The Checkers created plenty of chances in the extra frame, carrying long stretches of play and outshooting the visitors 6-2, but it was a play off the rush for Springfield that ended up in the back of the net with just over five minutes remaining on the clock.
The goalies took center stage for much of the contest. Each team was able to put one on the scoreboard during regulation - Tobias Bjornfot early in the first and Calle Rosen early in the third for Springfield - but otherwise it was a tightly contested battle. Georgii Romanov finished with 34 stops on the 35 shots he faced, while Cooper Black notched 22 saves and helped keep the Springfield power play at bay on their three opportunities.
QUOTES
Coach Geordie Kinnear on the gameIf you look at this game, this was more competitive from our standpoint. I thought they (Springfield) obviously raised the level yesterday, and today was more playoff-style by both teams. Not a lot of space and chances, good goaltending, and unfortunately it’s the best two out of three. I really feel bad for the guys because they came together in a short period of time with a lot of guys getting their first opportunity in the NHL, new guys coming into a leadership group. The best time of the year is after this. You continue to build and those games are important if you want to win in the end. Obviously we fell short, but I think you also have to give credit to where credit is due. Springfield, over the course of the last couple of months, has really improved. They changed their roster and played really good hockey. They had to fight tooth and nail to get in. Credit to them.
Kinnear on the process of this season
I think if you ask me my process, it goes back to when we lost to Hartford (in the playoffs two years ago). We played very well coming down the stretch, ran into a hot goaltender, lost two out of three, learned how important it is to get the bye, but also what happens in a playoff game to be able to teach these guys where we lacked to be able to move the needle moving forward. We have a lot of young players in there that have been a part of both now, so it’s just growth moving forward. You look at Cooper Black. He played three games and that’s a lot to ask of a rookie goalie, but that process and those playoff games for him are very, very important for his development and for becoming a champion at some point.
Kinnear on neither side being able to take control of this game
It's a playoff game, so you’re not going to dominate teams, and we talk about that a lot. You have to win the game you’re in. At times during the course of the game we can really put a lot of pressure on them, but the other team is going to have a moment where they push back and you’ve got to be able to sustain their attack a little bit and then get back to where we want to play. I thought it was a great playoff game, a lot of one-on-one battles and guys paying the price. That’s what it takes to win in the end.
Kinnear on what made this team special
Just how far we came. You look at Pinho, Studnicka, Gregor, Foote, and I’m missing some guys, but they didn’t know me and I didn’t know them. They came in and we built a relationship over time. It’s a different want to play, and they learned it over the course of the games. I think we started to take off halfway through the year and started to really be more consistent. We still learned a lot of hard lessons along the way. I wish I could say everyone will be together because that’s how you build over the course of time. It’s so hard when you get guys in and out to build over time. I think last year’s Calder Cup run was probably two or three years in the making. My foot doesn’t come off the gas. Continue to build and continue to get to that ultimate goal.
Kinnear on how this loss will motivate him
I hate to lose, to be quite honest with you. That’s what motivates me the most. When you lose and you’re competitive by nature. Again, I’m super proud of the guys. It’s never about one person, it’s about the collective. We want to make sure that we learn how bad this hurts and what we failed on as a group so this doesn’t happen again.
