CHARLOTTE, NC – The Checkers returned to their home ice Friday but couldn’t shake their losing skid, falling to the Toronto Marlies 4-1.
After Toronto standout Kasperi Kapanen broke the scoring open in the first period, Miro Altonen jumped on a giveaway behind Charlotte’s net and put it home to double the visitor’s advantage. The Checkers, who outshot the Marlies 16-6 in the middle frame, finally lit the lamp in the waning moments of the period when Andrew Poturalski ripped a laser off the faceoff to pull Charlotte within a goal with 20 minutes to play.
The Marlies put a damper on Charlotte’s momentum early in the third period, cashing in on their second power-play goal of the game to regain a two-goal lead, then rode out their hot goaltender the rest of the way. Garret Sparks turned aside 26 of the 27 shots he was faced with throughout the night to shut down Charlotte’s hopes of a comeback, while Andreas Johnsson deposited a puck into the empty net late to set up Toronto’s 4-1 victory.
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