Charlotte Checkers beat the OKC Barons in OT, Game 2 of the first playoff round is tonight

First, I must be completely honest. I did not pay 100% to this game. I was running a show (ballet…. the ballet always interrupts hockey watching! Good thing I love the ballet!) Therefore, some of my observations may not be as thorough as I’d like them to be. Because much of my game-watching was done from a muted laptop, I’m sure I missed a lot. But hey, some observations are better than no observations, right?

Now…. my own personal observations, in no particular order:

• Rob Madore.  I was not surprised in the least that he was the starter for the Checkers last night. I also believe he will continue to play in that role, but, and I mean this is the most positive of ways, he’ll be on a short leash. A couple of bad games (that are his fault or his teammates, and I must say I believe it will be the latter more than the former), and he may get replaced by one of the Checkers other two willing and able goaltenders. In what has become Madore’s true fashion, he was able to stop shot after shot.  This was particularly important in the first period, when the Barons outshot the Checkers 13-5.  Not only that, but the Checkers had an entire powerplay where they didn’t register a single shot on the Barons goalie, Yann Danis.
• After the first period and the disgustingly unbalanced SOG stats, all I could think was YIKES. As it’s been in the past month it seems, the Checkers came out a bit sluggish, but whatever was said in the room between periods seemed to work, because the second period was a drastically different pace, and one that favored Charlotte. SOG were nearly equal, and the Checkers scored two goals.  The first was from Justin Shugg, one of only two Justin’s that remains on the Charlotte roster (insert sad faces here).  Shugg’s goal was a beautiful one, coming of of a rebound while the Checkers were on their second powerplay of the game.
• The next came from Brody Sutter, younger cousin of Brett who was possibly the biggest star of the Checkers playoff run two years ago.  Brody’s goal was a slick one, a wraparound goal on the backhand. The Checkers had the lead, but it was for a very brief period of time.
• In a span of only 21 seconds late in the second period, the Barons scored two more goals. With only eight seconds left in Charlotte’s penalty kill, Mark Arcobello scored a wraparound goal, catching the visiting team off guard a bit in the midst of a line change, and there was little that could be done to prevent that Barons goal. 
• Moments later, the Barons Josh Green scored another on Rob Madore, thanks in part to some sloppy defensive play by Charlotte.
• A penalty at the whistle to end the second period and another right after it expired early in the third period would have given the Checkers nearly four straight minutes on the powerplay, but they didn’t need it.  On his first shift of the second power play,  Zach Boychuk scored, tying the game for the Checkers.  
• The remaining 17 or so minutes of regulation were scoreless for both squads, taking them to overtime.
• It only took a couple of minutes in overtime for the Checkers to end the game.  Brody Sutter’s game winning OT goal was a gorgeous deflection off of Brett Bellemore’s shot. 

Other thoughts:

• Last night, Mike Murphy was the backup to Rob Madore, and John Muse was a healthy scratch.  It was a pleasant surprise, seeing Murphy’s name on the scoresheet. Does this mean in the “goalie rankings” he’s moved up to number two? Maybe. Murph is, of course, the winning-est goaltender in Checkers history, and nobody can ever forget his stellar performance in the 2011 playoffs that saw him relieve Justin Pogge of his starting duties just a couple of games into the first round.  Charlotte went on to make it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals where they were defeated by the eventual Calder Cup winning Binghamton Senators.
• I was really impressed with Brock McGinn. Though he didn’t make it onto the score sheet, he continued to be physical and has no problem using his body at the right times to make big plays.  He appeared to be hit late in overtime, but left the ice on his own.  Here’s hoping it was nothing serious!
• Once the sluggishness of the first period was over, the Checkers played like a team I recognize.  While they seemed to slip a bit late in the second period, they generally stayed strong and physical throughout the second and third periods.  Overtime, though it was only a few minutes long, was completely controlled by Charlotte.  More play like this will result in plenty more playoff games won by the Checkers.
• Game two is tonight at 8p.m.  I will be watching, as always, from a lightbooth while working a ballet performance.  Let’s Go Checkers!

A few links to get you through game day two:

From Tend the Farm: Charlotte Beats OKC In Overtime, Takes 1-0 Series Lead

From The Charlotte Observer: Checkers rough up Barons

From Paul Branecky: Brody Sutter’s OT goal wins game 1

The Checkers star in Charlotte, defeat Texas 4-3

Tonight’s game saw two Checkers take the ice with Charlotte for the first time.  Brendon Nash, older brother of Riley, was paired for most of the game with fellow defenseman Justin Krueger. He’s on loan from San Antonio for the remainder of the season.

Brock McGinn also played his first game as a Checker after practicing with the team for the past week following the conclusion of his OHL season with the Guelph Storm.  McGinn is a speedy forward who isn’t afraid to use his body and had no trouble finding himself down in front of the net a number of times.

