The Charlotte Checkers picked a most opportune time to break a losing streak at Bojangles’ Coliseum. Their double-overtime 5-4 win in Game 2 of their first-round series against Lehigh Valley last night ended a seven-game slide in Charlotte.
It also saved the Checkers’ season and set up a winner-take-all Game 3 tonight with the Phantoms.
Charlotte showed plenty of resilience and persistence, notably facing the absence of former AHL MVP Gerry Mayhew, who left Game 1 early and did not dress for Game 2. They stayed with their game even after Lehigh Valley erased 2-0 and 4-2 Checkers leads. And Lucas Carlsson’s winning goal came after Samuel Ersson had stopped Connor Bunnaman’s point-blank chance, and John Ludvig fished out the rebound of his own follow-up chance and worked the puck out to Carlsson in the slot.
“I’m proud of the guys,” Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear told the team website after the game. “It’s momentum, it’s the way it works. It’s a huge thing that you have to learn to be able to handle. Just have simple micro-goals like win your next shift and put the other one to bed. It’s a learning curve for everybody.
“It’s a lot of mental toughness. You play throughout the year and you talk about it, and then it comes to fruition. You’ve got to make sure that you’re dialed in and mentally tough throughout.”
Mack Guzda showed his own ability to bounce back after being pulled after allowing four goals in Game 1. Kinnear turned back to his rookie, and Guzda repaid that faith with 38 saves in last night’s win. Kinnear cited Guzda’s ability to put aside his earlier struggles.
“Focus on that next one, and that’s what he did,” Kinnear said. “I’m proud of him, proud of the group and proud of the dig-in.”
With the Tampa Bay Lightning already dealing with multiple injuries early into their first-round battle with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the effects have hit the Syracuse Crunch.
Tampa Bay defensemen Victor Hedman and Erik Cernak and forward Mikey Eyssimont missed last night’s Game 2 in Toronto. Those lineup losses prompted the Lightning to recall forward Alex Barré-Boulet and defenseman Philippe Myers from the Crunch yesterday as a precautionary measure.
Barré-Boulet and Myers did not dress, and Tampa Bay returned both players to the Crunch in time for Syracuse to open its postseason tonight against Rochester.
― Patrick Williams
