SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Springfield Thunderbirds (1-6-1-0) again fell victim to a second-period blitz and some poor puck luck in a 5-3 loss to the Charlotte Checkers (4-3-1-0) on Saturday night inside the MassMutual Center.

Special teams units were taxed in the opening period as the two foes combined for five power plays in the first 20 minutes. Yet despite all that man-advantage time, the T-Birds struck first at even strength when former Checker Matt Luff roared up the left-wing side and snapped a wrister past the glove of Cooper Black to make it a 1-0 score at 6:52. 

With the T-Birds trying to add to their lead on an abbreviated power play, a misplay of the puck gave Sandis Vilmanis a breakaway while shorthanded, and the second-year pro successfully slipped a forehander under the legs of Georgi Romanov to even the score, 1-1, at 11:26. Romanov and Black settled in after the goals to finish the opening 20 minutes with 11 saves each. 

Charlotte jumped to its first lead at 6:18 of the second period after a prolonged stretch in the offensive zone and a fortuitous bounce. Gracyn Sawchyn pulled up in the high slot and fired a wrister over the net that caromed off the end glass before arcing high in the air and landing just outside the crease, where Wilmer Skoog alertly poked it over Romanov to give the Checkers the 2-1 edge.

34 seconds later, Checker captain Trevor Carrick added to the visitors' momentum with a one-timer into traffic that eluded Romanov at 6:52, making it a 3-1 contest. Springfield stabilized defensively for the remainder of the period, but Black turned aside 11 T-Birds offerings to make the two-goal advantage stand up heading into the third.

Brett Chorske picked up his first goal of the season at 1:41 of the third for the Checkers, set up by Ben Steeves, and Charlotte had its largest lead of the night at 4-1.

However, the Checkers did not do themselves many favors, as back-to-back penalties gave Springfield two more advantages on the power play, and this time, the T-Birds capitalized. First, Luff threw a shot at Black's feet from the left circle. After Nikita Alexandrov's first rebound whack came up empty, Matthew Peca arrived next on the doorstep to wedge it under Black's pads to make it a 4-2 game at 2:53. 

After netting his first of the season, the captain followed suit just 3:01 later, parking himself in front of the net on another power play and deflecting a Samuel Johannesson shot past Black, cutting the Charlotte advantage down to 4-3.

Unfortunately for the T-Birds, Black would not allow Springfield to get any closer, and Vilmanis added his second goal of the night at 12:05, chipping a forehand shot over Vadim Zherenko, who had entered the game after Romanov left the contest earlier in the period with an apparent injury. 

The T-Birds complete their first 3-in-3 weekend of the season on Sunday afternoon when they visit the Bridgeport Islanders at Total Mortgage Arena, with a 3:00 p.m. puck drop scheduled.

Single-game tickets and ticket memberships for all remaining games in the Thunderbirds' 2025-26 season are available now - fans can order now by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625).