After killing off over 90 seconds of their own penalty in overtime, the Checkers earned a man advantage and made quick work of it. Less than 30 seconds into it Jake Bean threaded a cross-ice feed to Steven Lorentz, who ripped a shot into the back of the net for his second goal of the night and picked up the win for Charlotte.
Regulation was a back-and-forth affair, with Cleveland capturing the lead twice before the Checkers punched back. After the Monsters made it 2-1 midway through the third, it was Bean who came through in the clutch with a point snipe in the waning minutes to force the game into overtime.
In his first game since his recent NHL stint, Alex Nedeljkovic delivered a strong performance between the pipes, making 28 saves to put Charlotte in a position to win.
IT’S OVER pic.twitter.com/10EcvHOE9O
— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) March 12, 2020
QUOTES
Coach Ryan Warsofsky on the game
They (Cleveland) work hard. They compete. They didn’t come off the gas all night. I thought we had a slow start but we kept playing and just found a way to win.
Warsofsky on Steven Lorentz’s line with Dave Gust and Max McCormick
That Lorentz line was really big for us. They played a lot of minutes, one, and they were focused from the start. They were moving their feet and they were playing together. They were really important for us. Bean and McKeown too were outstanding on the back end. Really outstanding.
Warsofsky on Alex Nedeljkovic
A true pro. He really is. He came in and has had a great attitude. Obviously he’s disappointed to get sent down but it does not change how he treats his body or how he gets prepared. He did a great job tonight and made a huge save late in the third on their power play and then in overtime. Really good, outstanding performance by Ned.
Steven Lorentz on his overtime goal
We just basically drew up a quick play. When you can get a 4-on-3 it opens up some space out there and we have some guys that can snap it around. We drew up a play and we got a shot and it didn’t work, so we kind of improvised. I was fortunate enough to get an open one-timer there and put it on net.
Lorentz on generating offense
We were pretty resilient and it did pay off in the end, but there were some frustrating moments in that game when the bounces weren’t really going our way, but we stuck with it and that just says a lot about our group. With a lot of new faces in our lineup, guys are stepping up and that’s good to see.
