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Charlotte Checkers

Stars Drop Checkers in Overtime

April 12, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release


Considering that points are becoming more precious by the day and what they had to go through to get this one in particular, coming up short of a full result wasn't quite so bad.

After Chris Terry had scored a power-play goal with 3:15 remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime, Texas Stars defenseman Kevin Connauton found the back of the net just nine second into the extra session to give his team a 3-2 victory on Friday. The game was Charlotte's last home game of the regular season, as they will now head out on a four-game road trip, starting with their third game in three days in Chicago on Saturday, as they continue to inch closer to a playoff spot.

Matt Marquardt also scored for Charlotte, with rookie goalie Rob Madore making 43 saves. Coupled with a 4-3 win on Thursday, the Checkers took three out of a possible four points against Texas, the Western Conference's top team.

"It's a huge point," said coach Jeff Daniels. "Any points that you can pick up at this time of year are, and hopefully it can make a difference for us down the road."

The fourth-place Checkers could have potentially clinched a playoff spot going into the night, but a Milwaukee win over Grand Rapids before their own game concluded made that impossible for the time being regardless of their own performance. Depending on other results around the league, they may have a chance to do so Saturday against Chicago, a bubble team chasing them in the standings.

With postseason security in sight, it's no wonder that each of the two games against Texas already contained a playoff-type atmosphere, with each team going full speed and changes in momentum possible at any time.

"Especially against these guys," said forward Zach Boychuk, who assisted on Terry's late goal, when asked of the increase in intensity. "We've been chasing them, even though they might be a little bit out of our reach now, but we've been playing hard and we're starting to get a better effort."

Charlotte now trails Texas by six points in the South Division with each team having four games left on the schedule. Catching the Stars would be its only chance of moving up from fourth place in the standings due to the playoff format that guarantees a top-three spot to each division leader.

Typical of the back-and-forth seen between the two clubs over the two-day series, the teams took turns scoring goals throughout the night, with Marquardt canceling out Brett Ritchie's first-period opener with a well-placed shot from the left circle in the second. After Texas' Colton Scevior scored his fourth goal in his last five meetings against Charlotte to put his team up 3-2 with 10 minutes remaining, Terry then tied it once again, one-timing a Boychuk feed past goalie Jack Campbell.

It was the second time Charlotte used its power play to get a key goal late in the game, with Terry setting up Boychuk for the winning goal with less than two minutes remaining on Thursday.

"Power-play goals are really important, and we hadn't been good in the first two periods and knew we had to be better," said Boychuk, who now has seven points (4g, 3a) in eight games since returning from a two-month NHL stint.

After all the build-up - Charlotte had several chances to win the game outright in the short amount of time between Terry's goal and the end of regulation - the game ended in somewhat surprising fashion.

On the first play of overtime, the Stars' Travis Morin took a hard shot that rebounded out to Connauton on the point, whose quick shot crossed the line before Madore could recover.

"It was a four-letter word," said Madore when asked for his take on what happened. "I wasn't really happy with it. "

"I'd have to see it again, but we got beat on the faceoff and Rob got a little scrambly," said Daniels. "It wasn't a good goal."

Despite how the game ended, Madore was again strong for the majority of the night, as he finished with more than 40 saves for the fourth time in just seven career AHL starts. One of his best came in the second period, when he showed his trademark quickness to deny a cross-ice, one-timer that looked like a sure goal - a common sight during his 87-save performance over the two-day series.

Charlotte now has the unconventional schedule of having to head out on the road to complete the three-in-three, though they'll do so against a Chicago team that also faces some travel, albeit a lesser amount, from their own road game on Friday. Compared to some other three-in-threes Charlotte has played in three different cities, it may not be much more demanding.

"It shouldn't be too bad," said Boychuk. "We'll get in around 11 and will have time to get a pre-game meal and get in our nap like we usually do. It won't be easy, but we've done it before."

Despite dropping a point on Friday, the Checkers should enter that game and their longest road trip of the season in terms of days away from home (seven) with some momentum.

"I think it should be high," said Madore of the team's confidence. "We played well against a good team and if we can play like that every night, the best is yet to come for us."

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