Sunday, December 21, 2014

Game 29: San Antonio Rampage at Charlotte Checkers

Puck Drop: Sunday, 1 p.m.

TV/Radio infoAHL Live / Online

Records: Checkers 10-15-2-1, Rampage 16-8-2-0

The Checkers fell in a shootout to the Rampage on Friday, but have still managed to secure three of a possible four points from the top-two teams in their division (Oklahoma City and San Antonio) over their past two contests.

Charlotte is 5-3 in the second game of two-game series after dropping Game 1. Chad LaRose and Trevor Carrick each found the back of the net for the Checkers on Friday. Carrick's goal was his first as a pro.

After this afternoon, the Checkers will head home for their five-day holiday break.

Notes: The Carolina Hurricanes activated forward Alexander Semin from injured reserve late on Saturday and reassigned Justin Shugg to the Checkers. ... Shugg, 22, went scoreless in his first three NHL games this week. He remains Charlotte’s goal-scoring leader with nine on the season.

Checkers lines: 

Brock McGinn-Ben Holmstrom-Chad LaRose
Justin Shugg-Patrick Brown-Phil Di Giuseppe
Carter Sandlak-Brendan Woods-Jared Staal
Kyle Hagel-A.J. Jenks-Andrew Rowe

Rasmus Rissanen-Ryan Murphy
Trevor Carrick-Danny Biega
Dennis Robertson-Mike Little

Drew MacIntyre
John Muse

Healthy scratches: Gabriel Desjardins

Injured/out: Brody Sutter (lower body), Greg Nemisz (knee), Beau Schmitz (undisclosed), Keegan Lowe (upper body) 

Friday, December 19, 2014

Game 28: San Antonio Rampage at Charlotte Checkers

Puck Drop: Friday, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio infoAHL Live / Online

Records: Checkers 10-15-2-0, Rampage 15-8-2-0

The Checkers improved to 5-3 in the second game of two-game series after dropping Game 1 with a 4-2 win over the West-Division leading Barons on Thursday. Jared Staal, Chad LaRose, Danny Biega and Ben Holmstrom each found the back of the net in the win. Biega's goal came on the power play and snapped a 2-for-43 skid for Charlotte with a man advantage. Brock McGinn and Ryan Murphy each recorded two assists as well.

San Antonio has not played since last Friday when it shutout the Wild in Iowa. Rampage goaltender Dan Ellis (a Charlotte Checkers alum) made 20 saves to record his 10th win of the season.

After tonight, the Checkers will have a day off before hosting the Rampage on Sunday in their final game before the holiday break.

Notes: Checkers defenseman Ryan Murphy, who recorded two assists on Friday, leads the team in helpers and is tied for first in points (0-14-14). ... Jared Staal (2g, 1a) has points in each of his last three games, the longest such streak of his career. ... This is the third of four games this week for the Checkers and their third matchup with the Rampage this season. ... San Antonio took three of the four available points in the teams' two-game series in November. ... C Drew Shore (6-19-25) leads the Rampage in points and is tied for 10th in the AHL in scoring. ... This will likely be the fourth game in four days for Checkers D Mike Little, who signed his second PTO this week with Charlotte on Thursday. ... Little, who left the ECHL's Florida Everblades to join the Checkers, arrived in Charlotte around 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, only to discover his gear was lost by the airline. For more on Little's crazy week, click HERE.  

Checkers lines: 

Brock McGinn-Ben Holmstrom-Chad LaRose
Andrew Rowe-Patrick Brown-Phil Di Giuseppe
Carter Sandlak-Brendan Woods-Jared Staal
Kyle Hagel-A.J. Jenks-Gabriel Desjardins

Rasmus Rissanen-Ryan Murphy
Trevor Carrick-Danny Biega
Dennis Robertson-Mike Little

Drew MacIntyre
John Muse

Healthy scratches: 

Injured/out: Brody Sutter (lower body), Greg Nemisz (knee), Beau Schmitz (undisclosed), Keegan Lowe (upper body) 

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Game 27: Oklahoma City Barons at Charlotte Checkers

Puck Drop: Thursday, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio infoAHL Live / Online

Records: Checkers 9-15-2-0, Barons 16-6-2-2

The Checkers are gearing up for a rematch with the West-Division leading Barons, who handed them a 4-1 loss on Tuesday night. Brendan Woods scored Charlotte's lone goal in the loss, setting a new career-high for goals in a season with his sixth. Oklahoma City has fared well on the road this season, winning six of its last seven away from the Cox Convention Center.

After tonight, the Checkers will welcome the San Antonio Rampage to Charlotte for two games this weekend (Friday and Sunday).

