AHL Charlotte Checkers

Checkers' Weekly Report

October 29, 2012 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release


The Checkers continued the best start in their history and the best start in the AHL this season, winning on three consecutive days over the weekend to improve their record to 6-1-1.

Since allowing Grand Rapids to take a 4-1 lead early in the second period on Friday, the Checkers have outscored their opposition by a 15-0 margin over a span of nearly 159 minutes of game action, sweeping a three-in-three set for the first time in 18 attempts over the last three seasons. They've accomplished that despite being the only team yet to play a home game this season.

The Checkers' nine-game road swing to start the season finally concludes with a date against the Milwaukee Admirals on Wednesday before the team returns home to play its home opener against Chicago on Sunday.

CHECKERS 6, GRIFFINS 4

The Checkers erased a three-goal deficit for the first time since the 2011 playoffs on Friday, beating Grand Rapids 6-4 after trailing 4-1 early in the second period. Defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani tied franchise records for most assists and most points in a single game (four), while goalie Dan Ellis stopped all 15 shots he faced in relief of starter Justin Peters. The Checkers' five unanswered goals all came on special teams, as the Checkers tied a team record with four power-play goals before Chris Terry scored the game-winner while shorthanded as part of a two-goal outing.

CHECKERS 4, RIVERMEN 0

Goalie Dan Ellis made 27 saves to extend his personal shutout streak to over 144 minutes as the Checkers defeated Peoria 4- 0 on Saturday. Rookie center Jeremy Welsh scored his first two professional goals for the Checkers, who also got offensive contributions from Drayson Bowman and Zac Dalpe. Bowman's tally extended his goal streak to five games, tying a team record set by Dalpe during the 2010-11 season.

CHECKERS 6, RIVERMEN 0

Brett Sutter had his first career hat trick and Justin Peters made 19 saves as the Checkers earned their most lopsided win of the season, a 6-0 victory in Peoria on Sunday that gave them sole possession of the AHL's best record (6-1-1). With the win, the Checkers recorded back-to-back shutouts and won on three consecutive days for the first time in team history. Drayson Bowman scored for the sixth consecutive game, setting a new team record, with Nicolas Blanchard and co-scoring-leader Zach Boychuk rounding out the Checkers goals.

FAST START

The Checkers' 6-1-1 start (13 points) marks the best start in the team's three AHL seasons, eclipsing the 5-2-1 record (11 points) the team posted in its first eight games last season. Despite being the only team in the league that has yet to play a home game, the Checkers have at least two more points than any other AHL team and lead the South Division by four points.

SHUTTING THE DOOR

The Checkers posted 4-0 and 6-0 wins over Peoria on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, marking the first time the Checkers have recorded shutouts in back-to-back games in their three AHL seasons. Additionally, the Checkers are the only AHL team that has had two different goaltenders record a shutout.

On Saturday, Dan Ellis made 27 saves to record his 10th career AHL shutout, giving him a 1.07 goals-against average and .967 save percentage, both of which are tops in the AHL among goaltenders that have played more than one game. Ellis, an NHL veteran who signed a professional tryout contract with the Checkers last month, now has a shutout streak of 144:21 dating back to Marcus Kruger's first-period goal in Rockford on Oct. 20. On Sunday, Justin Peters posted his seventh career AHL shutout with a 19-save performance.

BOWMAN'S GOALS

Forward Drayson Bowman has scored in each of the Checkers' last six games, including a two-goal performance in Rockford on Oct. 20, to set a new team record. He is now tied with Abbotsford's Roman Horak for first AHL with seven goals, with his six-game streak the longest posted by any player in the league this season. Bowman recorded a power-play goal in four consecutive games between Oct. 19 and Oct. 26, giving him an AHL-best four power-play goals.

OFFENSIVE DEFENSEMEN

With nine and eight points, respectively, defensemen Justin Faulk and Marc-Andre Gragnani are two of the Checkers' top three scorers. Faulk, a member of the NHL's All-Rookie team last season, recorded an assist on Saturday to give him six points (1g, 5a) in three games since returning from an upper-body injury. On Friday in Grand Rapids, Gragnani tied team records for most assists and most points in a single game (four), marking the third time a Checkers player has recorded a four-assist game and eighth time a Checkers has recorded a four-point game.

Faulk, 20, is now tied for 11th in AHL scoring. He and Gragnani are tied for third in the AHL with eight assists, just one fewer than Houston's Marco Scandella and Rochester's Cody Hodgson. Gragnani is tied for the league lead in power-play points with seven and has sole possession of the league lead with seven power-play assists.

POWER SURGE

The Checkers' went 2-2 on the power play in Peoria on Sunday, continuing a streak of scoring at least one power-play goal in all eight of their games this season. Charlotte now leads the AHL with a 36.6 percent success rate on the man advantage (15 goals on 41 chances) and boasts some of the league's top individual performers in Drayson Bowman (most goals - 4) and Marc-Andre Gragnani (most assists and tied for most points - 7). In Grand Rapids on Friday, Charlotte's four power-play goals tied a franchise best for a single game, which was set twice during the 2010-11 season. Ten different Checkers have scored at least one power-play goa

BOYCHUK BOOST

Checkers forward Zach Boychuk has scored points in seven of the team's eight games (5g, 4a). Though he did not find the score sheet in Rockford on Oct. 20, he took a game-high eight shots on goal that tied his career high set last season. Now in his fourth professional season, Boychuk, a first-round pick in 2008, leads all Checkers forwards in scoring and is tied for the league lead with seven power-play points.

ROAD SWING

The Checkers are now 6-1-1 through the first eight games of their franchise-record-tying, nine-game road swing to start the season. Already the only AHL team that has yet to play a home game, they must wait a further six days before their home opener against Chicago on Sunday, Nov. 4. With one game to go, the Checkers have already surpassed their point total from their only other nine-game swing, having gone 5-4-0 in October and November of last season.

THREE-IN-THREES

With wins in each of their games last weekend, the Checkers won three times in three nights for the first time in team history (18 attempts), besting their previous best of 2-1-0 that they accomplished three times during the 2010-11 season. Charlotte, which plays five more sets of three-in-threes this season, is now 30-20-4 all-time in games that are part of a three-in-three set, with a record of 9-7-2 in Game One, 13-3-2 in Game Two and 8-10-0 in Game Three.

HATS OFF

With three goals in Peoria on Sunday, Brett Sutter recorded the third hat trick in Checkers history, joining Zach Boychuk and Jacob Micflikier as the only other players to accomplish that feat. Prior to Sutter's first career hat trick, which came in his sixth professional season, Boychuk had the team's most recent hat trick against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Jan. 23, 2011.

STREAKS

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Drayson Bowman has goals and points in each of his last six games (Oct. 19-28; 7g, 1a)

- Victor Rask has points in each of his last four games (Oct. 19-28; 1g, 4a)

- Zach Boychuk has points in each of his last four games (Oct. 21-28; 3g, 1a)

- Jerome Samson has points in each of his last four games (Oct. 21-28; 1g, 4a)

- Chris Terry has points in each of his last three games (Oct. 21-27; 3g, 1a)

- Justin Faulk has assists and points in each of his last three games (Oct. 21-27; 1g, 5a)

- Dan Ellis has won each of his last three games (Oct. 20-27) and has earned points in each of his last four (Oct. 14- 27; 3-0-1)

- Jeremy Welsh has points in each of his last two games (Oct. 27-28; 2g, 1a)

- Dan Ellis has not allowed a goal in 144:21 of game action, dating back to Marcus Kruger's first-period goal in Rockford on Oct. 20.

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