Gauthier's OT Winner Pushes T-Birds to Atlantic Division Semifinals
AHL Springfield Thunderbirds

Gauthier's OT Winner Pushes T-Birds to Atlantic Division Semifinals

Published on April 25, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release


Springfield Thunderbirds on game night
Springfield Thunderbirds on game night
(Springfield Thunderbirds)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Springfield Thunderbirds proved to be the comeback kids for the second straight night, defeating the Charlotte Checkers 2-1 in overtime in the deciding Game 3 of the clubs' First Round Calder Cup Playoff series.

For a third straight game, a Checkers blueliner broke the ice within six minutes of game action. With the teams skating 4-on-4, Jack Studnicka skated up the right side before sliding a pass across the slot to Tobias Bjornfot, who flipped a wrist shot past Georgi Romanov's glove hand at 5:58 to give Charlotte the 1-0 advantage.

As he did in Game 2, though, Romanov helped stabilize the defensive zone, turning away a sneaky backhand effort from Noah Gregor and the remaining seven shots that came his way in the opening period.

Springfield's offense only got four shots on the net, but chances began to arrive late in the period, with Otto Stenberg catching the post on a sharp angle chance and Julien Gauthier forcing Charlotte goalie Cooper Black to hold the fort on two net-crashing efforts. The T-Birds also got a power play opportunity late in the period that came up empty, then carried a second man advantage into the opening 1:38 of period two.

The Springfield power play had a difficult time getting offense established, and the T-Birds were limited to just eight shots for the duration of period two, then failed to get on the board with a power play to open the third period as well.

Despite the odds, Steve Ott's club continued to dig deeper, and at 5:45 of the third, a greasy goal changed the T-Birds fortunes when Chris Wagner rolled a puck into the blue paint, where Calle Rosen crashed the net front and tucked it across the line to even the score, 1-1.

Black and Romanov kept things locked down for the remainder of the third, forcing the winner-take-all game into sudden death overtime.

Springfield managed just two shots in the extra period, but the second of those two, at 14:54 of the frame, proved to be the dagger as former Checker Julien Gauthier power-drove the right side of the net, flipping a backhander that glanced off the post, then off Black's backside before finding its way home for the series-clinching goal.

The T-Birds now move on to face the Providence Bruins in the Atlantic Division Semifinals; Game 1 is slated for Friday, May 1 at 7:05 p.m. at Amica Mutual Pavilion.

Thunderbirds' Pay As We Play playoff plans are available now for no upfront cost and will still be in effect should the T-Birds advance to the next round. In addition, 2026-27 season tickets are available now - fans can order now by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625).

-- SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS -

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Springfield Thunderbirds on game night
Springfield Thunderbirds on game night
   



American Hockey League Stories from April 25, 2026


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