Heading beyond regulation for the first time this postseason, it wasn’t until nearly the halfway mark that someone broke through, with the endlessly clutch Brickley backhanding a rebound out front over the shoulder of Ville Husso and in, clinching Charlotte’s 4-3 win and giving them control of the series.
The Checkers’ momentum from the end of Game 2 carried over into Sunday’s contest and they were able to turn a strong start into a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes. Philip Samuelsson kicked the scoring off in the final five minutes of the frame, ripping a slap shot from the point that wormed its way through traffic and in, followed by a last-minute tally from the red-hot Andrew Miller, who threaded a wrister under the arm of Husso to extend the lead.
The Wolves wouldn’t roll over, however, and quickly evened the score in the second, with AHL MVP Kenny Agostino and Game 2 hero Adam Musil each lighting the lamp in the first two minutes of the period. Both sides would see waves of pressure in the middle frame, totaling 32 shots between them, but no more goals would be scored, and the game would progress to the third deadlocked at two.
There was another flurry of offense to start the third period, with Checkers captain Patrick Brown picking up some loose change in front to build another lead for the visitors, but it was again quickly erased, this time by a wrister from Ty Loney, drawing the game even for the second time. This tie would survive, however, pushing the game to overtime, where Brickley would continue his streak of game-winning goals and give the Checkers a chance to clinch the series Tuesday.
