Justin Sourdif set the tone for the team and foreshadowed his own big night by lighting the lamp 37 seconds in. Trevor Carrick jumped in and punched up back-to-back goals of his own to give the Checkers a 3-0 lead just 11 minutes into play and chase Springfield’s starting netminder from the game.
The Thunderbirds created some momentum of their own off that goalie change, scoring twice in the back half of the frame to narrow Charlotte’s advantage heading into the first intermission.
Despite tilting the ice in their favor and outshooting Springfield 11-2 in the frame, the Checkers couldn’t give themselves any cushion in a scoreless second. Sourdif provided that insurance quickly in the third, though, finishing off a cross-ice feed from Ben Steeves - a third assist on the night for the rookie - to cap his own three-point night and put the home team on the path to victory. Rasmus Asplund put the nail in Springfield’s coffin with a late empty netter and the Checkers earned a midweek split with their division rival.
Trevor Carrick welcomed his baby daughter to her first game with two first period goals! pic.twitter.com/m9BA55C434
— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) March 6, 2025
QUOTES
Coach Geordie Kinnear on scoring the first three goalsIt was an interesting start. We gave up a two-on-one first shift, then (Sourdif) came down and scored a nice goal. Overall, it wasn’t just about the start. It’s the whole group playing to our identity and how we play as a group. I thought everyone bought in and did a real good job for 60 minutes.
Kinnear on Patrick Giles being traded away earlier in the day
You look where Patty came from, part of the environment he helped create. An unbelievable human being first and foremost, and a really good hockey player second. What his best quality is, is a teammate. If you look at those guys, I think everyone I talked to was his best friend. Credit to the group for having mental toughness. It’s not easy when you lose someone like that, so I’m very proud of the group. I would say those types of days are happy/sad, because you’re happy he’s getting an opportunity somewhere else and hopefully he can continue down the path he’s had here where he’s played his first NHL game. I kind of talked to him after, and you go through this as an American Hockey League coach where you’re usually the first person to tell somebody that they’re going to play in the National Hockey League. You always remember the ones that really put in the work and did everything right, and he’s one of the special ones for me that I was able to tell he was going to play his first NHL game. We’re going to miss him, but credit to the group because they really rallied. I thought it was a total team effort to be honest.
Kinnear on the offense drying up prior to tonight
Dired up is when you’re not getting chances, but I think the chances had been there. You go through stretches like that and you’ve just got to stick with it, which I thought the group did. I think we had chances in the second period where we didn’t score and we continued to just play to our identity and nothing fazed us.
Justin Sourdif on bouncing back from last night’s loss
It just shows the testament and perseverance of our group. That all trickles down from our leadership and our coaching staff. They get us ready for every game, and when we come out with speed and we play hard like that, I think we’re right up there with the best teams in the league. We’re obviously hoping to make a really long playoff push again, and I have a lot of confidence in our group right now. It’s nice to see.
Sourdif on breaking through offensively
Even power play and stuff like that, (Assistant Coach) Bobby Sanguinetti does an amazing job getting us ready for games and I think it’s just an effort thing. Our power play was No. 1 in the league for a while and then we kind of took a step back, so we kind of reverted to our old habits of just playing hard, getting pucks to the net and finishing on rebounds. I think we did a great job of that tonight. It was good to see.
Sourdif on his mindset currently
I’m just trying to play with confidence every game and give my best effort. I’m not going to get points every game, but I think just feeding off my linemates and play my game consistently is all I’m trying to do. Ultimately when we play great as a team, we’re going to get those wins, especially in a tough month like this with a lot of games.
Trevor Carrick on the Giles trade
Today was obviously a tough day losing Patty. A good teammate and a good hockey player. It’s never easy when you see one of those guys go. I’m proud of the group sticking with it tonight, and it was a good team win.
Carrick on rallying the team after the trade
He was here for three years so a lot of guys were close with him, and just in the short period I met him he was just an awesome guy. Great in the locker room and he brought the room together. It’s going to be tough the next couple of days because it’s not the same without him in the room, but it’s a business and you’ve got to keep moving forward. We’ve got a lot of good players still, and hopefully he gets a chance out in San Jose.
Carrick on scoring twice with his infant daughter in attendance
My good luck charm. I think she was only here for the first, I wish she was here for the second and third, but it was pretty special.
