Charlotte Checkers drop 2nd in row to Milwaukee Admirals

The Charlotte Checkers couldn’t find a way to slow down the red-hot Milwaukee Admirals, stumbling their way to their second consecutive loss, 3-1, Saturday night at Bojangles’ Coliseum.

Milwaukee, which beat the Checkers 4-3 on Friday, jumped to a 3-0 lead midway through the second period. The Checkers were unable to muster any answers. Charlotte finally broke up rookie goaltender Juuse Saros’ shutout when Drayson Bowman scored in the final minute of regulation.

With just five healthy defensemen, coach Mark Morris turned to forward Kyle Hagel as his sixth man. Those deficiencies on the back end were exploited by a surging Admirals offense.

“We’re playing really shorthanded right now,” Morris said. “It’s really hard to find any chemistry with our back end being so nicked up. … We weren’t great defensively in the early part of the game and that happened to be the difference.”

Rookie goaltender Rasmus Tirronen made his third start of the season for Charlotte but couldn’t keep the Admirals’ attack at bay.

“His confidence is a little bit suspect right now,” Morris said. “He’s a great kid and I’m sure he’s going to continue to work to build it up so he can be a guy that can play on an everyday basis.”

While this weekend’s sweep is frustrating downturn for the Checkers, there is a sense of optimism and positivity that they can turn it around, especially from the leadership group.

“This is the most talented team that I’ve played with in my pro career and we just need to believe that,” said Hagel. “You’ve got to be positive and smart with guys and pump guys up and remind them that they’re fantastic hockey players. As a leadership group on the team, if we stay positive and keep encouraging each other, that will help with the swagger and the confidence.”

Note: It took 10 games, but the Checkers finally have their captain. Coach Mark Morris named forward Derek Ryan the fourth captain in team history. Ryan, 29, has a team-high seven goals through the first 12 games this season.

“His consistent play and positive attitude proved to me that he was worthy of being a captain for this group,” Morris said. “He’s a guy that’s serious about his job. He competes extremely hard and he’s been a winner.”

This story was originally published November 14, 2015 at 11:14 PM with the headline "Charlotte Checkers drop 2nd in row to Milwaukee Admirals."