AHL Charlotte Checkers

Di Giuseppe Caps Furious Comeback Win for Checkers

November 22, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release


SAN ANTONIO, TX - The Checkers were able to halt their losing skid Sunday night with a furious comeback victory over the powerhouse San Antonio Rampage, 4-3.

Things weren't looking good for the Checkers midway through the second when Joey Hishon found the back of the net to give the Rampage a 3-0 advantage. Trevor Carrick quickly responded by taking a Zach Boychuk dish and ripping his sixth goal of the season, pulling the visitors within two heading into the final period of play.

The two squads battled back and forth to start the third until Phil Di Giuseppe found twine and made it a 3-2 game with under seven minutes to go. The Checkers jumped on the stunned Rampage again 22 seconds later when the captain Derek Ryan buried his team-best eighth goal of the year, knotting the contest.

The game looked as if it was progressing toward overtime, but Charlotte continued to apply pressure to San Antonio. With just under two minutes to go in regulation, Boychuk collected a turnover in the San Antonio zone and threw it to Di Giuseppe, who dangled around the lone Rampage defensemen and slid the puck in for the game-winner. The victory snapped a three-game losing skid for the Checkers.

The win saw the emergence of a Checkers' offensive attack that had been missing as of late. Today marked the first time that Charlotte has scored more than three goals in a game since their six-goal outburst on Halloween in Lake Erie.

It also saw the team get production from their big guns, something that head coach Mark Morris noted this week was needed to turn things around. Di Giuseppe, who was coming off a stretch that saw him record just one point in four games, now has three in his last two thanks to his pair of strikes today. Boychuk, who was held off the scoresheet during the team's three-game slide, led the club with three helpers in the game, including the game-winning feed to Di Giuseppe.

The team also benefitted from the continued consistent play of Carrick and Ryan. Carrick, who set franchise records as a rookie last season, moved into second among AHL defensemen in goals with his second tally in as many games, while Ryan has now recorded a point in 10 of the Checkers' 16 games this season and hasn't been held scoreless in consecutive games.

Rookie Rasmus Tirronen manned the crease for the visitors and earned his third win of the season. He shook off a bumpy start and came up with several key stops down the stretch, but was also helped by the Checkers' defense, as they held the Rampage to just 18 shots in the game.

The win comes against a Rampage team that hadn't lost at home in regulation this season and had only lost once in regulation overall. The Checkers are now back at .500 and will head to Charlotte looking to keep this momentum rolling on home ice. They will face a tough four games in six days this week, beginning Tuesday against the San Jose Barracuda.

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American Hockey League Stories from November 22, 2015


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