The Checkers made their triumphant return home and snagged three out of four points in a pair of thrilling games against a strong Hershey Bears squad.
Week in Review
Team Statistics
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Overall record
2-1-1-0
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Home record
1-0-1-0
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Road record
1-1-0-0
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Last week's record
1-0-1-0
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Last 10 games
2-1-1-0
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Division Standings
5th
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Conference Standings
8th
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League Standings
14th
Checkers 5, Hershey 3
The Checkers put on a show for a raucous crowd at their home opener, rallying back to take down the Bears thanks to a late game winner from the Max McCormick-Alex True connection, with both forwards racking up three points on the night and Christopher Gibson making 33 saves between the pipes.
Full recap
Checkers 1, Hershey 2 (OT)
The following night’s rematch featured significantly less offense, as the defensive battle sat tied at one after 60 minutes of play. The overtime period saw an array of chances for both sides, but Hershey clinched the two points thanks to a tally with just 23 seconds remaining.
Full recap
Three Stars Of The Week
3rd Star
Christopher Gibson
1-0-0, 33 svs
2nd Star
Max McCormick
1g, 2a
1st Star
Alex True
2g, 2a
NOTABLES
1) TRUE TURNS IT UP
Alex True continues to be the offensive catalyst for the Checkers this season, picking up four points in the two-game set against the Bears. That gives him seven points in four games this season, a number that ranks him second in the AHL and is tied for the third-highest point total through the first four games of a season in franchise history (Jon Matsumoto’s nine-point start in 2011-12 holds the record). Dating back to last season, True now has 13 points in his last 12 AHL games.
2) HUTSKO'S HOT START
Logan Hutsko has started off his pro career on a strong note, picking up an assist on Friday and then netting his first pro goal the following night to give him five points thus far. Hutsko is just the second rookie in franchise history to record a point in each of the first four games of the season, matching Sergey Tolchinsky’s start in 2015-16.
3) DYNAMIC TRIO
Joining True and Hutsko on a line has been Max McCormick, who is tied for second on the team with five points - the best start to an AHL season in his career. That trio has been the offensive motor for Charlotte early in this season. In fact, at least one of those players has factored into eight of the 12 goals that the Checkers have scored this season, and six of those 12 goals have featured at least two-thirds of the line.
4) TURNING THE PK AROUND
The Charlotte power play was a bright spot over the weekend, converting once in each contest. The Checkers didn’t have a ton of opportunities on the man advantage, but their two strikes on five chances ties them for third in the league with a 40-percent clip.
5) HOME SWEET HOME
The Checkers took the ice at Bojangles Coliseum this weekend for the first time in nearly 600 days, and the fired-up crowd proved once again to be a positive boost for the team. Dating back to the 2019-20 season (the last season the Checkers played), Charlotte has earned at least a point in five straight home games.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
Alex True jumps on a mishandled puck and feeds Max McCormick for the game-winning tap in Friday night!
RANKS
- Alex True is tied for the league lead in goals (4), ranks second in points (7) and leads the league in plus-minus
- Logan Hutsko is tied for ninth in the AHL in scoring (5), tied for fifth in assists (4) and tied for second in plus-minus (+7), and is tied for fourth in both points and assists among all rookies
- Lucas Carlsson leads all AHL defensemen and is tied for second in the AHL in plus/minus (+7)
INJURIES
- Karch Bachman - Missed four games starting 10/16
- Zac Dalpe - Missed one game starting 10/23
Transactions
Incoming
- Oct. 20 - Antoine Bibeau - Recalled from Allen (ECHL)
- Oct. 19 - Kole Lind - Assigned from Seattle (NHL)
- Oct. 19 - Matt Kiersted - Assigned from Florida (NHL)
Outgoing
- Oct. 22 - Evan Fitzpatrick - Assigned to Greenville (ECHL)
- Oct. 21 - Chase Priskie - Recalled by Florida (NHL)
- Oct. 20 - Ryan Lohin - Assigned to Allen (ECHL)
- Oct. 19 - Joey Daccord - Recalled by Seattle (NHL)
Coming Up
By the Numbers
| CATEGORY |
RECORD |
AHL RANK |
LAST WEEK |
| Power play |
16.7% |
t-17th |
t-3rd |
| Penalty kill |
72.2% |
t-26th |
t-25th |
| Goals per game |
3.00 |
t-14th |
t-13th |
| Shots per game |
23.75 |
29th |
t-26th |
| Goals allowed per game |
2.75 |
18th |
t-16th |
| Shots allowed per game |
30.75 |
t-18th |
t-18th |
| Penalty minutes per game |
10.25 |
t-23rd |
t-24th |
LEADERS
| CATEGORY |
LEADER(S) |
| Points |
Alex True (7), Logan Hutsko, Max McCormick (5) |
| Goals |
Alex True (4), Max McCormick, Aleksi Heponiemi (2) |
| Assists |
Hutsko (4), McCormick, True (3) |
| Power play goals |
Aleksi Heponiemi, Alex True (1) |
| Shorthanded goals |
None |
| Game-winning goals |
Alex True, Max McCormick (1) |
| Shots on goal |
Alex True (10), Aleksi Heponiemi, Lucas Carlsson (8) |
| Penalty minutes |
Kole Line (5), Four tied (4) |
| Plus/minus |
Alex True (+8), Lucas Carlsson, Logan Hutsko (+7) |
| Wins |
Joey Daccord, Christopher Gibson (1) |
| Goals-against average |
Joey Daccord (1.00) |
| Save percentage |
Joey Daccord (.963) |
