Overtime Goal By Blanchard Wins Game, Series For Checkers
April 24, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
HERSHEY, Pa. - Nicolas Blanchard scored 1:30 into overtime as the Charlotte Checkers defeated the two-time defending champion Hershey Bears, 2-1, and clinched the East Division Semifinal series, 4-2.
The Checkers will now face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the East Division Finals beginning Thursday in Pennsylvania. A full schedule will be released Monday.
Hershey, who tied the game with 5:42 to play, was eliminated at home for the first time ever at Giant Center and first time since 2002 overall.
Although he wasn't tested in overtime, Mike Murphy played a key role, stopping 26 of 27 shots, including several point blank, game-saving stops, and earning his third win of the series.
Charlotte struck first, just 35 seconds into the game, when Brett Sutter took a pass from Zach Boychuk, fired a shot and deposited his own rebound for the early 1-0 lead. Zac Dalpe picked up an assist on what was the Checkers' sixth straight goal, dating back to the second period of Friday's contest. Boychuk's assist gave him at least a point in all six games, the only player on either team to do so.
The Checkers were handed back-to-back penalties just a few minutes later and Hershey went to work on a 5-on-3 power play. The defense clamped down, however, and Murphy made two impressive saves to keep a one-goal lead.
Charlotte got two power-play chances of its own later in the period but was unable to beat Bears goaltender Braden Holtby.
After a relatively uneventful second period, the teams headed to the final 20 minutes tied in shots at 18 apiece.
Sutter's goal held up until 5:45 remained in the third period, when Hershey defenseman Brian Fahey banked a shot off a Charlotte defender to tie the game, 1-1.
Just 1:30 into overtime, however, Nick Dodge spun free of a Hershey defender along the boards and hit an open Blanchard in front of the net. Blanchard, unguarded, then flipped the puck over Holtby's shoulder to secure the 2-1 victory and 4-2 series win.
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