CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Cyclones pulled out a win in game one due to grit and determination. Charlotte began game two with a more physical lineup while the Cyclones opted for a speedy group. Both teams came out charging hard for this tilt. At 4:19 into the first, Mike Bartlett slid the puck past the Cyclones defense and scored, giving the Checkers a 1-0 lead. 
The Cyclones were given a power play with two minutes left in the period, but couldn’t score with the man advantage as the period ended. The Cyclones began the second period with a short, twenty second, power play left over from the first period. The Checkers’ defense got tighter as the game went on. The Checkers scored again at 3:13 into the second. The Checkers then went on the power play, while Dustin Sproat sat in the box for a holding call. The Checkers took advantage of the superior numbers to score and increased the lead to 3-0. The period ended with no further scoring, but tempers flared at the end of the period after the horn. Dual five minute penalties for fighting were meted out and served at the beginning of the third. The Cyclones went on the power play, but the Checkers’ Mike Taylor scored a short-handed goal off of a turnover in the Cyclones zone, for a 4-0 lead. 
Tempers continued to flare, while Hans Benson of the Cyclones was given a double minor and a ten minute misconduct penalty. Then Ryan Delmonte took a penalty for slashing, giving the Checkers a five on three power play for two minutes. A shot came from the bottom of the left circle and past Smith for a five to zip lead. Jared Nightingale and Ryan DelMonte decided to continue the pugilism and were sent to the box with respective five minute majors for fighting, along with an additional two minutes to DelMonte for slashing. The final score of 5-0 was indicative of the Cyclones’ propensity for winning a game then losing the next. The Cyclones were zero for five on the power play while the Checkers power play was lethal. This has been the ‘Clones achilles heel this season. The loss ties the series at one game apiece. 
Next up, the series moves to Cincinnati for games three, four, and five beginning Wednesday night at US Bank Arena. Contact Rob.Huelsman@prohockeynews.com
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