The series winner faces either the Laval Rocket or Rochester Americans in the conference finals.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. β The Charlotte Checkers are on the verge of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The Checkers took care of business at home against the Hershey Bears, winning the first two games of the Division Finals. Charlotte will now play up to three games in Hershey, needing only one win to make the next round.
Hershey edged Charlotte by two points in the Atlantic Division to gain homefield advantage for this series, but the Checkers have quickly forced the Bears into a corner. The Bears have won the last two Calder Cups.
Game 1 was a back-and-forth affair with Charlotte prevailing in the third period on a John Leonard goal. The Checkers were kept out of the net in Game 2 until the final five minutes, when Rasmus Asplund scored to tie the game. Asplund broke through again in overtime to give the Checkers a 2-1 win and a 2-0 series lead.
While facing a division-winner on the road in the playoffs is a daunting task, the Checkers actually fared better away from home against the Bears this season. Charlotte was 3-0-1 in Hershey during the regular season, compared to a 1-2-1 record against the Bears at home.Β
The Checkers and Bears face off at 7 p.m. at the Giant Center.
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