The Charlotte Checkers have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in the Calder Cup Playoffs after sweeping the Hershey Bears, ending the series with a 6-3 win. According to WCNC, in the final game, Charlotte came back from a 2-0 deficit by scoring five unanswered goals.
Brett Chorske, Michael Benning, John Leonard, Will Lockwood, Kyle Criscuolo, and Rasmus Asplund each scored in the win. As reported by the Charlotte Checkers' official website, Chorske began the comeback in the second period, and Leonard scored the go-ahead goal. Despite Hershey securing home-ice advantage by two points, Charlotte had a better regular-season record on the road against Hershey, going 3-0-1.
As noted on The AHL’s news page, Asplund, Chorske, Lockwood, and Criscuolo each recorded a goal and an assist. Leonard scored his third playoff goal, and Asplund added an empty-net goal to finish the game. Goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen made 23 saves.
Charlotte ended Hershey’s attempt at a third straight Calder Cup title and will face either Laval or Rochester in the Eastern Conference Finals. This is Charlotte's second trip to the conference finals, the first since winning the Calder Cup in 2019.
