The two sides traded surges in the first frame, with the Checkers notching a pair of goals early to open the scoring only to see Lehigh Valley punch back with a pair of their own before the first horn sounded.
The second period is where the Checkers turned the tide in their favor. Henry Bowlby found himself in behind the defense and snuck one five-hole to reclaim the Charlotte lead late in the middle frame, then Grigori Denisenko wired a shot just minutes later to push that advantage back to two goals.
The Phantoms went to work chipping away at that advantage in the third - twice narrowing the lead back to a single goal - but the Checkers were up to the task both times, with Lucas Carlsson and Anthony Bitetto each finding the back of the net to throw water on the rally attempt and guide the Checkers to a huge divisional win.
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— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) December 3, 2022