CHARLOTTE, NC – In the opening game of the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Checkers didn’t shy away from the pressure, dealing the Chicago Wolves a decisive 4-0 win to take a 1-0 lead in the Central Division Semifinals.
Led by a three-point night from Lucas Wallmark and a two-point effort by Andrew Miller, the Checkers’ offense cruised past Ville Husso and the Wolves’ defense. On the other side of the ice, Tom McCollum denied all 20 of the shots he saw, picking up the shutout and continuing his hot streak into the postseason.
Brendan Woods kicked off the scoring in the opening frame, jamming home a rebound out front through traffic to give Charlotte an early lead in front of a loud Bojangles’ Coliseum. They would double that advantage after 40 minutes of play courtesy of a beautiful Miller-to-Wallmark passing play, then fought off a hard push from the offensively dangerous Wolves to start the third.
Chicago couldn’t break through Charlotte’s defense, however, and Andrew Miller extended the lead with a quick wrister in the final four minutes, followed by an empty-net dagger from Wallmark in the waning moments of the game.
With Checkers match report
You must be logged in to post a comment.