“I thought he was great.  He didn’t play scared and he was out there. He can skate well and was out there on the forecheck and he likes to bang bodies,” commented Coach Jeff Daniels, “He was tenacious and I think he’s only 19 years old, and that’s a very big and very good team to jump in on his first game and he played very well.”

In recent weeks, the first period of play has been slow to get started, with very little offensive effort, but tonight  the first period proved to be a big one.  A big check by Captain Brett Sutter led to a turnover by Mike Commodore.  Matt Beca capitalized on it, and made the score 1-0.

Despite being outshot 20-7 in the second period, and two goals within the first two minutes, the Checkers were able to keep it together.  Stellar play by goaltender Rob Madore played a huge part in this. He made countless saves during a Stars play and kept the Checkers in the game through a period that was quite sluggish at times, and had a slightly offensive Checkers offense.

“To his credit, I thought he really bounced back,” said Daniels on the play of Rob Madore who faced 47 shots, “I mean,  we’re up 1-0, then down 2-1, and it could have been 3-1 or 4-1 without Rob making some big saves in the second period.”

A big third period saw Jeremy Welsh score to make the score 3-2, only to have Texas immediately tie it up.  With less than two minutes left in the game, Zach Boychuk, with a feed from Chris Terry and Bobby Raymond, ended up scoring the game winner on the power play.

Bobby Raymond had two points on the night (1g,1a) and also a number of key defensive plays that kept the Checkers in the game.

Tomorrow’s rematch against the Texas Stars is the final home game for the Checkers this season before the team takes the road for their final four games in Chicago, Peoria and Milwaukee.

 

Odds & Ends

• If the playoffs started today, Charlotte would face the Houston Aeros.  Following the news that the Aeros are relocating to Iowa next season, it may be the last time Charlotte faces a team from Houston for awhile.
• In Nicolas Blanchard’s first game with the Carolina Hurricanes, he had four hits and his first fighting major at the NHL level.
• Be watching the Chasing Checkers Twitter feed and website tomorrow for a pretty special Q&A with a former Stanley Cup winner with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Frozen Four – Fun facts and which Charlotte Checkers have had NCAA success

I love the Frozen Four tournament.  When all of my friends are talking about “March Madness” my mind instantly goes to the Division I hockey teams hoping to make the post season.

On Thursday (while the Checkers take on the Texas Stars), the semi-finals will be underway in Pittsburgh, with St. Cloud State taking on top-ranked Quinnipiac, and UMass-Lowell will face Yale.  The final is on Saturday.

Half of the tournament is over already, and my NCAA team lost in the second round unfortunately, so I’m without a team to cheer for in the Frozen Four this weekend.

Sean Dolan captained the Wisconsin Badgers during his senior year of college.

This year, the Frozen Four consists of three teams who’ve never made it to the Frozen Four, and a fourth team who has only made it once.   When my team gets eliminated early in the tournament, I like to cheer for the underdog, but that’s a hard choice this year, because none of the teams have a lot of post-season success.  I can’t tell you the last time the Frozen Four didn’t include one of the NCAA powerhouses such as Sean Dolan’s Wisconsin or John Muse’s Boston College.

A few fun facts about this year’s Frozen Four:

• The mascots of the four teams include pretty regular creatures.  Two types of dogs, a cat, and a bird.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a Golden Gopher, A Fighting Sioux, or a mythical creature like a Golden Knight or Buckeye. This makes me sad.
• Yale and Quinnipiac are located on the same street in Connecticut, only eight miles away.
• St. Cloud State University has never been to a Frozen Four before this year, though the state of Minnesota has 20 players in the Frozen Four this year.
• University of Massachusetts – Lowell is also making their first-ever Frozen Four appearance. They have the fewest Canadians on their team with three, and are the only team to not have a player from the state of Minnesota.

• 

  David Marshall as a member of the Quinnipiac Bobcats.

  Quinnipiac has the most Canadians on their team with six.  This is their first Frozen Four, and only their second appearance in the post season.  In 2002, they lost in the first round to Cornell.  Charlotte Checkers forward David Marshall spent four years playing for the Quinnipiac Bobcats Connecticut.

• Yale is set to make their second Frozen Four appearance in their history.  They last made it to the Frozen Four in 1952.  Former Hurricanes player Mike Commodore was recruited by Yale, but they wanted him to re-take the SAT to be accepted.  He instead chose to attend the University of North Dakota, where he won the Frozen Four tournament in 2000.

NCAA Alumni on the Charlotte Checkers

• 

  John Muse is one of the greatest goaltender’s to ever play for Boston College.

  John Muse is undoubtedly the most successful member of the Checkers when it comes to his NCAA experience.  He won two Frozen Fours in 2008 and 2010, and appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2011 (the year, by the way, former Checker Justin Faulk’s Duluth team won the championship).  His record in the NCAA tournament was 13-1.

