The Charlotte Checkers continued their California road trip as they traveled down the I-5 to face the San Diego Gulls. Charlotte is looking to get back in the win column after splitting their two-game set in San Jose. The two teams squared off on Wednesday, Nov. 15 to start their two-game set. Somehow the Checkers and Gulls always find a way to have extra hockey when they face off. In game one of the set, it was no different as they once again had to decide it with overtime hockey.
Checkers Travel to SoCal
For whatever reason, the Checkers and the Gulls want to give the fans a show with some free hockey and indeed they delivered on that. The Checkers had Ludovic Waeber in the net while the Gulls had Calle Clang. Most of the first period saw lots of back-and-forth action with the Gull taking most of the control. Both of the team’s netminders were standing tall as the period went on.
Some thought the period was going to end scoreless. However, that was not the case as the Gulls’ Ben King opened the scoring at 18:33 into the period. Despite the Gulls getting the late lead in the first period, the Checkers were not going to let that stop them. They came into the second period and just dominated from the start.
Charlotte Turns Up the Heat
Right from the puck drop at the start of the second period, it was all Checkers. They were getting chance after chance on San Diego’s Clang. At some point, something was going to have to go their way during the onslaught. The break that the Checkers were looking for finally came their way. Charlotte tied the game with a brilliant goal from Rasmus Asplund with 9:41 left in the second period. What made the play possible came from a brilliant pass from Gerry Mayhew. Mayhew was able to put the puck right on Asplund’s stick on a perfect pass through the Gulls’ defense to spring him on a breakaway.
Furthermore, credit to Asplund for being able to bait Clang one way before putting the puck on the opposite side of the deke. Being able to fake the goalie like that in tight was a thing of beauty to tie the game for the Checkers. The goal was Asplund’s third of the season with Mayhew getting his sixth assist on the primary. Also, Lucas Carlsson keeps his point tally rising as he got the secondary assist for his fifth of the year.
It would not take long for the Checkers to get the lead however as Patrick Giles scored over four minutes later to make it 2-1.
Throughout the period the Checkers were just putting consistent pressure on the Gulls on both sides of the ice. Charlotte’s forecheck and backcheck were giving San Diego fits especially at points where the Gulls were hemmed in their own zone. Moreover, the pressure was giving the Checkers more opportunities for long-sustained puck movement in their offensive zone. It paid off as Giles scored his second goal of the season off of a deflected Casey Fitzgerald shot.
Fitzgerald received a nice pass into the slot from Will Lockwood and snapped the puck onto the Gulls’ net. Giles being in the right place, at the right time was able to deflect the puck in to give the Checkers a lead over halfway in the second period.
Despite obtaining the lead from the Giles goal, it did not last long as the Gulls scored just three minutes later on their lone power-play of the game. The puck bounced off of Calle Sjalin’s skate and into the Checkers’ net. The period ended with the Checkers outshooting the Gulls 13-5.
No one was able to score in the third period. However, just like how the Checkers controlled the second period, the third was all San Diego outshooting Charlotte 12-8. While no one scored in the third, the game went into overtime.
Checkers Call Game in Overtime, Again
Just like when these two teams met in Charlotte back earlier in November, this game was decided in overtime. The Checkers won both of those games 4-3 and 5-4 respectively. However, these two had to once again settle it in overtime. Both teams traded chances with Waeber standing tall for all of the third and some into overtime for Charlotte. Clang on the other end for the Gulls was stopping a ton of Checkers’ chances. Eventually one of the defenses had to break after bending so much to keep the game tied. In the end, it was the Gulls’ defense that decided to break first as the Checkers won it overtime once again.
The California kid, Patrick Khodorenko, in his first season with the Checkers, has been playing phenomenal hockey. Before scoring on Wednesday night has tallied three goals and four assists for seven points. Just when the team needed him most, he added his fourth goal and eighth point to secure the win for Charlotte.
What made the play work for the Checkers was captain Zac Dalpe keeping his head up and forcing the Gulls to focus on him. Once he saw that he got their attention he made a great pass to a wide-open Khodorenko. Once he was able to handle the puck, he placed a great shot over Clang to seal the win. Dalpe got the lone assist for his fourth of the season and was the one that set up the game-winning overtime goal.
Checkers Finish California Trip Friday
After the huge win on Wednesday night, the Checkers have one more game on Friday, Nov. 17 before coming home next week. Charlotte is now 2-1-0-0 on their California trip and looks to close it out with a win and their fourth straight versus the Gulls. It will be their last meeting of the season.
