Springfield scored first, courtesy of former Checker Matt Luff, but Sandis Villains evened things up at 11:26 of the opening period with Charlotte’s first shorthanded goal of the season. Wilmer Skoog and Trevor Carrick scored 34 seconds apart in the second period, putting Charlotte up 3-1 after 40 minutes.
Brett Chorske added a goal 1:41 into the third period, which turned out to be the game-winner, for his first of the season. Springfield made it interesting as captain Matthew Peca notched two power-play goals in the ensuing five minutes following Chorske’s goal. Vilmanis responded for the visitors with his second goal of the game, lighting the lamp at 12:05, adding some valuable insurance.
Cooper Black secured his fourth win of the season, making 32 saves. Charlotte’s penalty kill was 7-for-9 while their power-play went 0-for-3. Charlotte will wrap up their three-game road trip in Providence against the Bruins at 3:05 p.m. on Sunday. Coverage of the game can be found on AHLTV and Mixlr.
