Game Story: Queen City Outdoor Classic 2024

CHARLOTTE, NC - The Charlotte Checkers and Rochester Americans put on quite the show for 11,031 fans at Truist Field in Saturday night's Queen City Outdoor Classic in downtown Charlotte - the first-ever outdoor professional hockey game played in the city of Charlotte and just the 12th outdoor game in the American Hockey League's (AHL) history.

The 11,031 fans in attendance at the Queen City Outdoor Classic is a record for a sporting event at Truist Field.

With the game tied 2-2 entering the third period, the Checkers broke through in a big way - with talented first-round prospect forward Mackie Samoskevich breaking the deadlock and pushing the Checkers to victory.

Charlotte went on to tally three unanswered goals in the third period on their way to the 5-2 win.

Brendan Perlini added an insurance marked with 8:49 left in regulation, while Rasmus Asplund, Uvis Balinskis and Lucas Carlsson tallied goals for the Checkers. Spencer Knight was stellar between the pipes, stopping 25 of 27 to earn the win.

Linus Weissbach and Michael Mersch scored for Rochester, while Eric Comrie stopped 32 of 36 for the Amerks in the loss.

GAME STORY

It was a bit of a feeling out process for both teams in the opening half of the period, as the team's adjusted to the conditions of the outdoor rink at Truist Field.

Each team had a power play chance early, but neither team was able to convert.

The choppy ice conditions led to some mini-breakaway chances, notably for Rochester, but Knight came out and challenged Kale Clague on one of the Americans' breakaway chances and kept the game scoreless.

The Checkers began to tilt the ice in their favor in the second half of the opening period, getting some consistent pressure and offensive chances. Fortunately for the Americans, Comrie was on top of his game in the first frame similar to his counterpart in net to keep the game scoreless into the final five minutes of the first frame.

That's when Rochester was able to break through and open the scoring to take a 1-0 lead.

Lukas Rousek was able to create a turnover on a forecheck, with Clague picking up the puck and quickly dishing a cross-ice pass to Weissbach atop the right wing circle for a quick one-timer past Knight with 4:48 left before the first intermission.

The goals started to come in the middle frame, as the Checkers were able to convert on a carryover power play 1:03 into the period to tie the game up at 1-1.

The play started with a good keep-in at the right point by Asplund, and then a good hustle effort along the left-wing wall by Justin Sourdif to keep the Checkers' power play in the offensive zone and on the attack. Wilmer Skoog got to the loose puck, and fed Asplund for a quick one-timer past Comrie to even the game.

The score didn't remain tied for long, as Rochester was able to re-take the lead just 54 seconds after Asplund's game-tying goal.

Mersch, the Amerks' captain, stole a puck on a forecheck during a Checkers' attempted breakout play and quickly got it to the right wing for Jiri Kulich before Kulich returned the puck on a centering feed that Mersch was able to bang home for his fifth of the season.

Charlotte, with the home crowd of 10,731 behind them, started to generate offensive pressure near the midway mark of regulation before later being rewarded on a loose puck scramble that resulted in a rebound goal from the right-wing circle by Balinskis to tie the game at 2-2 with 7:41 left before the second intermission.

Brendan Perlini and Jake Wise went to the net and were hacking and whacking, looking for a rebound before the puck darted into the right-wing where Balinskis was in the right place at the right time - putting a puck past an out-stretched Comrie to even things back up.

Similar to Friday night's back-and-forth game at Bojangles Coliseum between these two teams, it was another battle between the Checkers and Americans Saturday night at Truist Field as the 2-2 deadlock remained heading to the third period.

The Checkers, who had a decided edge in shots on goal through 40 minutes at a 26-15 count - including a 10-4 edge in the middle frame - got a go-ahead goal to begin the third period from Samoskevich on a great individual effort in the offensive zone.

On a rush up-ice following a faceoff win in the Checkers' defensive zone, Samoskevich was able to pick up the puck in the offensive zone and used good edge-work to elude Amerks defenders and create enough time and space for himself to get a shot to go off the far-side post and in past Comrie to give Charlotte their first lead of the night.

Charlotte got a power play opportunity directly following Samoskevich's goal, but credit actually went to Knight who stopped a shorthanded breakaway to keep the Checkers ahead 3-2 early in the third frame.

Perlini put the proverbial dagger in Rochester with 8:49 left, finishing off a spectacular feed from Sourdif for his second assist on the night to put Charlotte ahead 4-2.

Rochester Americans Lineup Notes

Eric Comrie got the start in net for the Americans Saturday night. Dustin Tokarski served as the team's backup goaltender.

Americans Scratches: Devin Cooley, Graham Slaggert, Zach Metsa, Aleksander Kisakov, Nikita Novikov, Viktor Neuchev and Damien Giroux

Lines/Pairings:

Linus Weissbach - Brandon Biro - Lukas Rousek Jiri Kulich - Tyson Jost - Isak Rosen Brett Murray - Mason Jobst - Michael Mersch Justin Richards - Tyson Kozak - Brendan Warren

Jacob Bryson - Ethan Prow Jeremy Davies - Joseph Cecconi Riley Stillman - Kale Clague

Eric Comrie (Backup: Dustin Tokarski)

Charlotte Checkers Lineup Notes

Spencer Knight got the start in net for the Checkers Saturday night. Ludovic Waeber served as the team's backup goaltender.

Ryan McAllister took the warmup skate, but was the team's final healthy scratch.

Checkers Scratches: Mack Guzda, Calle Sjalin, Mark Senden, Alexander True, Dennis Cesana, Ryan McAllister, Evan Nause and Cam Morrision

Lines/Pairings:

Patrick Khodorenko - Rasmus Asplund - Zac Dalpe Wilmer Skoog - Justin Sourdif - Mackie Samoskevich Brendan Perlini - Jake Wise - Gerry Mayhew Patrick Giles - Skylar Brind'Amour - Riley Bezeau

Uvis Balinskis - Casey Fitzgerald Lucas Carlsson - Mike Benning Matt Kiersted - Santtu Kinnunen

Spencer Knight (Backup: Ludovic Waeber)

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

6:44: CHA - (PP) Benning, minor (hooking) 9:18: ROC - (PP) Stillman, minor (tripping) 15:12: ROC - Weissbach (5) - Clague, Rousek 19:26: ROC - (PP) Stillman, minor (high-sticking)

2nd Period

1:03: CHA - PPG Asplund (4) - Skoog, Sourdif 1:57: ROC - Mersch (5) - Kulich 12:09: CHA - Balinskis (2) - Wise, Perlini

3rd Period

1:16: CHA - Samoskevich (10) - unassisted 1:29: ROC - (PP) Kulich, minor (hooking) 11:11: CHA - Perlini (9) - Sourdif, Fitzgerald 16:52: CHA - ENG Carlsson (11) - Kiersted, Giles 19:58: CHA - Kiersted, major (fighting) 19:58: ROC - Richards, major (fighting)

BOXSCORE

Rochester   1 - 1 - 0 = 2 Charlotte    0 - 2 - 3 = 5

Shots

Rochester   11 - 4 - 12 = 27 Charlotte    16 - 10 - 11 = 37

Goalies

ROC: Eric Comrie (32 saves - 36 shots) CHA: Spencer Knight (25 saves - 27 shots)

Power Play

ROC: 0-for-1 CHA: 1-for-3

Penalty Kill

ROC: 2-for-3 CHA: 1-for-1

Post-Game EXTRA!

Post-game thoughts from Charlotte Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear and forwards Brendan Perlini and Mackie Samoskevich.