Tobias Bjornfot Scores in Overtime to Give Checkers Comeback Win Over Rochester

The Checkers pulled off a thrilling comeback in their rematch with Rochester Saturday night, erasing a third-period deficit and claiming a 4-3 overtime win.

The home side found themselves in a 3-1 hole as the clock ticked past the midway point of the third period, but a power-play tally from Wilmer Skoog gave the team some life. The Checkers continued to crank up the pressure from there - eventually outshooting the Amerks 14-1 in the period - and just a few minutes later it was Ben Steeves who found the back of the net on another man advantage to tie things up and send the contest on a course for overtime.

After breaking up Rochester’s initial push, Charlotte’s trio of Robby Fabbri, Gracyn Sawchyn and Tobias Bjornfot countered with a rush of their own, and it was Bjornfot who launched a shot that beat Devon Levi and clinched the Checkers a huge two points in the standings.

QUOTES

Coach Geordie Kinnear on this game vs. the previous night
What I liked is that, things we had talked about, we went out and executed. It was a much better start to the game and guys were in sync. We were trailing for a little bit there, but good on the guys for the dig in the third to find a way to get it done.

Kinnear on Ben Steeves having another big third period
I think the important part is when he scores and what type of goals he scores. They’re usually big goals. Obviously he was a big part of what we did last year. At the end of the day, you want those goals to be meaningful goals. He’s done a great job. You look at his body of work, the work he put in over the summer after a short summer, he’s come in better shape than a lot of guys. I’m proud of the kid, but I thought it was a whole team effort tonight from start to finish. Even when we lost our game a little bit, we just stuck with it, found it in the third and got the job done.

Kinnear on Robby Fabbri’s first two games with the team
I think it’s a work in progress. He hasn’t played a lot of hockey and we’re finding chemistry for him. I played him a lot last night and played him a lot tonight. We just talked about having a strong work ethic to get up to speed, but you can see his composure. He wants to make plays and makes people around him better. I thought that line did a good job, especially in the third period.

Ben Steeves on the comeback win
They’re a really good offensive team and they seem to never go away no matter how much you press. A couple of turnovers and they can put the puck in the back of the net. It’s definitely really good of our group to rally down 3-1. The word in the locker room between the second and third was “don’t give up,” and the power play really helped us.

Steeves on breaking through in the third period
That’s an NHL goalie and he has a lot of experience. He made a lot of big saves tonight, but it's just staying on it. We knew we had to get the puck to the net and rebounds would come. That’s how we inevitably scored.

Steeves on Bjornfot’s overtime goal
That was a snipe, right post in. That was a big one for Toby and we were all, as you could see, pretty excited. Every single goal in that third, we were pretty hyped up.

NOTES

This was Charlotte’s first overtime win of the season - the team is now 1-2 overall … This win snapped a two-game losing streak, Charlotte’s longest this season … Fabbri’s goal was his first as a Checker … Cooper Black has now won each of his last six starts … Devon Levi’s 40 saves are the most by a Charlotte opponent this season … Ben Steeves has goals in three consecutive games … Ryan McAllister has assists in two straight games … Gracyn Sawchyn has points in four straight games … Liam McLinskey, Eamon Powell, Colton Huard, Mikulas Hovorka, MacKenzie Entwistle, Hunter St. Martin, Marek Alscher and Tyler Motte were the scratches for Charlotte … Anton Lundmark had his contract with Florida terminated this afternoon and is no longer with the team.