
Checkers Drown Monsters Behind Clutch Sourdif Goal
March 1, 2025 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
CLEVELAND, OH - The Checkers and Monsters each got on the board once through the first two periods Saturday night, and the tied game would last until the final minutes of the third when Justin Sourdif came through on a two-man advantage to push Charlotte ahead in the eventual 4-1 road victory.
The Checkers made their mark late in the first period when John Leonards snuck behind a Monsters skater and fired a shot that would find the back of the net.
Cleveland struck back early in the second period, and the matchup would remain deadlocked at one as the game moved into the back half of the third frame.
In the final minutes of the tilt, the Checkers converted on a five-on-three power play as Sourdif punched in a loose puck from out front. That would fuel Charlotte's momentum, and in Cleveland's desperate moments, C.J. Smith and Rasmus Asplund both tallied empty net goals to finalize the Checkers win.
Notes
The Checkers finished their season series against Cleveland with a 2-1-0-1 record ... Leonard has goals in back-to-back games and in four of his last five games ... Sourdif's game winner snapped a three-game power-play drought for Charlotte ... Black has won each of his last six starts and allowed eight total goals over that stretch ... Smith's goal was his first as a Checker and the 100th of his pro career ... Will Lockwood has assists in each of his last two games ... Asplund's goal gives him points in two straight ... Sandis Vilmanis, Riley Bezeau, Nicholas Zabaneh, MacKenzie Entwistle, Zac Dalpe, Ryan McAllister, Aidan McDonough, Riese Gaber, Mitch Vande Sompel, Mikulas Hovorka and Chris Driedger were the scratches for Charlotte
American Hockey League Stories from March 1, 2025
- Amerks Come up Short in Shootout for Second Straight Night - Rochester Americans
- Lycksell Strikes Twice, Phantoms Sweep Isles - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Griffins Earn Point in Shootout Duel - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Stars Earn 30th Win of the Season in Overtime Thriller - Texas Stars
- Bears Roar Back to Top Penguins 5-4 in OT - Hershey Bears
- The Abbotsford Canucks Dominated in a 8-4 Win Over the Calgary Wranglers - Abbotsford Canucks
- Wolves Rally to Earn Point in 4-3 Overtime Loss to Stars - Chicago Wolves
- Crunch Defeat Amerks, 4-3, in Shootout - Syracuse Crunch
- Monsters Stumped by Checkers in 4-1 Loss - Cleveland Monsters
- Penguins Lose Battle with Bears in OT, 5-4 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Iowa Extends Win Streak to Four in 3-2 Shootout Win - Iowa Wild
- T-Birds Come Back, Clip Bruins in Shootout - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Checkers Drown Monsters Behind Clutch Sourdif Goal - Charlotte Checkers
- P-Bruins Grab Point in Shootout Loss to Thunderbirds - Providence Bruins
- Wolf Pack Extend Point Streak, But Fall 3-2 to Comets in the Shootout - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Marlies Edge moose in Shootout - Manitoba Moose
- Comets Own Wolf Pack in Shootout, 3-2 - Utica Comets
- Rangers Recall F Brett Berard from Hartford Wolf Pack - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Monsters Sign Defenseman Harrison Rees to Pro Tryout Contract - Cleveland Monsters
- Preview: Phantoms vs. Islanders, Game #55 - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- San Diego Gulls Reassign Vyachelsav Buteyets to Tulsa - San Diego Gulls
- Wolf Pack Loan D Carter Berger to ECHL's Bloomington Bison - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Wranglers Secure 3-2 Victory over Abbotsford - Calgary Wranglers
- Preds Recall Two from Admirals - Milwaukee Admirals
- Moose Sign Colson Gengenbach to Tryout - Manitoba Moose
- Wolf Pack Look to Stay Hot against Comets - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Game Preview: Bears vs. Penguins - Hershey Bears
- Game Preview: Bakersfield at San Diego, 6 p.m. - Bakersfield Condors
- Defender Alex Alexeyev Joins Hershey on Conditioning Loan - Hershey Bears
- Game #52 Preview: Tucson Roadrunners (25-22-2-2) vs Rockford IceHogs (21-25-5-1) - Tucson Roadrunners
- IceHogs and Roadrunners Conclude Weekend Series - Rockford IceHogs
- Coachella Valley Edges San Diego, 6-5 - San Diego Gulls
- Offense Keeps Cooking in 5-2 Win vs. Bridgeport - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Firebirds Net Four Powerplay Goals in 30th win of Season - Coachella Valley Firebirds
- Reign Earn 4-0 Shut Out Over Eagles - Ontario Reign
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.
Other Recent Charlotte Checkers Stories
- Panthers Agree to Terms with Tobias Bjornfot on One-Year, Two-Way Contract
- Panthers Agree to Terms with Wilmer Skoog on One-Year, Two-Way Deal
- Robert Mastrosimone Joins Checkers on AHL Deal
- Tera Black Named 2025 Thomas Ebright Award Winner by AHL
- Checkers 2025-26 Schedule Released

