Wilson's Hat Trick Helps Checkers Crush Crunch 6-1
January 29, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
SYRACUSE, NY - The Checkers kept their foot on the gas in their second contest of the weekend, throttling the Syracuse Crunch 6-1 behind a hat trick from Scott Wilson and a stellar outing from Spencer Knight.
Wilson kicked things off in the first by wiring a quick wrister from the slot into the back of the net, then doubled the visitors' lead by turning a smooth defensive takeaway into another tally midway through the second. The veteran forward capped off his hat trick in the third period, hammering home a slick passing play to tack one more goal onto the lopsided scoreboard.
Wilson's second-period strike was a shot in the arm for the Charlotte offense, as Henry Bowlby quickly added another goal with a redirect from out front and Aleksi Heponiemi broke through on a power-play breakaway to further extend the visitors' lead minutes later. The Crunch would eventually find the back of the net late in the middle frame, but a Max McCormick tally in the early stages of the third shut down any sort of rally attempt by the Crunch.
In his second game with Charlotte, Knight turned in a gem between the pipes. The 20-year-old netminder stopped 37 of the 38 shots he faced - including 15 in the first period alone - and backstopped the Checkers to a victory, his first in the AHL.
Notes
The Checkers have won four straight road games, their longest such streak of the season ... Scott Wilson is the third Charlotte skater to record a hat trick this season, tied for the most in a single season in franchise history ... It is Wilson's first career AHL hat trick ... Aleksi Heponiemi recorded his third consecutive multi-point game ... Spencer Knight earned his first career AHL win and also picked up his first pro point with an assist ... Brandon Fortunato notched his first AHL point with an assist ... The Checkers have won two straight games against the Crunch and are 2-1-0-0 in the season series ... Jacob Friend dropped the gloves for his first AHL fight ... Tonight was the fourth time this season the Checkers have scored at least six goals in a game ... The Checkers have scored at least four goals in four of their last five games ... The Checkers registered a power-play goal and went perfect on the penalty kill for the second straight game ... Heponiemi extended his assist streak to four games, tying for the longest such streak by a Checker this season ... Kole Lind extended his point streak to four games and Cole Schwindt extended his to three games ... Grigori Denisenko, Ryan Lohin, Max Gildon, John Ludvig, Gustav Olofsson and Christopher Gibson all missed the game due to injury ... Max Zimmer, Jordan Sambrook, Bobby Russell and Billy Christopoulos were healthy extras
Up Next
The Checkers will get a few days to regroup before continuing their New York road trip with a visit to Rochester on Wednesday.
• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
American Hockey League Stories from January 29, 2022
- Heat Regain First Place with Win over Reign - Stockton Heat
- Stars Point Streak Snapped at Six in Close Loss to Laval - Texas Stars
- Soderblom Silences Wolves in Shootout, Shutout Win - Rockford IceHogs
- Chaffee Nets Natural Hat Trick, Wild Win 6-1 - Iowa Wild
- Wolves Earn Shutout, But Not Victory - Chicago Wolves
- Griffins Drop Third Straight against Milwaukee - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Iowa Keeps Gulls in Funk - San Diego Gulls
- Penguins End January by Defeating Monsters, 5-2 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Bears Get Batter of Islanders in OT - Bridgeport Islanders
- Ingram, Admirals Stuff Griffins - Milwaukee Admirals
- Providence Bruins Fall to Springfield Thunderbirds in Shootout, 3-2 - Providence Bruins
- Monsters Score Two Shorthanded Goals in 5-2 Loss to Penguins - Cleveland Monsters
- Clutch Power Play Sparks 2-1 Overtime Win over Islanders - Hershey Bears
- Crunch Lose to Checkers, 6-1 - Syracuse Crunch
- T-Birds Outlast Bruins in Hard-Fought Shootout Win - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Wilson's Hat Trick Helps Checkers Crush Crunch 6-1 - Charlotte Checkers
- Amerks Get Doubled up by Comets - Rochester Americans
- First AHL Shutout for Pat Nagle in Last Game Before Olympics - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Wolf Pack Blanked by Phantoms on Snowy Saturday Night - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Zetterlund Hat Trick Propels Comets over Americans, 4-2 - Utica Comets
- 5 Things: Stockton vs. Ontario - Stockton Heat
- Moose Fall to Abbotsford Canucks - Manitoba Moose
- Canucks Earn 4-3 Win against Moose - Abbotsford Canucks
- Kalynuk Returns to IceHogs from Blackhawks - Rockford IceHogs
- Islanders Face Bears in Only Game this Weekend - Bridgeport Islanders
- Stars' Petrovic Suspended for One Game - AHL
- Wolf Pack Conclude Weekend Back-To-Back with Visit from Phantoms - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Morning Skate: Top Teams in Pacific Clash Saturday at Stockton Arena - Stockton Heat
- Game Preview: Islanders at Bears, 7 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- IceHogs Close out Weekend Road Trip with Matchup vs. Chicago - Rockford IceHogs
- Game #34: Bakersfield at Tucson - Tucson Roadrunners
- Game Preview: January 29 at Cleveland - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Henderson Wins, 3-2, in Shootout against Colorado - Henderson Silver Knights
- Win Streak Comes to End in 3-2 Shootout Loss to Henderson - Colorado Eagles
- Roadrunners Rally Late, Come Up Short In 5-4 Loss To Bakersfield Condors - Tucson Roadrunners
- Back to Where It Started - Stockton Heat
- Stars Shine Bright in Front of Sellout Crowd - Texas Stars
- Gulls Held off at Iowa - San Diego Gulls
- Griffins' Winless Drought Extends to Four - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Admirals Top IceHogs in Overtime - Milwaukee Admirals
- Gervais Leads Iowa Past San Diego, 3-2 - Iowa Wild
- IceHogs Continue Three-Game Point Streak Despite Overtime Loss to Admirals - Rockford IceHogs
- MacInnis, Robson Lead Amerks to Last-Second Win over Crunch - Rochester Americans
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
