwaukee (7:00 p.m.)
- Harris Teeter VIC Card Thursday
Show Your Harris Teeter VIC Card at the box office and receive $5 off any seat.
- College Night - Pajama Party
College students get 50 percent off tickets. Click here to purchase.
- Wet Your Whistle Weekday
12 oz. Bud Lights for $3.50
• Saturday, April 7 vs. Abbotsford (12:00 p.m.)
- Fan Appreciation Day
Festivities for the event, which will be held in conjunction with the first ever AHL/NBA doubleheader at Time Warner Cable Arena, will begin at 10:30 a.m. at Time Warner Cable Arena’s Trade St. Plaza and will include games, the Checkers Slap Shot inflatable and appearances by Chubby and the CheckMates.
- Doubleheader Discount
Show your ticket for that day's Checkers or Bobcats game at the Time Warner Cable Arena box office and get a discounted ticket to the other game. Click here for more information.
- Blackout Presented by Amtrak
The Checkers will wear special black jerseys, with fans encouraged to wear black themselves. Jerseys will be auctioned on eBay.
• Sunday, April 8 vs. Abbotsford (3 p.m.)
- Mystery Egg Giveaway
The first 2,000 fans through the door will get a mystery egg, of which 24 “golden eggs” will contain grand prizes. Included in the prize list are two (2) iPod Shuffles, four (4) $25 gift cards to the Bears Den merchandise store, autographed, game-used team memorabilia and more.
- Coke Family Four Pack
4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 Cokes and a Coke coupon for $60. Click here to buy online.
- Family Day Presented by North Carolina Zoo Asheboro
Zoo coupons will be handed out following each Sunday home game. Check out gocheckers.com/zoo for more information and a look at the Checkers' monthly transactions.
Start your week off with a cup of Magnolia Coffee, the official coffee of the Checkers. For more information, visit their website, call Magnolia Coffee at 704-654-5393 or email jay@magnoliacoffeeco.com.
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