ROCKFORD, IL – The Checkers wrapped up their final three-in-three of the season Sunday night with a tightly contested matchup against Rockford that saw Charlotte earn one point in the standings but come up short in a marathon shootout.
After an even first period that saw both sides register 11 shots on goal but no goals, the IceHogs opened the scoring early on in the second. Bryan Bickell took a feed in the slot 
and ripped a one-timer past John Muse less than three minutes into the middle frame to give the home team a 1-0 advantage. That lead wouldn’t survive to the intermission, however, as the captain Derek Ryan pounced on a rebound created by Sergey Tolchinsky in the final minute and hammered home his 21st goal of the season, sending the game into the third period tied at one.
The teams cranked up the pressure in the third, but neither side caved, so the contest moved past regulation into overtime. That overtime proved fruitless as well, so a shootout was required to end the game.
After both goalies turned aside their first two attempts, the IceHogs had two opportunities to win thanks to goals by Pierre-Cedric Labrie and Viktor Svedberg, but Derek Ryan and Andrew Miller answered the call and kept the Checkers alive. Charlotte then had eight consecutive chances to end the game, as Muse turned away shooter after shooter. But the Checkers couldn’t find a way to beat Mac Carruth, and Matt Fraser finally broke through in the 13th round of the shootout. With the game on his stick, Patrick Brown was shut down by the glove of Carruth and the IceHogs came away with the crucial second point.
Tonight marked the third shootout that the Checkers have been in over their last eight games and the first where they have come out on the losing side. They have now earned at least a point in the standings in six of their last eight contests, though grabbing that extra point against the IceHogs tonight would have gone a long way toward snagging the Checkers the final playoff spot, one that they are fighting both San Jose and Bakersfield for.
Muse, back between the pipes after being pulled from his start last night in Milwaukee, bounced back strongly with a 31-save performance in regulation. The netminder allowed just one goal in regulation for the fourth time in his last six appearances and although he saw his perfect shootout streak come to an end, he was formidable during the breakaway contest, stopping 10 of the 13 shots he faced and putting his team in several positions to win.
The Checkers continued to struggle to produce offensively, registering two or fewer goals for the fourth straight game, but Ryan remained hot, notching his third goal in two games and extending his team-leading total. In fact, the captain is the only Checkers to score a goal in the last two contests.
With the dreaded three games in three days behind them, the Checkers will enjoy a quick breather before continuing their long road trip on Wednesday in Chicago
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