Notes: Checkers defenseman Ryan Murphy, who assisted on Woods' goal on Tuesday, leads the team in helpers and is tied for second in points (0-12-12). ... Drew MacIntyre (19 saves on 22 shots) recorded his 11th loss of the season on Tuesday, the most by any AHL goalie this season. ... This is the fourth of eight regular-season matchups between Oklahoma City and Charlotte. The Barons have won all three of the previous meetings. ... The Checkers are 4-3 in the second game of back-to-backs after falling in Game 1 and have recorded a split six of their 10 back-to-backs this season. ... Barons center Jason Williams (10-17-27) leads the team in points and entered Thursday tied for third in the AHL in scoring. ... After releasing Matt Little from his PTO on Wednesday, the Checkers have once again signed the defenseman with Keegan Lowe still a question mark to play tonight.

Checkers lines: 

Brock McGinn-Ben Holmstrom-Chad LaRose
Andrew Rowe-Patrick Brown-Phil Di Giuseppe
Carter Sandlak-Brendan Woods-Jared Staal
Kyle Hagel-A.J. Jenks-Gabriel Desjardins

Rasmus Rissanen-Ryan Murphy
Trevor Carrick-Danny Biega
Dennis Robertson-Mike Little

John Muse
Drew MacIntyre

Healthy scratches: 

Injured/out: Brody Sutter (lower body), Greg Nemisz (knee), Beau Schmitz (undisclosed), Keegan Lowe (upper body) 

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Game 26: Oklahoma City Barons at Charlotte Checkers

Puck Drop: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio infoAHL Live / Online

Records: Checkers 9-14-2-0, Barons 15-6-2-2

The Checkers, who snapped a franchise-worst eight-game road-winless streak with a 3-1 victory against Texas on Saturday, begin a four-game home stand on Tuesday that will take them up to next week’s holiday break.

After tonight, the Checkers will host a rematch with Oklahoma City on Thursday before the San Antonio Rampage come to Charlotte for two games this weekend.

Notes: Saturday’s win was the 200th of Checkers goaltender Drew MacIntyre’s career. MacIntyre, 31, is the 12th goalie in the 79-year history of the American Hockey League to reach 200 wins. … Charlotte will take the ice Tuesday without it’s top two scorers. The Carolina Hurricanes recalled Justin Shugg (nine goals, two assists) on Monday, and Greg Nemisz (eight goals, six assists) suffered what is likely a season-ending knee injury during the Checkers’ victory Dec. 6 against Iowa. … The Checkers are 2-for-38 (5.3 percent) on the power play over their past 10 games and rank last in the AHL with a 9.6 percent success rate on the power play. That said, Charlotte has five shorthanded goals (tied for third in the league), already two more than its league-low total from all of last season. … Defenseman Ryan Murphy is tied for 11th among AHL defensemen in assists (11). He played his 100th professional game on Saturday. … The Checkers are 0-2 against the West-Division leading Barons and have been outscored 9-4. ... With mounting injuries and callups, the Checkers signed Gabriel Desjardins and Mike Little to PTO's Tuesday morning. ... Along with A.J. Jenks and Andrew Rowe, the signing of Little and his Everblades teammate, Desjardins, gives the Checkers four professional tryouts on their active roster. ... Fans who bring toys to Tuesday’s game will receive a free ticket for the Checkers’ game on Jan. 4 against Texas.

Checkers lines: 

Brock McGinn-Ben Holmstrom-Jared Staal
Andrew Rowe-Brendan Woods-Chad LaRose
Gabriel Desjardins-Patrick Brown-Phil Di Giuseppe
Kyle Hagel-A.J. Jenks-Carter Sandlak

Rasmus Rissanen-Ryan Murphy
Trevor Carrick-Danny Biega
Dennis Robertson-Mike Little

Drew MacIntyre
John Muse

Healthy scratches: Kyle Jean

Injured/out: Brody Sutter (undisclosed), Greg Nemisz (knee), Beau Schmitz (undisclosed), Keegan Lowe (undisclosed) 

Monday, December 8, 2014

Game 22: Iowa Wild at Charlotte Checkers

Puck Drop: Monday, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio infoAHL Live / Online

Records: Checkers 8-11-2-0, Wild 5-15-1-1

The Charlotte Checkers extended their season-long home point streak to six games with a 2-1 win over the Wild on Saturday night. Charlotte fell behind by a goal early in the second period, but two tallies by Brendan Woods proved to be the difference. The win evened the Checkers record at 5-5 in one-goal games.

After tonight, the Checkers will head to Norfolk on Wednesday to begin a three-game road trip.

Notes: The Carolina Hurricanes activated Chris Terry from his five-game rehab assignment on Sunday. Terry had a goal and as assist during his time in Charlotte. ... Brendan Woods (5-5-10) moved up to second on the team in points on Saturday and now has four goals in his last five games. ... Rookie Patrick Brown, who has not played since suffering an injury on Nov. 8, is expected to return to the ice tonight. ... Goaltender Drew MacIntyre is one win shy of 200 for his career. ... This is the fourth matchup between the Wild and Checkers this season, Charlotte leads the season series, 2-1. ... Tyler Graovac (7-10-17) leads Iowa in points and has registered 10 points in his last 10 games. 

