The visitors found themselves down by one through one period for the second straight contest, then dropped into a 2-0 hole courtesy of an early Marlies strike in the middle frame.
The Checkers dug themselves out, however, with Riley Bezeau throwing a low-angle shot through the Toronto netminder’s legs later in the second and Zac Dalpe burying a slick feed from Rasmus Asplund early in the third to draw things back even.
Asplund with the slick feed, Cap with the clutch finish! pic.twitter.com/EX3k2hnZpc
— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) October 22, 2023
The Marlies were finally able to break through on Charlotte’s standout penalty kill midway through the final frame, though, as they capitalized on their two-man advantage to regain the lead. The Checkers would push down the stretch - including earning a power play in the final five minutes of regulation - but couldn’t quite create a rally, and a late empty netter sealed their narrow defeat.
