Charlotte Checkers Took Care of the Minor Details to Defeat Hershey Bears

“I give Charlotte a lot of credit, they’re a hard team to play against, I think they executed their game plan better than ours,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson noted after the 6-3 Game 3 defeat. The Checkers swept their series to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, and in the three games, they provided a minor preview of what’s needed to win in the AHL.

Checkers Played Hershey’s Game, Only Better

The Bears dominated the AHL because they were a well-coached team that bought into Nelson’s system. Specifically, they built their offense off a strong forecheck. The forwards would chip the puck into the offensive zone and force turnovers to set up the offense. Additionally, the Bears backchecked to keep the puck in the offensive zone to maintain possession and control of the game.

The Checkers play the same way, where they forecheck and look to set up the offense. However, they forecheck with intent. They apply pressure and hunt for an open shot off the turnover, and will set up that extra pass or look for the loose puck to find the back of the net. The Checkers trailed 2-0 in Game 3, and their relentless pressure helped them crawl back into the game and take over by the end of the second period.

“You have to give them credit. The coaching staff did a great job, and they’re tough to play against, and they executed and kept to their gameplan for 60 minutes,” Nelson mentioned after the series finale. The Bears tried playing their style of hockey to turn the series around. Yet, they ran into a team that could play the same way but stuck to their assignments and came prepared.

The Florida Panthers are the team to beat in the NHL, winning the Stanley Cup last season and putting together another run this season. They’ve become an unstoppable force because of their combination of skill and overwhelming physicality. Their AHL affiliate does the same thing, and, like the Panthers, the added skill on the offensive end of the ice goes a long way. “That’s the best hockey team we faced,” Nelson added at the conclusion of the series. The Checkers are playing the right way and only improving as the playoffs go on.

Checkers Take Advantage of Mistakes

One of the keys to the Calder Cup runs for the Bears was their discipline, and when the opposition made mistakes, they’d take advantage. The Bears were the least penalized team in the Atlantic Division this season, but the Checkers, who were emulating them, were the second least penalized team in the division. The big difference was that the Bears couldn’t take advantage of their opponent’s mistakes, and the Checkers could and did in the playoffs.

The Checkers scored a power-play goal in the second period of Game 1 that tied the game and flipped the momentum as they’d score again in the third period to take a 3-2 lead and the win. Then there was the four-on-four situation where the Checkers made the most of the extra ice as Michael Benning scored the second goal of a three-goal period that turned the game around.

Then there’s the penalty kill, which is exceptional, especially in the playoffs. The Checkers are killing 92.3% of penalties and have three shorthanded goals in the playoffs. It doesn’t come by accident either. The Checkers play the blue line and dare opponents to chip and chase. “They pressure, they play their system well,” Nelson noted after Game 3. They won’t let teams enter the puck into the offensive zone, and they’ll look to create a turnover to set up an odd-man rush the other way.

It’s not just the special teams where the Checkers stand out. They capitalize on turnovers and poor puck movement from the other team. They’ll turn a lazy pass into a scoring chance the other way. It’s a mindset that’s instilled in the Checkers, where a turnover can and should become a goal the other way.

Checkers Preview the AHL’s Next Innovation

The Checkers play with speed and move the puck up the ice. It’s how they gashed the Bears on the rush multiple times in their recent series to beat an otherwise great defense. “Once they have possession, their forwards take off and they stretch out, which is tough to stop,” Nelson noted after Game 3. The AHL shifted towards slowing games down and winning with the forecheck, making a team that can turn up the pace a lethal one if they can execute.

The league tried to emulate the Bears, and many teams have, especially within their division. The Hartford Wolf Pack, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and Checkers all work off the forecheck. The next trend in hockey is adding speed and quick passes to the game as well. It’s not just what the Checkers are doing, but what the best teams in the AHL have done to compete for the Calder Cup.

The Checkers overwhelmed the Bears with speed at the end of the day to sweep the series. The Laval Rocket play fast as well, and it’s given them a 2-1 series edge over the Rochester Americans. The Texas Stars built up a 2-1 series lead because of their explosive offense. The teams that forecheck and defend will always have an edge in the playoffs. The teams that can also win with speed and pushing the puck up the ice are impossible to stop.