March 24, 2012 6:13 AM
The Checkers hope to build on the momentum of one of their most important wins of the season as they begin a two-game set in Hershey tonight.
Charlotte (33-23-8) is coming off a 6-2 victory over Peoria that saw it break a three-game losing streak by solving one of its causes, an offensive funk that produced just four goals during that time. That helped it stay afloat during a competitive Western Conference playoff race in which the No. 3 Chicago Wolves (77) are separated by just five points from the No. 10 Lake Erie Monsters (72). With 74 points, Charlotte, which has games in hand on most teams, checks in at No. 7.
The Checkers step out of that pack for this weekend’s visit to Hershey (35-20-10), which has won four consecutive games and ranks fifth in the East. The games mark Charlotte’s only visit to see the Bears this season, with their old playoff rival winning two games in Charlotte back in January, one by way of a 12-round shootout.
CHARLOTTE
In breaking their losing streak on Wednesday, the Checkers hope to have rediscovered the confidence that made them one of the Western Conference’s top teams before they fell back into the playoff chase in March.
While they needed that win more than anything, the way they won – tying a season high with six goals, two more than they had scored in their previous three games – certainly helped.
“For morale it’s huge,” said captain Brett Sutter. “It’s amazing what one win can do.”
While Zach Boychuk’s two goals continued a stretch that has seen him score five in his last four games, Chris Terry (March 4), Matthew Pistilli (Feb. 24), Riley Nash (Jan. 26) and Chris Durno (Dec. 4) all found the back of the net for the first time after absences of varying lengths.
The Checkers will likely use the same lineup as their previous game, with defenseman Justin Krueger (upper body) and forward Justin Soryal (lower body) out due to injury. With Drayson Bowman the only player who started the season with Charlotte still in the NHL, the team can continue a stretch that has seen it play a relatively strong lineup.
In goal, Mike Murphy is coming off a 24-save performance in Wednesday’s win. Though he splits the net with Justin Peters, coach Jeff Daniels has elected to give each netminder two consecutive starts at a time since they were reunited by Murphy’s return from injury and Peters’ return from the NHL on March 2.
HERSHEY
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BEARS STATS |
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RECORD
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35-20-10 |
5th Eastern Conference
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GOALS / GAME
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3.32 |
2nd AHL |
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GOALS ALLOWED / GAME
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2.91
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t-13th AHL |
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POWER PLAY |
26.4%
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1st AHL |
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PENALTY KILL
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85.1% |
t-3rd AHL |
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PIM / GAME
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21.1 |
29th AHL
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Though they’re not in the same conference and will be playing each other for just the third time this season, there’ still plenty of familiarity between Charlotte and Hershey.
Up until the Checkers’ move to the Western Conference prior to this season, they were members of the East Division dating back to the Albany River Rats era. They’ve faced each other in the playoffs each of the last two seasons, with each team prevailing once, including Charlotte’s six-game triumph in last season’s first round.
“Hershey’s always been a big rival of ours and we like playing against them,” said Boychuk. “If we want to be the best, we’ve got to beat the best.”
Former Jacob Mikflikier ranks third on the team with 56 points (21g, 35a) in 57 games. He also ranked third on the Checkers with 61 points last season, and put up three points (2g, 1a) in two previous meetings against his former team this season. However, he has missed eight of the last nine games due to an upper-body injury.
The Bears will likely be without three more key forwards in Keith Aucoin and Cody Eakin, both of whom are with the NHL’s Washington Capitals. An additional injury to Graham Mink could mean that the team will be without four of its top eight scorers, though they do still have the AHL’s points leader in Chris Bourque (82 points in 62 games).
Recalls have also affected Hershey’s goaltending, with Braden Holtby currently out of the lineup. However, experienced backup Dany Saborin is 4-0-0 with a 1.97 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in his last four games.
CHECKERS NOTES
 BOYCHUK IN BUNCHES: Charlotte’s Zach Boychuk recorded his 18th and 19th goals of the season on Wednesday, surpassing Jerome Samson for the team lead. Boychuk now has five goals in his last four games, including two separate two-goal games. He has five two-goal games this season, the most of any Checkers player, and last season recorded one of two hat tricks in the team’s two-year history. Prior to Boychuk’s recent run, he had not scored a goal in seven games
SANGUINETTI STARS: Defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti recorded an assist on Wednesday, giving him seven points (1g, 6a) in his last four games and 11 points (2g, 9a) in his last nine. Though he has missed 12 games, Sanguinetti ranks tied for second on the Checkers in scoring with 39 points (8g, 31a) in 52 games and is on pace to tie or set new AHL career highs in goals (9), assists (38) and points (48). He ranks tied for sixth in the league in points and tied for third in power-play points (25).
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: Charlotte’s six goals against Peoria on Wednesday tied three previous occurrences for the most they’ve scored in a single game this season. Four of those goals came in the second period, marking the most goals they’ve recorded in a single period this season and tying a team record set last season. The Checkers record for most goals scored in a single game is 10, set in a 10-3 win over Syracuse on Dec. 6, 2010.
SHOOTING GALLERY: The Checkers have topped the 40-shot mark nine times this season, three of which have come in their last five games. They are 5-3-1 in those games, including 1-1-0 in a recent two-game series against Peoria. For the season, they rank seventh in the AHL with an average of 32.3 shots per game.
TOUGH DRAW: Including tonight’s opponent in Hershey, each of the Checkers’ last three opponents have carried winning streaks of four games or more into the first of two meetings. Their previous opponent, Peoria, won the first game to extend its winning streak to five games before losing the second meeting, while Norfolk won both meetings to set an all-time AHL record with its 18th consecutive victory.
STREAKS
• (D) Bobby Sanguinetti has assists and points in each of his last four games (March 16-March 21; 1g, 6a)
• (LW) Zach Boychuk has goals and points in each of his last two games (March 20-21; 3g)
• (C) Zac Dalpe has points in each of his last two games (March 20-21; 1g, 1a)
• (LW) Chris Terry has points in each of his last two games (March 20-21; 1g, 2a)
INJURIES
• (LW) Justin Soryal – missed four games, last played March 11 vs. Chicago (out for season)
• (D) Justin Krueger - missed 11 games, last played Feb. 18 at Chicago
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Charlotte
• March 21 – (D) Ryan Donald reassigned to Florida (ECHL) from Charlotte
• March 19 – (D) Bobby Sanguinetti reassigned to Charlotte from Carolina (NHL)
• March 18 – (D) Ryan Donald recalled to Charlotte from Florida (ECHL)
• March 18 – (D) Bobby Sanguinetti recalled to Carolina (NHL) from Charlotte
Hershey
• March 23 – (F) David Civitarese signed to amateur tryout contract
• March 23 – (C) Cody Eakin recalled to Washington (NHL) from Hershey
• March 20 – (G) Matt Tendler signed to amateur tryout contract
• March 19 – (G) Billy Sauer released from professional tryout contract
• March 18 – (G) Billy Sauer signed to professional tryout contract
• March 17 – (G) Braden Holtby recalled to Washington (NHL) from Hershey |
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