A penalty-laden first period saw Aleksi Heponiemi notch the first goal of the campaign for the new-look Checkers, splitting the defense for a quick breakaway tally to erase an early Hershey lead, but things would tilt toward the home team from there.
Back-to-back strikes on the man advantage gave Hershey a two-goal lead early on in the second and they wouldn’t look back. Alex True ripped a wrister into the top corner on a rush to pull Charlotte back within striking distance heading into the final frame, but the Bears reestablished their lead 24 seconds into the third and then found the back of the net again later in the third to put the nail in the coffin for Charlotte.
A bright spot for a Checkers team that couldn't quite find the offensive spark through the night was rookie forward Logan Hutsko, who set up both goals to pick up a pair of assists in his first pro game.
Christopher Gibson faced a slew of pucks in the crease for Charlotte, stopping 29 of the 24 shots on goal, while Hershey’s Pheonix Copley saw just 15 shots on the night from the Checkers, including four over the final 40 minutes of play.