• Checkers center Jeremy Welsh spent three seasons at Union College.  Welsh played in two NCAA tournaments in 2011 and 2012.  Last year, Welsh was a member of the Union Dutchmen team that made the Division I Frozen Four for the first time in the team’s history.

• 

  Justin Krueger spent four years as a member of the Cornell Big Red hockey team.

  Justin Krueger and Riley Nash both played college hockey at Cornell.  The mascot of Cornell is “Big Red.”  Krueger and Nash made two NCAA hockey tournament appearances in 2009 and 2010.

• Sean Dolan was the captain of the Wisconsin Badgers during his senior season in 2010-11.  He made two NCAA tournament appearances during his college career, in 2008 and 2010.  His junior year, in 2010, his team lost to the goaltending of John Muse and Boston College for the championship.

• 

  Rob Madore played college hockey at the University of Vermont.

  Rob Madore played four seasons at the University of Vermont.  He appeared in two NCAA tournaments in 2009 and 2010.  His name is on the school’s record books alongside Tim Thomas in pretty much every stat category.

• Matt Beca played for the Clarkson University Golden Knights for four seasons.  He appeared in two NCAA tournaments in 2007 and 2008.
• Danny Biega, Checkers defenseman, played three years at Harvard.  The mascot of Harvard is “Crimson” which is VERY different from the “Big Red” of Cornell.  Harvard and Cornell are fierce rivals. I hope the Checkers players who skated for different shades of red in College can put aside those rivalries now that they are professionals!
• Eric Baier played four years for the Providence Friars. During his time there, they didn’t make the post season.

• 

  Zac Dalpe played for the the Ohio State Buckeyes for two years before turning pro.

  Zac Dalpe spent two years at Ohio State. During his freshman year, his team appeared in the NCAA tournament.

• Bobby Raymond spent four years at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  It was a Division III school his freshman year, but joined the Division I ranks his second year.  While he didn’t play in an NCAA tournament as a student, his teammates made it the year after he graduated.

As a sign at the arena last night said, “We adore Rob Madore”

On Tuesday after the Checkers win over Norfolk, Rob Madore walked out into the group of waiting media members, still wearing his pads and skates, asked us if we had a box for him to stand on.  Though he’s only 5’9”, you’d never guess it from his play on the ice.  In his five appearances during the past week, Madore has quite a record.  He’s 3-1, with a 1.50 GAA and .960 sv%.  He’s faced 173 shots, and only allowed 7 of them.

Madore sat on the sidelines for nearly a month before getting to start a game for the Checkers.  He backed up John Muse, watching the ups and downs of the Checkers.  During that time, Charlotte went 3-5, including two games which took overtime and a shootout to win.  After watching for seven games, Madore got a bit of ice time when he relieved Muse during a March 21 game at Houston.  He held his own, and didn’t allow a single goal, and was rewarded with a start two days later against Texas, which gave him his first AHL win in a 43 save performance.

Madore works hard. He’s spent four years at the University of Vermont, and practices hard.

Jeff Daniels “He competes so hard. If you watch him in practice he doesn’t quit on any shot and gets upset when any puck gets by him.  He’s prepared every game and really stepped up.”

Daniels recognized that Madore’s performance last night was definitely that of a first-star goaltender.

As far as last night’s game was concerned, Daniels had positive things to say about the goaltender.

“Rob Madore was the first star,” Daniels continued, “And the chances we did have, not that there were a lot of them, we were able to capitalize on them.”

After a couple of his games this past week, I had the opportunity to speak to Madore after his wins. And oh my, is he a funny and intelligent guy.

Last night, he faced 44 shots in his first AHL shutout.  He had a huge smile on his face, and had been awarded the well-deserved first-star honors.

“At this point in the year it’s not about personal stuff. We need wins, we need to get in the playoffs, so you know, however we get it, I’ll take it,” With a bit of a gleam in his eye, Madore continued, “Obviously, not letting any goals is fun though.”

When I asked him what his personal record was in regards to shots faced, and he said 77.

So I guess 44 is easy, right Rob?

“Yeah, 44 is an easy night,” With a huge grin on his face, Madore continued, “I actually had to have the guys spray me down with water in between breaks so it looked like I was doing something”

He also alluded to feeling like it wasn’t his best night. He knows what he needs to work on, such as giving up fewer rebounds, and plans to concentrate on that in practice. (And if that wasn’t his best night, can you imagine what awesomeness there is to come from our netminder??!?!??!?)

It’s a great feeling to have a confident, skilled goaltender between the pipes in Charlotte, and another waiting patiently in the wings if he’s needed.  The Charlotte Checkers are lucky to have such a great roster of goaltenders, and I can’t wait to see more of Rob Madore on the ice.  The sign I saw in the stands on Saturday in Charlotte says it all, “WE ADORE ROB MADORE.”

 

Let’s Go Checkers