With the score deadlocked at one and the clock entering the final five minutes of regulation, the Wolf Pack went to their fifth man advantage of the night - but just over a minute into that power play, the Checkers flipped the script. Johnny Beecher carried the puck into the zone on a two-on-one and fed it to St. Martin to his right, where the second-year pro fired it into the back of the net for what would hold as the game winner.
The rest of the contest prior to that was a tight one controlled by the netminders. Donovan Sebrango ripped a wrist shot past Hartford goalie Callum Tung early in the second period to open the scoring, then Bryce McConnell-Barker returned the favor minutes later to knot the score, and that would be the only two tallies until St. Martin’s clutch winner.
Kirill Gerasimyuk was strong between the pipes for Charlotte, turning aside 27 of the 28 shots that he faced - including 10 in the third period alone - and moving to 2-0-0 on the season.
St. Martin’s first of the season is the game winner 🤩 https://t.co/6XnIhFJr0F
— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) October 17, 2026
QUOTES
Coach Geordie Kinnear on the penalty killSpecial teams for both sides, they might have had a little more zone time than we did and that plays a factor in those type of games that are super tight, so I was happy that Marty got a chance on a two-on-one and made a play. It’s not always pretty, but sometimes you want to make sure to dig in and get the job done, and we did that tonight on the PK.
Kinnear on the start to the game at home
There were some good pockets there. They had a good game plan going against us. Obviously they weren’t caught off guard with how we play. I thought we got away from it a little bit and then it became pretty mucky in the second period and disorganized, trading chanes a little bit, and then it settled back down in the third period. It was a good hockey game that was tight checking, and the feeling within our division is that there’s going to be a lot of good hockey teams. You look at that back end and there’s a lot of experience there. It’s going to be the team that improves the most.
Kinnear on Donovan Sebrango’s goal
Sebrango, I’m just getting to know him a little bit but I thought he’s really settled in and has done a nice job. Obviously goals are a bonus from the back end, but we want our D to play a certain way. I think it’s coming, and to have the experience back there with Petrovic and Sebrango really helps some of the younger kids.
Kinnear on Kirill Gerasimyuk
It's important for a goaltender when the game does get chaotic that he has a lot of composure and settles down and doesn’t get too busy. I thought he really calmed it down. There was a lot of loose change and bouncing pucks, and if he had to make a big save, he made it. For me, he was really good tonight. You talk about the penalty kill, your goalie has to be pretty good on that.
Hunter St. Martin on his goal
That’s always kind of been party of my identity, being a threat on the PK. I’ve scored a couple that were my first of the season shorthanded. Luckily Beecher made an unbelievable pass under their d-man and it went in, so it’s a huge win for the team.
St. Martin on the penalty kill
I think it’s just that we’ve been building that chemistry and it’s the way we work in practice and it translates out there. The way we pressure, it’s hard to make plays. When our power play plays against our PK in practice, it’s tough. I think that’s an identity of our game, giving those skill guys no space.
St. Martin on coming into his second season
I learned a lot last year. I had a big summer and brought it into this year. We’re a super deep team and I just know that I can carve out a role to help this team win. I know I have that skill set, so just come ready to work every day, try your best every night and get one percent better every day and continue that process day in and day out.
St. Martin on playing at home
It was unbelievable. When that goal went in, the building just felt like it roared. It’s unbelievable to play in front of those fans again. I’m excited for tomorrow and let’s keep it going.
