CHARLOTTE, NC – It was a far cry from their usual high-flying performances, but the Checkers were able to grind out a tight win over the Laval Rocket by a 3-1 score.
In a tightly contested first, neither team could produce much in terms of scoring 
chances, but both sides were able to convert.
Lucas Wallmark caught a seeing-eye pass from Andrew Miller for an easy deposit into the vacated net to give the Checkers an early lead, but a power-play tally from Laval evened the score shortly after.
The tide shifted in Charlotte’s favor starting in the middle frame as the home squad continued to ratchet up the pressure.
Valentin Zykov broke the tie with his league-leading ninth power-play goal of the season midway through the period, finishing off a smooth tic-tac-toe play with his linemates, and that would end up being all the Checkers needed.
Charlotte held the Rocket to just four shots in the final frame, stifling the visitors and snuffing out Laval’s rally attempt.
Jeremy Smith, between the pipes for the second consecutive contest, made 20 stops on the night and picked up his third consecutive victory.
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