IceHogs Roast Checkers 5-1 in Rockford
April 15, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
After splitting their last two games on home ice with the IceHogs, the Checkers came up short in the series finale, falling 5-1 in Rockford.
The IceHogs found themselves on top very quickly as Philip Danault burst out on a breakaway while his team was shorthanded and buried a wrister top shelf to put his squad up 1-0 heading into the first intermission. The home team poured it on in the second, racking up three consecutive goals, capped off by another shorthanded breakaway goal. The IceHogs entered the locker room after 40 minutes with a cozy four-goal cushion.
The Checkers finally broke up the shutout bid seven minutes into the third when recent PTO addition Mario Lamoureux pounded home a loose puck in front. The visitors could not build a comeback out of the momentum, however, and Tanner Kero added one more shortly after to seal a 5-1 victory for Rockford. The loss snapped the Checkers' three-game road winning streak, which had been their longest of the season.
The Checkers struggled mightily at getting any kind of pressure on Rockford, registering just four shots in the first period and eight in the second. Those 12 shots through the 40 minutes match the third-lowest total by the Checkers through two periods this season, and the lowest since February 27. Only two Charlotte skaters, Chad LaRose and Justin Shugg, recorded more than two shots on goal, both leading the way with three.
After making it through most of the season with one of the lowest shorthanded goals allowed totals in the league, the Checkers have surrendered multiple shorthanded goals in two of their last six games. Both of tonight's tallies were scored via breakaways, with Spencer Abbott's coming after a beautiful toe-drag around a defenseman. While their power play was moving in the wrong direction most of the night, Charlotte's penalty kill once again was their most effective aspect. The Checkers held the IceHogs scoreless in the five man-advantages they were awarded.
John Muse got the start in net, just his second in the last eight contests, and while the five goals he surrendered match the most he's given up all year, he wasn't given much help from the skaters in front of him. The Checkers' defensive corps, which featured the fewest number of rookies it has in several games, could not contain the heavy firepower of the Rockford offense, as the IceHogs have now scored at least five goals in five of their last seven games. The two games in which they did not were the pair of tilts in Charlotte last weekend, a one-goal win for Rockford and a Checkers victory.
The Checkers will look to shake this off and move on as they travel to Grand Rapids this weekend for a pair of road contests against the Griffins to close out their season.
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