Things started rocky for the visitors, as Hershey jumped out with two goals in the first four minutes of action - the second of which came via a penalty shot. The Checkers were able to shake it off and flip the script, though, as back-to-back snipes from Wilmer Skoog and Mitch Vande Sompel in the latter stages of the frame had the contest back even before the first buzzer.
this effort from Skoog 😮💨😮💨😮💨 pic.twitter.com/PQsEM7W7eJ
— x - Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) April 17, 2024
The Checkers kept their momentum rolling in the middle frame as Mackie Samoskevich - picking up his third helper of the night - set up Skoog again for Charlotte’s second power-play tally of the contest, which pushed the visitors into the lead with 20 to play in regulation.
The pendulum swung back in Hershey’s favor for the third, however, as a quick strike from the Bears deadlocked the score again early on and a breakaway conversion minutes later reclaimed the lead for the home side. Charlotte pressed down the stretch but couldn’t nail down the equalizer, and time ran out on the midweek bout.