It took a bit longer than the night before, but the Checkers were still able to find the scoresheet first as Trevor Carrick launched a point shot through traffic on a power play late in the opening frame. With momentum on its side, Charlotte doubled that lead quickly in the second period when John Leonard jumped out on a breakaway and buried a shorthanded goal for the second straight game.
That’s FOUR shorthanded goals for John Leonard in TEN games 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/r88dHfSaTO
— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) May 30, 2025
The offense kept flowing for the visitors. Mike Benning and Will Lockwood each lit the lamp 44 seconds apart late in the third - the former via an impressive individual effort on a wrap-around play and the latter on a snipe from the right circle - and the Checkers rode into the third with a substantial 4-0 lead.
An already physical tilt saw that chippiness elevate even more in the third period - with the two sides combining for seven game misconducts - and the Rocket were able to break through early on in the frame. The Checkers would smother any real comeback attempt from there - following behind a 23-save performance from Kaapo Kahkonen between the pipes - and the newly inserted into the lineup Riley Bezeau added one more dagger late in regulation. Laval converted on a two-man advantage in the waning moments, but the game had already been decided at that point - with the Checkers claiming two road wins to begin the series.
QUOTES
Coach Geordie Kinnear on the gameWe played better than we did last night. I thought the second period won the hockey game for us. A power-play goal late on that four-minute penalty, kind of an ugly goal, but it got us started.
Kinnear on the physical nature of the game
I was proud of the guys. As you move up against each team, it gets more physical and more competitive, so I thought it was a very physical game tonight. Both teams had their big hits, and I was proud of the guys for how they played, especially in that second period. I was waiting for us to get to our game a little bit, and I thought we got to it in the second.
Kinnear on Trevor Carrick having three points
The power play is a big part. We need Trev going, for sure. Tonight was a starter for him. The power play got us started and he’s a big part of our group here and that’s a big part of why we got him back. We’re happy that he stepped up tonight.
Kinnear on MacKenzie Entwistle playing his first game since December
Twisty, it’s been a long road for him. My message has always been that hard work always pays off, and you don’t know when it’s going to pay off. Obviously a long road for him to come back to be able to play, so super happy but super happy for the group because, if you look at our team all year long, guys have had to do it.
Kinnear on the team winning 10 straight road games dating back to the regular season
To be honest, I didn’t know that. I know we won today, and I liked the second period. We’re in the moment, and we never look behind us in the rearview mirror. We just look ahead. I liked the second period, the third period, we made it, not interesting, but I didn’t like the way we approached the third period so we’ll correct that and move on.
Kinnear on the mindset ahead of Game 3 in Charlotte on Sunday
The mindset has always been to finish the day right. Tonight, take care of yourself and we have a travel day tomorrow, which isn’t always easy for our group and we’re separated on planes a little bit at different times. Regroup back in Charlotte on Saturday, get better, have a good practice and then look forward to Sunday.
