T-Birds Upended in Charlotte

Published on January 13, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release

Springfield Thunderbirds defenseman Leo Lööf vs. the Charlotte Checkers
(Springfield Thunderbirds)

The first period began horribly for the T-Birds, as Liam McLinskey greeted Vadim Zherenko with a game-opening tally at 4:48 to make it 1-0 game on a perfectly placed wrister.

Springfield's power play was given a chance to even the slate, but instead the Checkers' penalty-kill turned to the offense as Mikulas Hovorka beat Zherenko on an odd-man rush to make it 2-0 at 9:31.

Ben Steeves would add two tallies in the first period, the first of which came on a breakaway at 13:22 to make it a 3-0 game. Hunter St. Martin's second goal in three games against the T-Birds made it a 4-0 score at 14:27, and after Georgi Romanov replaced Zherenko, Steeves rudely introduced himself to a second Springfield goaltender, beating Romanov on a backhand at 16:08 to make it 5-0.

The T-Birds finally stopped the bleeding in the closing seconds of the period when captain Matthew Peca drove the net in the right circle with a quick backhand-to-forehand chip shot over the glove of Charlotte netminder Louis Domingue, sending the game to the intermission at a 5-1 score.

Things would not get any better for the T-Birds when the second period began, as Wilmer Skoog and Nolan Foote each tallied goals in the first four minutes to extend the Charlotte lead to 7-1.

Dillon Dube got Springfield its second goal of the night at 7:22 of the third period under bizarre circumstances, as a dump-in off Dube's stick fluttered over the stick of Domingue as the veteran netminder was looking to swat it toward the neutral zone.

Charlotte capped off its stellar offensive showing with a one-time power play goal by Mike Benning at 11:33 to round out the scoring.

The two division foes will rematch on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. for their final meeting in Charlotte during the regular season.

Single-game tickets and ticket memberships for all remaining games in the Thunderbirds' 2025-26 season are available now - fans can order now by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625).

Springfield Thunderbirds defenseman Leo Lööf vs. the Charlotte Checkers

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