On Friday, Nov. 17, the Charlotte Checkers finished their four-game California road trip. Friday night’s game was the last meeting between them and the San Diego Gulls, who they also beat on Wednesday night. The three previous meetings between the two have finished in overtime. However, this was different as it ended in regulation, which was nice for the Checkers. Charlotte ended up winning the game 1-0 and sweeping the season series between the Checkers and the Gulls. Their captain led the way for the team from the Queen City.
Oh Captain, Our Captain
Before getting to the meat and potatoes of the game, there was a funny moment 30 seconds into the game. During a brief stop where the puck went into the mesh, the Gulls announcers were talking about the stoppage. The broadcast team referenced the Gulls as San Jose and not San Diego not once but twice, in a span of ten seconds.
At first, it seemed like there could have been a mistake. However, that was not the case. During the review of that stoppage, they indeed called themselves San Jose instead of San Diego.
It is one of those moments you have to laugh at because it’s the American Hockey League (AHL), and there is no shortage of weird things happening. These moments are what make the AHL fun and enjoyable for everyone.
After the moment of the city name slip for the Gulls, the Checkers took control of the game. In the first period, Charlotte outshot San Diego (not to be confused with San Jose) 15-8 in the opening frame. As the period progressed, the Checkers were putting on chance after chance against the Gulls netminder Alex Stalock. It was a goalie battle throughout, not just the first period but the game as a whole.
Fortunately for the Checkers, they finally figured out Stalock to score the first goal of the game. It was none other than the captain himself, Zac Dalpe, who scored the opening marker at 12:57.
Dalpe made an excellent read being able to get the initial shot off and then weaving through traffic. The Gulls stood no chance as the 34-year-old captain ducked, dived, and dodged his way through three players to score his third goal of the season. He could not be contained as he recounted his shot and slipped it past Stalock for the 1-0 Checkers lead.
Interestingly enough, it ended up being the game-winning goal. The Checkers outshot the Gulls 32-21 in the 1-0 win to sweep the season series between the two teams. Three of the four games ended in overtime, which is something to behold as an AHL fan let alone a Checkers one. Dalpe got the third star of the game, while goaltender Ludovic Waeber got the first star. He stopped all 21 shots that he faced in his first AHL shutout. He won both games versus the Gulls on the road trip.
California Trip Successful
Overall, the California trip was a successful one for the Charlotte Checkers. They ended the trip with a 3-1-0-0 record while winning both games in San Diego. Charlotte had eight goals to their opponents ten during their trip. Five of the ten came in their 5-1 loss during their second game of the set versus the San Jose Barracuda. Other than that game, they outscored the other three games eight to five.
Lucas Carlsson led the way for the trip with his hat trick in game one of the trip versus the Barracuda. Waber was the main standout, as he only gave up two goals during the road trip. His record so far during the 2023-24 season is a perfect 4-0-0-0 with a 1.97 goals-against-average with a .923 save percentage to boot. Getting a shutout along with that is a good boost as well.
This is one trip that head coach Geordie Kinnear will enjoy as the team comes home. They will have a four-game homestand to finish the month of November. They have a two-game set versus the Cleveland Monsters on Monday, Nov. 20, and Wednesday, Nov. 22. Furthermore, they will finish off the month of November with a two-game set against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a back-to-back on Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th.
Tight Atlantic Division Race
The Checkers are looking to take advantage of the Penguins’ set of games as they currently sit tied for third in the Atlantic Division with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Both teams have 18 points so far this season. However, Charlotte has two games in hand over the Penguins. The Checkers have only played 13 games compared to their 15.
The two-game set will be a massive boost and swing in the division known for being clogged with teams so close together. The second-place Hartford Wolf Pack (20 points) are only separated by the seventh-place Providence Bruins by five points. It will be an interesting week for the Checkers as they face the North Division Monsters and their Atlantic foes in the Penguins.
