CHARLOTTE, N.C. -  The Springfield Thunderbirds (35-23-2-5, 77 points) climbed into a tie for third place in the Atlantic Division with the Charlotte Checkers (35-23-4-3, 77 points) with a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory on Friday night at Bojangles' Coliseum. 

The Thunderbirds had the bulk of the offensive zone time in the opening 20 minutes, including two power plays over the first 10 minutes of play, but the Charlotte penalty kill continued to flummox Springfield's dangerous power play, and the T-Birds' 10-shot first period did not result in anything on the scoresheet against J-F Berube.

Charlotte had a hard time getting much established in the Springfield end for the first 20 minutes, as they managed only three official shots on Joel Hofer for the frame. The T-Birds also foiled Charlotte's one man-advantage in the first stanza.

The goal-scoring finally got going at the 2:19 mark of period two, with Springfield's power play finally breaking the ice as Scott Perunovich found some open ice in the left circle. With a pair of defenders drifting his way, Perunovich slid a pass that glanced off Mathias Laferriere and onto the waiting stick of Matthew Highmore, who slammed it past Berube on the near post to make it a 1-0 lead for Springfield.

Just over seven minutes later, the T-Birds added to their lead at 4-on-4 as Perunovich slid a pass to Dmitri Samorukov on the left side, and the defender wristed a shot over the shoulder of Berube to extend the lead to 2-0 at 9:41 of the period.

Just like Wednesday night, however, the team trailing 2-0 clawed its way back into the game, as Charlotte got even-strength tallies from Connor Bunnaman and Anthony Bitetto in a 3:30 span to tie the score, 2-2, heading into the third.

Berube and Hofer did their jobs marvelously in the final period, as 21 combined shots (12 SPR, 9 CLT) all were turned aside by the netminders, and the second game of the week between the clubs required bonus hockey to determine a victor.

Berube did all he could to keep Charlotte alive, stoning Adam Gaudette on a clean breakaway to prolong the game. However, Highmore would put the game away at the end of a shift, sneaking in on goal and nudging a forehander between the legs of Berube to win it with his second of the night at 4:16 of overtime. Perunovich snagged his third assist of the night to have a hand in all three Springfield goals. 

With the win, the T-Birds' magic number to clinch a Calder Cup playoff berth is now 7, and the T-Birds, by way of a tiebreaker, sit in third in the Atlantic. The two squads complete a three-game set on Saturday with a 6:00 p.m. puck drop to close the season series. The winner of Saturday's game will hold sole possession of third place in the Atlantic. 

Thunderbirds fans can reserve their seats for upcoming games by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.