Game Preview: Checkers at Chicago (Oct. 11, 2014)

After a tough season-opening loss at the hands of the Milwaukee Admirals last night, the Checkers are looking to bounce back with two games in Chicago.

Charlotte failed to extend their opening night win streak to three with the defeat in Milwaukee, and begin the season 0-1 for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign.

This evening’s game is the first of two in Chicago, and the middle of a season opening three-in-three, one of the Checkers’ two this season.

Charlotte

The Checkers got production from both fresh and familiar faces, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a 6-3 loss on Friday.

After surrendering an early power-play goal, the  Checkers got one of their own from rookie Phil Di Giuseppe, the first goal of his professional career. In the second period and down by two, Justin Shugg sparked the offense with a quick snipe, followed by a Zach Boychuk deflection to knot things up at three at the conclusion of two frames. The third was all Admirals, however, as they rode three unanswered strikes, including an empty-net goal, to a win.

Rookie blueliners Trevor Carrick and Dennis Robertson each found the scoresheet, registering their first professional points, and Robertson led Charlotte in points (0g,2a). Greg Nemisz, beginning his first full season in a Checkers’ sweater, also pitched in an assist.

Newcomer Drew MacIntyre appeared in goal, making his first appearance as a Checker, and stopped 21 of the 26 shots he faced. Charlotte sat three extra skaters: forward Alex Aleardi and defensemen Austin Levi and Beau Schmitz, any of whom could draw into the lineup tonight.

Given the condensed opening schedule with overnight travel between their first two games, the Checkers could also hand all-time wins leader John Muse his first start of the season.

Chicago

The Wolves open their regular season hosting the Checkers for two games. It is the second time in franchise history that Chicago has begun a campaign with a doubleheader against the same team.

The Wolves, who hold the clear rest advantage over the Checkers heading into this matchup, return 15 players from last season’s squad that made it to the Western Conference semifinals, including three of their top five scorers from a season ago. One of those returning players is Ty Rattie, who finished fifth in the AHL in goal scoring in his rookie campaign and became the first Wolves rookie in franchise history to lead the team in goals. Also returning is goalie Matt Climie, who is taking over the crease from Jake Allen, who made the St. Louis Blues roster. Climie ranks in the top five in the franchise in games, wins, saves and shutouts, and holds a 2-3 record all-time against Charlotte.

The Wolves roster also boasts a handful of NHL experience, with forward Colin Fraser and defensemen Brent Sopel and Sheldon Brookbank all making the opening night lineup. Those three have combined for over 1,300 games played in the NHL, having all suited up for the Chicago Blackhawks at one point.

Checkers Notes

Know Your Enemy

Checker's goalie Drew MacIntyre played 61 games across two seasons with the Chicago Wolves from 2009-11, logging a 32-22-3 record. He was also in net for the Toronto Marlies in last season's Calder Cup Playoffs when they faced the Wolves, helping lead Toronto to a sweep. Meanwhile, Wolves forward Jeremy Welsh suited up for the Checkers in 2012-13 and contributed 26 points (14g, 12a), a career high.

Chicago holds a 10-5-1 record against the Checkers all-time, including taking three out of four games last season. The three most recent meetings between the two clubs have been decided by one goal.

Streak Broken

The Checkers’ 6-3 loss in Milwaukee on Friday denied them a third straight opening-night victory. They now have an all-time record of 2-3-0 in their first game of the season. Charlotte has never started a season with two consecutive regulation losses, though they did go 0-1-1 through the first two games of the 2011-12 season, both of which were played at Norfolk, that season’s eventual Calder Cup champion.

The Champ Returns

Reigning AHL goals-champion Zach Boychuk picked up right where he left off last season by netting a goal in the second period that tied the score at three in Milwaukee on Friday. Boychuk, who led the Checkers with six shots on goal in the opener, now has points in five of his last six AHL games (5g, 3a) dating back to last season. He will look to continue that pace against a Chicago team that held him to one point (0g, 1a) in three games last season.

Moving On

Six of the top 10 scorers from last season's squad are no longer on the Checkers' roster. Chris Terry and Victor Rask made the Hurricanes out of training camp, Aaron Palushaj and Mark Flood signed with Medvescak Zagreb of the KHL, Philippe Cornet signed with the Hershey Bears and longtime captain Brett Sutter signed with the Minnesota Wild. That group combined for 107 of the 230 total goals scored by the Checkers last season.

Fresh Faces

This season's team features many new names, with 10 of the 23 players making their first full time appearance on the Checkers' roster. That list includes five rookies (three out of juniors and two out of college) and five offseason signings. Of the returning players, just four suited up for Charlotte during the inaugural 2010-11 season (Zach Boychuk, Michal Jordan, Rasmus Rissanen, Jared Staal).

New Leadership

The Checkers named defenseman Michal Jordan as the third team captain in team history on Thursday. Jordan, who ranks second in team history with 268 games played as a Checker, takes over for Brett Sutter, who signed with the Minnesota Wild after holding the role from 2011-14. Ben Holmstrom and Greg Nemisz will serve as new alternate captains, taking over for Nicolas Blanchard (St. John's) and Chris Terry (Carolina).

Been So Long

After signing with the Checkers in the offseason, Chad LaRose on Friday played his first AHL game since December 3, 2005, with the Lowell Lock Monsters. The veteran of 508 career NHL games, all with the Hurricanes, is attempting a comeback after not playing professional hockey last season. The Stanley Cup champion has 83 points in 126 career games at the AHL level.

Three in Threes

Tonight's tilt is the middle of a three-in-three for Charlotte, one of only two on the season for the team. After dropping the last night's opener, the Checkers all-time three-in-three record sits at 46-30-9. They are 33-23-7 on the road and 16-7-5 in game two.

Milestones

• Ben Holmstrom is seven shy of 500 AHL penalty minutes
• Justin Shugg is two shy of 150 AHL games played
• Zach Boychuk is three shy of 300 AHL games played
• Brody Sutter is three shy of 100 AHL games played
• Dennis Robertson recorded his first two professional assists and points at MIL (10/10)
• Trevor Carrick recorded his first professional assist and point at MIL (10/10)
• Phil Di Giuseppe scored his first professional goal at MIL (10/10)
• Carter Sandak and Trevor Carrick made their professional debuts at MIL (10/10)
• Kyle Hagel, Ben Holmstrom, Chad LaRose and Drew MacIntyre made their Checkers debuts at MIL (10/10)
  

Transactions

Incoming

• Oct. 6 - (LW) Zach Boychuk assigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
• Oct. 6 - (RW) Chad LaRose assigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)

Outgoing

• Oct. 6 - (C) Patrick Brown recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte
• Oct. 6 - (G) Daniel Altshuller assigned to Florida (ECHL) from Charlotte