Making his first career AHL start, Crunch goalie Corbin Kaczperski narrowly missed the shutout as he turned aside 32 of 33 shots before Kole Lind spoiled his bid with just 17 seconds remaining. Charlotte finishes its five-game road trip through New York state with a 3-2-0 record.
The Checkers trailed 1-0 after the first period thanks to a goal by Crunch captain Gabriel Dumont but came agonizingly close to seizing the momentum early in the second.
After Carsen Twarynski took a roughing penalty and Alexander True committed a double minor for high sticking just 27 seconds apart, the Checkers penalty kill stood tall to negate a lengthy two-man advantage. Just when it seemed as though they would get through the entire sequence unscathed, Crunch forward Gabriel Fortier broke through with only 19 seconds left on True’s penalty.
What could have turned into a big boost for the Checkers had they killed those penalties instead had the opposite effect, as Cole Koepke extended the lead to 3-0 just 26 seconds later.
Charlotte had several chances to get back in the game, including four subsequent power play opportunities of their own, but Kaczperski was up to the challenge until Lind finally broke through with his 13th goal of the season in the waning moments.