Checkers lines: (projected)

Greg Nemisz-A.J. Jenks-Justin Shugg
Brock McGinn-Patrick Brown-Chad LaRose
Phil Di Giuseppe-Ben Holmstrom-Jared Staal
Kyle Hagel-Brendan Woods-Carter Sandlak

Rasmus Rissanen-Ryan Murphy
Trevor Carrick-Danny Biega
Dennis Robertson-Keegan Lowe

Drew MacIntyre
John Muse

Healthy scratches: Beau Schmitz, Kyle Jean, Andrew Rowe

Injured/out: Brody Sutter (undisclosed)

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Game 21: Iowa Wild at Charlotte Checkers

Puck Drop: Saturday, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio infoAHL Live / Online

Records: Checkers 7-11-2-0, Wild 5-14-1-1

The Charlotte Checkers hope to rebound from one of their toughest losses of the season on Tuesday, when a 2-0 lead over the Norfolk Admirals with 2:09 to play in regulation turned into a 3-2 overtime loss. That said, the Checkers still enter the weekend with points in each of their past three games (2-0-1) and points in each of their past five home games (4-0-1) – both of which are season-long streaks.

Notes: Charlotte went 0-for-5 with a man advantage on Tuesday. After scoring power-play goals in four consecutive games from Nov. 14-21, the Checkers are just 1-for-17 (5.9 percent) in their past five outings. ... Brock McGinn and Justin Shugg have recorded points in each of their last three games. ... Injury report: Jared Staal, who has not played since Nov. 15 with an injury, has been upgraded to day-to-day and will likely play this weekend. Patrick Brown, who suffered an injury on Nov. 8, has returned to practice and is also day-to-day. Brody Sutter (out since Nov. 14) has yet to begin skating. ... The Checkers are also expecting their all-time leading scorer, Chris Terry (rehab assignment with Charlotte), to return to the NHL following Saturday’s game. ... Fans are encouraged to bring new or like-new stuffed animals wrapped in plastic to throw onto the ice following the Checkers’ first goal on Saturday. Checkers players and staff members will deliver the collected animals to Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital.

Checkers lines: (updated)

Chris Terry-A.J. Jenks-Justin Shugg
Brock McGinn-Greg Nemisz-Chad LaRose
Phil Di Giuseppe-Ben Holmstrom-Jared Staal
Kyle Hagel-Brendan Woods-Carter Sandlak

Rasmus Rissanen-Ryan Murphy
Trevor Carrick-Danny Biega
Dennis Robertson-Keegan Lowe

Drew MacIntyre
John Muse

Healthy scratches: Beau Schmitz, Kyle Jean, Andrew Rowe

Injured/out: Patrick Brown (undisclosed), Brody Sutter (undisclosed)

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Game 19: Norfok Admirals at Charlotte Checkers

Puck Drop: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio infoAHL Live / Online

Records: Checkers 7-11-1-0, Admirals 8-12-0-0

The Charlotte Checkers enter Tuesday fresh off a two-game home sweep of the Milwaukee Admirals this past weekend. The back-to-back wins were a first for Charlotte this season and gave it four-straight home wins. Sunday’s 3-2 shootout victory was the Checkers' first this season when trailing after the first period. It also featured 39 saves from goaltender Drew MacIntyre.

The Checkers will be looking to avenge a, 4-1, loss in Norfolk a week ago. This is the third of eight regular-season match ups between the two clubs. The series is currently tied, 1-1.

Notes: After missing Saturday’s game due to illness, defenseman Ryan Murphy had an assist and a game-high, plus-2 rating. … Rookie Brock McGinn (5-3-8) has goals in back-to-back games. … Chris Terry (rehab assignment) has one point (five shots) in three games since being assigned to Charlotte on Nov. 26. ... The Anaheim Ducks, the parent affiliate of Norfolk, recalled goalie Igor Bobkov on Monday and assigned rookie netminder Ryan Faragher from the ECHL to the Admirals. ... The Ducks also reassigned defenseman Jesse Blacker and center Rickard Rakell to Norfolk earlier on Tuesday.

Checkers projected lines: 

Chris Terry-Greg Nemisz-Chad LaRose
Andrew Rowe-Ben Holmstrom-Phil Di Giuseppe
Justin Shugg-A.J. Jenks-Brock McGinn
Kyle Hagel-Brendan Woods-Carter Sandlak

Rasmus Rissanen-Ryan Murphy
Trevor Carrick-Danny Biega
Keegan Lowe-Beau Schmitz

John Muse
Drew MacIntyre

Healthy scratches: Dennis Robertson, Kyle Jean

Injured/out: Patrick Brown (undisclosed), Brody Sutter (undisclosed), Jared Staal (undisclosed)

*Apologies for the lack of blog posts the past two games, been a bit under the weather. Happy to be back.