As Chad LaRose tumbled to the ice behind the Toronto Marlies’ net
and the arm of the on-ice official went up, a Charlotte Checkers fan let out an
audible groan.
“It’s a bad joke,” the fan said. “Our guy gets tripped and the
referee goes and punishes the Checkers by putting them on the power play!”
That’s how bad Charlotte has been with a man advantage this
season.
It entered Friday night just 1-for-41 (2.4 percent) over its last
11 games and ranked dead last in the American Hockey League in power-play
scoring, with a season-long percentage of 8.3.
(The lowest recorded power-play percentage for a season in AHL
history is 10.4, set by the Rochester Americans in 2001-02.)
The ensuing power play started out the same as so many this
season, with the Checkers struggling to carry the puck into the offensive end,
but then something unusual happened.
With Justin Shugg (1G, 1A) running point, the puck zipped from
Checker to Checker, eventually going from the tape of Danny Biega’s stick to a
waiting Trevor Carrick, whose slap shot was redirected in at the last possible
moment by Ben Holmstrom with a full 23 seconds still remaining on the power play.
The special-teams goal was the first of two in the game for the
Checkers, who defeated the Marlies, 4-1, in front of a sold-out crowd of 8,462
at Time Warner Cable Arena on Friday.
“It got to the point where we were looking to do anything,”
Checkers coach Jeff Daniels said when asked about shifting Shugg to the point
on the power play. “Our power play has struggled all year and (Shugg) is a guy
that’s capable of making a play.
“He’s a threat to shoot, but he can also make a play and I talked
to him about it and at that point we had nothing to lose,” Daniels continued.
“Tonight, it looked good.”
It was the first time all season the Checkers (15-20-4-1)
recorded more than a single power-play goal in a game and their first power-play goal on home ice since most of Charlotte was still Christmas shopping
(Dec. 19).
LaRose would add the eventual game-winner during the
Checkers’ next power play, thanks to an intentionally wide shot by Shugg that
made its way to the assistant captain’s stick before Toronto goalie Christopher
Gibson (18 saves) could react.
The win – which was made less stressful by a late goal in the
third period by Shugg and an empty netter by Zach Boychuk (1G, 2A) – was the
first ever against the Marlies franchise for the Checkers (1-5-0-0 all time)
and avenged a 4-1 loss to Toronto (17-16-6-0) on Thursday.
Charlotte finished the night 2-for-3 with a man advantage, but
their third attempt was cut short when LaRose was called for goaltender
interference 10 seconds in.
They will now enjoy a four-day break before heading to Norfolk to
take on the Admirals.
“It’s (frustrating),” Shugg said. “You watch teams score a couple power-play goals against us and our power play just wasn’t clicking there for about a month or two. Hopefully, we can keep this going and don’t jinx it. Special teams can win you games.”
“It’s (frustrating),” Shugg said. “You watch teams score a couple power-play goals against us and our power play just wasn’t clicking there for about a month or two. Hopefully, we can keep this going and don’t jinx it. Special teams can win you games.”
