Forward Gracyn Sawchyn broke a 2-2 tie midway through the third period, and the Charlotte Checkers beat the Springfield Thunderbirds 3-2 Friday night at Bojangles Coliseum for their fourth straight win.
Matvei Shuravin, a rookie defenseman, scored his first American Hockey League goal and assisted on the winner. The Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, are 5-2 and unbeaten in three home games.
Springfield ended Charlotte's season in the first round of the playoffs last April at Bojangles Coliseum. On Friday, a hit by Sawchyn on Springfield center T.J. Tynan late in the second period set off a scrum at center ice, and Springfield's Quinton Burns and Charlotte's Robert Mastrosimone each drew a misconduct, a 10-minute penalty.
"It's the way the game should be played," Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear said after the game. He added, "You saw some scrums, not a lot of space."
Charlotte outshot Springfield 17-4 in a scoreless first period and 34-19 for the game. Springfield went ahead at 2:23 of the second on a goal by defenseman Michael Buchinger.
Shuravin tied it at 8:31, joining a three-on-two rush, three attackers against two defenders, as the trailing skater and shooting the puck between Springfield goalie Georgii Romanov's legs. Shuravin was a third-round draft pick of the Panthers in 2024 and had played in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League.
Forward Nate Smith put Charlotte ahead 2-1 at 3:54 of the third with a backhand into the top of the net, and Springfield's Simon Robertsson tied it 33 seconds later. Sawchyn scored the winner at 9:50, picking up a loose puck near the left post and getting it around Romanov, who was down on the ice. Charlotte center Brett Chorske had two assists.
Charlotte goalie Kirill Gerasimyuk made 17 saves and is 3-0 this season. Romanov made 31.
Sam Lafferty, a forward who the club says has played nearly 400 NHL games, had an assist in his first game for Charlotte. "He's all business, all pro," Kinnear said.
Asked about defenseman Tobias Bjornfot, Kinnear said he "got hurt, you know, on the big hit there" and added, "hopefully it's a short term."
The teams play again at Bojangles Coliseum at 6 p.m. Saturday.
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