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Checkers Recap
Charlotte split their pair of games with the Syracuse Crunch this week as they continue to tread water. Currently holding a record of 11-12-3 for 25 points, Charlotte now sits 7th in their division and ranks 24th in the league. Goal scoring continues to be an issue for Charlotte, as the team sits 29th with 67 goals in 26 games.
In their first game of the week, Charlotte squeaked out a 3-2 victory after battling back from an early deficit. Syracuse got on the board early with a pair of quick goals from Gemel Smith and Chris Meuller. David Gust cut the deficit in half for Charlotte. A pair of goals from Chase Priskie and Morgan Geekie earned the win with Geekie’s goal coming with less than three minutes remaining. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 16 of 18 in the win.
In their final game of the week, Charlotte lost 5-4 in a game that slipped away from them late in the second period and into the third. Janne Kuokkanen scored a pair of goals, his fifth and sixth of the season. Defensively, the Checkers slipped late by allowing three third period goals. Anton Forsberg stopped only 25 of the 30 shots he faced.
Charlotte made a flurry of moves yesterday, sending Brian Gibbons to Raleigh while recalling Jacob Pritchard and releasing Hunter Shinkaruk from his AHL contract. Shinkaruk posted seven points (4 goals, 3 assists) in 20 games for the Checkers this season after signing an AHL deal with the club this past off-season. However, Charlotte is allowing him to head to the KHL where they say he received “a good offer.”
Swamp Rabbits Recap
The Swamp Rabbits suffered a skid, losing three games to start the week. Greenville managed just two goals in three games in their three loses between the Atlanta Gladiators, Orlando Solar Bears and South Carolina Stingrays. Greenville would get their revenge later in the week against the Solar Bears with a resounding 6-2 win on Sunday. Jeremy Helvig may be deserving of a call-up to the AHL soon enough as he ranks fifth in the ECHL in save percentage.
Pritchard’s first-period goal against Orlando on Friday was the cue for the Swamp Rabbits’ annual Teddy Bear Toss. Nearly 2,000 stuffed animals flew onto the ice, which the team donated to Happy Wheels and Toys for Tots.
Greenville sits at 13-13-1 for 27 points and third place in the division. They are off until Friday, when they will face the second-place Florida Everblades on the road in a back-to-back.