Fresh off their thrilling rally the night before, the Checkers started the rematch with a bang as Ryan McAllister Wilmer Skoog both redirected shots past Cleveland netminder Pavel Cajan to put the visitors ahead 2-0 before the first period was even halfway through.
UNREAL redirect from Skoog ?? pic.twitter.com/el4OdpvHmh
— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) February 11, 2024
The Checkers continued to produce waves of pressure on their opponent - outshooting Cleveland 34-15 through the first 40 minutes alone - but it was the Monsters who punched back in the early stages of the second to narrow Charlotte’s advantage.
That turned out to be a minor bump in the road for Charlotte. Matt Kiersted regained the visitor’s multi-goal lead shortly after by waiting out a sprawling Cajan and depositing a shot top shelf, then Justin Sourdif extended that lead even further with a laser of a snipe late in the middle frame.
you're simply not stopping that pic.twitter.com/YG2NpiqPFJ
— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) February 11, 2024
With a stranglehold on a 4-1 advantage heading into the third, the Checkers locked things down for the final 20 minutes of play. The Monsters had their chances, but netminder Spencer Knight was up to the task. Aside from the one blemish in the middle frame, Knight was lights out between the pipes - especially against Cleveland’s big, final push in the third - and earned himself the win, guiding Charlotte to a sweep of one of the conference’s top teams.
