The Charlotte Checkers defeated the Providence Bruins 5-1 on Friday night in Game 1 of the best-of-five Atlantic Division Semifinals. The Checkers took a 1-0 lead in the series held at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Charlotte established an early lead with two shorthanded goals in the first period. John Leonard scored the opening goal while shorthanded, followed quickly by another shorthanded tally from Justin Sourdif.
Oliver Wahlstrom scored the lone goal for the Providence Bruins in the first period, assisted by Riley Duran and Daniil Misyul, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
Charlotte extended their lead in the second period with a goal from Michael Benning. Ben Steeves added a goal early in the third period, and C.J. Smith sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
Providence goaltender Michael DiPietro stopped 24 of 28 shots. Charlotte goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen made 27 saves on 28 shots in the win.
The Providence Bruins power play went 0-for-3 in the contest.
The Checkers, recognized for their penalty killing and shorthanded offense during the regular season, demonstrated that capability in Game 1.
Game 2 of the AHL playoff series is scheduled for Sunday evening, May 4, in Providence. The full series schedule continues with games in Charlotte on May 7, and if necessary, May 9 and May 11.
Fans can follow the entire Calder Cup Playoff run. Details on accessing AHLTV on FloHockey are available.
