Charlotte pumped 32 shots on goal across the contest - including 14 in the first period alone - but Thunderbirds netminder Colton Ellis was square to all of them, even helping the visitors shut down all four man advantages the Checkers had.
The Thunderbirds broke the ice midway through the first frame when Corey Andonovski finished off a shorthanded odd-man rush. That one-goal lead would hold for the next chunk of play, until Springfield gave itself some cushion with a strike late in the third. The visitors would weather one last push from Charlotte, deposit a puck into the Checkers’ vacated net and close out the 3-0 final.
QUOTES
Coach Geordie Kinnear on the gameI thought we had a great start. I thought the first period was really good, minus the power play where we gave the shorthanded goal. I thought that took some energy away from the group a little bit. I liked the start, and then it was just a bit of a mental grind all the way along. We had some opportunities, not necessarily chances on the power play, but we had power-play opportunities to get it tied and we couldn’t get it done.
Kinnear on how the team could improve offensively
The power play is a big one, to be quite honest with you. You want to win the special teams battle. They didn’t have any power plays and that creates momentum, but again, it was a bit of a grind all the way along. That’s sometimes the way it’s going to be, and you’ve got to find a way to score a goal to get the energy up a little bit. Move on, take some lessons and continue to improve.
