Bitetto's OT Heroics Lift Checkers over Penguins
April 15, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
The Checkers wrapped up the regular season in thrilling fashion, riding a red-hot power-play and a huge night from Anthony Bitetto to a 5-4 overtime win in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
With home-ice advantage locked in for the first round, the Checkers leaned on a young lineup for the final game of the regular season - especially up front, where five of the 12 forwards had less than five pro games to their names.
The Penguins - who were eliminated from Calder Cup Playoff contention a week ago - had the upper hand out of the gates, building a 3-1 lead through 40 minutes of play. But Charlotte turned things upside down in the third.
Santtu Kinnunen and Connor Bunnaman each converted on a pair of quick power plays less than three minutes into the frame to tie things up, and then when the Penguins regained their lead shortly thereafter, Charlotte's power-play unit came through once again. This time it was Grigori Denisenko who took a one-time feed from Henry Bowlby and wired it into the back of the net.
Things settled down for the rest of the third and the contest would eventually move on to overtime. The Penguins controlled almost the entirety of the first two minutes of the extra frame, but the Checkers held firm and created a golden chance of their own. After keeping the puck in the offensive zone, Jake Wise flung the puck down low to Bitetto, who turned toward the net and roofed a beauty of a shot to the short side - notching his second goal of the game and giving the Checkers a stunning win to ride into the postseason.
NOTES
The Checkers finished their season series against the Penguins with a 5-2-0-1 record ... Josh Davies and Jake Wise made their pro debuts ... Wise picked up two assists for his first pro points ... Ryan McAllister picked up his second multi-point effort of the season and has five points in four career pro games ... Tonight was the second two-goal game of Anthony Bitetto's AHL career and the first since Oct. 18, 2013 ... Mackie Samoskevich recorded an assist for the second straight game ... The Checkers have scored three power-play goals in each of their last three games ... Grigori Denisenko has back-to-back two-point games ... The Checkers concluded their season-ending six-game road trip with a 4-2-0-0 record ... J-F Berube's 33 saves were a season high for him ... Xavier Cormier, Kai Schwindt, Logan Hutsko, Cory Conacher, Riley Bezeau, Riley Nash, Gerry Mayhew, Aleksi Heponiemi, Zac Dalpe, Justin Sourdif, Lucas Carlsson and Mack Guzda were the scratches for Charlotte
• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
American Hockey League Stories from April 15, 2023
- Simon Lundmark Records Game-Winning Goal in Moose Win - Manitoba Moose
- Colorado Closes Out Regular Season With 3-1 Triumph Over Gulls - Colorado Eagles
- Texas Clinches Central Division Crown with McKenzie's Overtime Winner - Texas Stars
- Griffins Drop Final Game of the Season in 4-1 Loss to Chicago - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Reichel Scores Twice in Hogs' 3-2 Loss - Rockford IceHogs
- Iowa Picks up Crucial Point in 2-1 Overtime Loss at Texas - Iowa Wild
- Durandeau Scores Twice, Andreoff Records AHL-Leading 37th Goal in Season Finale - Bridgeport Islanders
- Wolves Ground Griffins 4-1 - Chicago Wolves
- Frank Nets Hat Trick in Bears' Finale for 6-4 Win Over Phantoms - Hershey Bears
- Newcomer Brendan Furry Thrives in Season Finale - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Crunch Clinch Home Ice in North Division Semifinals in 5-4 Overtime Loss to Comets - Syracuse Crunch
- Hofer Blanks Hartford Again, Seals Home-Ice for T-Birds' First Round Series - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Wolf Pack Outshoot Thunderbirds 35-21, But Fall 1-0 in Season Finale - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Wild Season Finale Ends with Penguins' Overtime Loss - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Cederqvist Hat Trick Not Enough in 4-3 Loss to Monsters - Rochester Americans
- Four Straight Tallies Help P-Bruins Top Islanders - Providence Bruins
- Comets Mount Epic Comeback Victory In Overtime Against Crunch - Utica Comets
- Bitetto's OT Heroics Lift Checkers over Penguins - Charlotte Checkers
- It's Game Day - CGY at ABB - Calgary Wranglers
- IceHogs Announce Team Awards, Philp Named MVP - Rockford IceHogs
- Toronto Marlies Host Belleville Senators in Final Game of Regular Season - Toronto Marlies
- Monsters Cap Final Road Trip of Season with 4-3 Win over Amerks - Cleveland Monsters
- Abbotsford Canucks Announce 2022.23 Fan Voted Award Winners - Abbotsford Canucks
- Galchenyuk Returns to Eagles, Mayhew Recalled from Utah - Colorado Eagles
- Moose Announce 2023 Central Division Semifinals Home Schedule - Manitoba Moose
- Roy Sommer Announces his Intention to Retire Following the 2022-23 Season - San Diego Gulls
- Pre-Game Report: Wolf Pack Visit Thunderbirds to Close out Regular Season - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Game Preview: Iowa Wild at Texas Stars - Iowa Wild
- Game Preview: Bears vs. Phantoms, 7 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- Toronto Marlies Return Home for Battle against Belleville Senators - Toronto Marlies
- Wranglers Drop Second Straight to Canucks - Calgary Wranglers
- Game #72 - San Jose Barracuda at Tucson Roadrunners - Tucson Roadrunners
- Bridgeport Islanders Finish 2022-23 Season Tonight in Providence - Bridgeport Islanders
- IceHogs Aim to Clinch Playoff Berth in Final Regular Season Home Game - Rockford IceHogs
- Canucks Score Four Unanswered in 4-1 Victory Over League Leading Calgary Wranglers - Abbotsford Canucks
- Roadrunners' Comeback Falls Short in Series Opener with San Jose on Friday - Tucson Roadrunners
- San Diego Stopped at Colorado, 4-1 - San Diego Gulls
- Silver Knights Triumph Over Reign in First Game of Back-to-Back - Henderson Silver Knights
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
