Charlotte Checkers Corner: Back On Track

After a less than ideal previous seven days, the Checkers rattled off three straight wins to get back to their winning ways. In five of their previous six games before this week, the Checkers allowed four or more goals. This week, the Checkers’ defense and goaltenders stepped up and provided more security for the Checkers’ offense by only allowing four total goals over the three games.

Weekend Recap

The Checkers began the weekend with a 4-1 win over the Belleville Senators on Friday. Patrick Brown struck in the first period to give the Checkers the early lead. Julien Gauthier added a power play tally in the second period to extend the lead before the Senators closed the gap with a goal just four minutes later. The Checkers’ well-rounded offense received tallies from Aleksi Saarela and Nic Roy to help ensure a Senators comeback was out of reach. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 30 out of 31 shots en route to the win.

The Checkers and Senators faced off again Saturday with Charlotte once again getting the best of Belleville. The Checkers’ 6-3 win was capped off with multi-point performances from five different players. Martin Necas and Julien Gauthier had standout performances with Gauthier potting a pair of goals and Necas tallying a goal and an assist. Gauthier became the 6th Checkers player to reach the 10-goal plateau this season.

Charlotte wrapped up its road-trip with a dominant 5-0 win over the Toronto Marlies. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped all 34 shots that the Marlies threw his way. Charlotte’s well-rounded offense once again had many different goal scorers with each goal coming from a different player. Necas scored his ninth goal of the season while Andrew Poturalski scored his 15th goal.

Thought of the Week

This week’s thought of the week isn’t actually a thought. The Checkers have their awesome 1950s promo coming up on Jan. 15th and it couldn’t be a better time to check out a game in Charlotte. Between their success or the $1-$2 ticket price, there’s no reason to keep making excuses. It should be a great game and concessions prices will range from 50 cents for sodas and popcorn or hot dogs for $1. Come check out the Queen City.

Player of the Week

This week’s player of the week is Alex Nedeljkovic. He secured two wins this week including a shutout against the Marlies. He has taken strides in improving his position and composure but it’s my belief he still remains an outside shot as a number one goaltender in the NHL.

Looking Ahead

The Checkers return home for a six-game homestand that will wrap up on January 20. Charlotte will take on the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins with a match-up on Friday and Saturday.