Just because the Canes are on the All-Star break doesn't mean we can't have some hockey action in the Old North State.
It's Race Night at Time Warner Cable Arena, and the Charlotte Checkers expect a full house of nearly 15,000 in the building tonight as they face the Rockford IceHogs, the top affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Checkers find themselves with a Midwest Division-leading 56 points, second behind Oklahoma City in the Western Conference, and hold a 4-1 record against Rockford including a 4-3 shootout win last night in this building.
Listen live to the action at gocheckers.com or watch on Time Warner Cable channel 520. You can also watch on AHLLive if you're fortunate enough to have a subscription. No live blog, but feel free to jump in the comments.
Short postgame recap: The Checkers took a 2-0 lead, then Rockford came back to take a split in the back-to-back, winning 3-2. Of primary importance to the Canes was the status of Zac Dalpe, who was checked from behind in the boards by the IceHogs' Ben Youds early in the second period and didn't return. Coach Jeff Daniels said that he didn't really have an update after the game, so we'll see what happens. At this point it's unknown whether Dalpe will return to Carolina after the NHL All-Star break.
By combining on a first-period power play goal, goal-scorer Bobby Sanguinetti and Chris Terry extended their respective points streaks to eight games, tying a Checkers franchise record. Sanguinetti now has scored four goals in six games after going 29 games without lighting the lamp to start the season, and leads the Checkers with nine points over that six-game stretch.
Click for postgame audio from Chris Terry, Bobby Sanguinetti and Jeff Daniels