Former Checker Julien Gauthier scored 14:50 into overtime to send the Springfield Thunderbirds past Charlotte and into the Atlantic Division semifinals with a 2-1 victory in a decisive Game 3 at Bojangles Coliseum on Saturday evening.
Springfield will meet the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy winner Providence in the next round. Game 1 of that series is set for Friday.
Gauthier, a 27-goal scorer on the Checkers’ Calder Cup championship team in 2019, skated up the right wing, cut to the net and backhanded a shot that rolled up the back of goaltender Cooper Black and dropped into the net.
After losing the opening game 8-1 and falling behind 2-1 in Game 2, Springfield scored six of the final seven goals in the series. The Thunderbirds are the first team in Calder Cup Playoff history to win a series after losing Game 1 by more than five goals.
Their Game 3 comeback started at the 5:45 mark of the third period, when a strong forecheck forced a turnover and Calle Rosén sent a bouncing puck on net that eluded Black for the tying goal.
Springfield was outshot 35-24 for the game, but got 34 saves from Georgi Romanov. Romanov (2-0) finished with a .955 save percentage in his two starts in the series.
Charlotte scored first for the third straight game at 5:58 of the opening period. With the teams skating four-on-four, Jack Studnicka gathered the puck off a center-ice faceoff and skated into the offensive zone. He found a trailing Tobias Björnfot, who snapped a shot past Romanov.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey will square off in the other Atlantic Division semifinal series.
(Springfield wins series, 2-1)
Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 22 – CHARLOTTE 8, Springfield 1
Game 2 – Fri., Apr. 24 – Springfield 5, CHARLOTTE 2
Game 3 – Sat., Apr. 25 – Springfield 2, CHARLOTTE 1 (OT)