Poturalski Lifts Checkers over Laval in OT
December 29, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
LAVAL, QC - The Checkers shook off another tough start in Saturday's rematch with Laval and capped off the back-and-forth contest with an overtime victory to snag the full two points.
The Checkers again fell into an early hole against the Rocket but were able to pull themselves out in the middle frame before both sides began trading tallies until the home side knotted the score once again inside the final five minutes of regulation to force overtime.
The extra frame only lasted 68 seconds, however, as Andrew Poturalski followed up his own broken play to punch home a rebound out front and send the Checkers out of Quebec on a high note.
Nick Schilkey and Morgan Geekie propelled the offense throughout the contest, with both forwards recording three point nights. Schilkey notched a helper on each of Charlotte's first three goals, helping drag the team back into a tie game late in the second, while Geekie picked up a goal and two assists, including factoring into what were at the time Charlotte's tying and go-ahead goals.
Scott Darling moved to 4-2-0 with the Checkers while making a season-high 33 stops on the night, including stopping 17 of 18 in the third period alone.
Notes
The Checkers finished up their season series with the Rocket with a 3-1-0 record ... The Checkers are now 7-2-0 in overtime games this season, giving them the most overtime wins in the AHL ... Tonight was Poturalski's second OT winner of the season, making him the second Checkers to record multiple overtime-winning goals this season ... Darling's 33 saves are the third most in a single game this season by a Checkers goalie, trailing two 34-save efforts by Alex Nedeljkovic ... Morgan Geekie extended his point streak to three games ... Dennis Robertson scored goals in consecutive games for the first time in his career ... Tonight was Nick Schilkey's second three-point game of the season ... Schilkey has now matched his goal, assist and point total from 48 games last season ... Derek Sheppard made his AHL debut tonight ... Zach Nastasiuk made his Checkers debut tonight ... Spencer Smallman and Josiah Didier missed the game due to injury ... Steven Lorentz and Josh Wesley were healthy extras
Up Next
The Checkers' Canadian road trip rolls on to Toronto as the two sides will square off for a New Year's Eve battle, with puck drop coming at 3 p.m.
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