It was a back and forth battle all afternoon for the two squads, with the Monsters finding the back of the net first early in the opening frame and the Checkers answering back with a pair of strikes from T.J. Hensick and another from Jake Chelios to end the period with a 2-1 lead. The team’s traded tallies in the middle frame, heading into the third with Charlotte holding a 3-2 advantage.
As they did last night, the Monsters came alive in the third, outshooting the Checkers 12-6 and finding the equalizer midway through the period. Lake Erie had a chance to put things away late as the Checkers took two penalties in the final five minutes, but Charlotte’s penalty kill unit rose to the occasion, keeping the Monsters at bay and forcing the game to overtime.
The three-on-three overtime yielded its usual high-octane action both ways, but it was the Checkers who were able to break through, with Brock McGinn winning a battle in the corner and finding captain Derek Ryan in front, where he buried it for the game-winner.
“Watching him have some fun scoring some goals was an encouraging sign, because hopefully we’ve seen the re-awakening of his offensive game,” said head coach Mark Morris. “Tonight was an indication that he was getting in where he needed to get to ply his trade.”
“It’s been frustrating, and obviously getting healthy is huge,” said Hensick. “You miss five weeks and it’s tough to just jump back in. That’s a good confidence builder for me. It’s something to build on.”
Perhaps the most critical moment of the game came late in the third when the Checkers killed back-to-back penalties at the end of regulation, putting a halt to a surging Monsters’ attack that was looking to end the game.
“You can’t say enough good things about how we endured with all those penalties in the third,” said Morris. “Our guys did a great job and I’m extremely proud of the effort we had to get the job done.”
“The penalty kill is a huge part,” said McGinn. “You want to go out there and take away their momentum and out-work them, and I think we did a good job in those last four minutes and carrying it into overtime.”
Overtime once again saw McGinn and Ryan combine for the game-winner. With both players scoring at a point-per-game pace, the Checkers have leaned on the duo to come through in clutch situations and they have not disappointed.
“He’s awesome to play with,” said McGinn of Ryan. “He really holds on to the puck and he creates a lot of plays. You’ve just got to get open for him and he’ll find you. It’s definitely a lot of fun and that’s definitely contributing to our line and our overall team.”
The Checkers will now head into their week-long holiday break before embarking on their first road trip to California. With a ton of momentum behind them and in the midst of a six-game point streak, it’s not the most ideal time to find a break in the schedule, but the team is focused on coming back and continuing their winning ways.
“We beat a very good hockey team two times this weekend,” said Morris. “We wanted to lay it all on the line so we could come out on a positive result. If you’re going to be away from the game for a week, you might better have a positive thought in your head.
“The message is to build on what we’ve accomplished to date, learn from our mistakes, build on the good things we’re doing and continue to make those habits that will build us a foundation to make winning a habit.”
