Charlotte Checkers sweep Laval Rocket, move on to AHL’s Calder Cup Finals
Charlotte Checkers coach Geordie Kinnear watched his team fall behind 2-0 Tuesday night and saw something special unfold.
Not panic. Not surrender. Just pure championship resolve.
The Checkers erased that deficit with three unanswered goals to beat Laval 3-2 at Bojangles Coliseum, completing a four-game sweep of the AHL Eastern Conference Finals and punching their ticket to the Calder Cup Finals.
“Yeah, it was unreal,” said Jesse Puljujärvi, whose goal with 2:04 remaining sealed the series. “I haven’t felt that many times so it was really fun.”
The dramatic comeback extended Charlotte’s postseason winning streak to eight games and sets up a championship series that begins next week. The Checkers will host Games 1 and 2 against either Abbotsford or Texas, with home-ice advantage throughout.
Laval struck first when Joshua Roy’s slapshot found the net with 45.4 seconds left in the opening period. Owen Beck extended the lead to 2-0 early in the second, putting Charlotte in unfamiliar territory.
The Checkers’ response, however, was swift and decisive. Justin Sourdif cut the deficit in half on a 2-on-1 break, then MacKenzie Entwistle scored a shorthanded equalizer while Charlotte was killing a major penalty.
Riley Bezeau’s illegal check to the head had given Laval a five-minute power play, but instead of folding, the Checkers found another gear. Entwistle intercepted a pass near mid-ice and buried the tying goal, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
“We have to be heavy in the playoffs,” Puljujärvi said. “Those little details are heavy and strong with the puck and then you get some kind of goals there.”
The third period belonged to Charlotte. After killing the remainder of Laval’s major penalty, the Checkers pressed for the winner. Puljujärvi provided it when a loose puck found his stick and he fired it past Jacob Fowler for the series-clinching goal.
Charlotte’s depth has been the story of these playoffs. Will Lockwood has five points in his last four games. Bezeau scored three goals in his previous two games. John Leonard has eight points in his last seven games.
Charlotte outscored Laval 18-6 during the sweep and improved to 10-2 in the postseason. The Checkers have now won 11 of their last 12 games dating back to the second round.
This marks Charlotte’s second trip to the Calder Cup Finals, with their previous appearance resulting in the franchise’s 2019 championship. But this team carries extra motivation as the Florida Panthers’ affiliate.
The Panthers begin their Stanley Cup defense Wednesday. If both teams capture championships, it would mark the first time in 30 years that major and minor league affiliates won titles in the same season.
For Charlotte, Tuesday’s comeback was validation of everything they’ve built. Down but never out, resilient when it mattered most, clutch when the lights shone brightest.
Kinnear has guided this team through adversity before, but watching them erase a two-goal deficit in a series-clinching game might be his finest moment yet.
“We have to trust our game,” Puljujärvi said.
After Tuesday’s comeback, that trust looks like prophecy. Four wins separate the Checkers from their second championship in six years.
The Calder Cup Finals await.
This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 10:58 PM with the headline "Charlotte Checkers sweep Laval Rocket, move on to AHL’s Calder Cup Finals."