CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (9-11-3-2) picked up a season-best fourth straight win on the road, dispatching the Charlotte Checkers (14-9-2-0) by a 3-1 score on Saturday inside Bojangles Coliseum.

Getting his second straight start in the Springfield net, Vadim Zherenko picked up right where he left off from his Wednesday victory in Allentown, denying a dozen Charlotte shots in the opening period and aiding the T-Birds' top-ranked penalty kill through an early man-down situation. His best work of the period came when he slid from left to right before snatching a Jack Devine shot ticketed for the low glove-side corner.

At the other end, rookie Kirill Gerasimyuk was not overly busy in the Charlotte net, but he answered an early test with flying colors as he turned aside a Matthew Peca shorthanded breakaway on Springfield's first shot of the night. 

The Checkers' first period push finally had a payoff 2:55 into the second period as rookie Hunter St. Martin cashed in on a rebound off the outside of the net after Gracyn Sawchyn held onto the puck to pull Zherenko outside of his crease.

Despite allowing the first goal, the T-Birds did not fade, and instead, Steve Konowalchuk's team carried the play for much of the remainder of the middle stanza. The Springfield power play seemed to let a trio of chances fade away, including a 56-second 5-on-3 advantage, but even still, the T-Birds refused to waver. Their efforts finally provided results at 16:29 when Simon Robertsson connected on a hit at the offensive blue line to prevent a Charlotte clear. Hugh McGing pounced on the loose puck and spotted Dylan Peterson moving near the goal mouth, and Peterson flipped a forehander under the crossbar to tie the game, 1-1, to conclude the 21-shot barrage from the Springfield attack in period two. 

Springfield's top-rated penalty kill was given a stern test in the final period when Peterson was guilty of a four-minute high-sticking penalty, but with their confidence soaring, the four-man unit did its job to survive the four-minute threat.

Just over a minute after restoring 5-on-5 hockey, the T-Birds earned a dash of luck for the game-winning tally. Peca rattled a puck around the offensive zone on a simple dump-in attempt. Gerasimyuk exited his crease just as the puck took a crazy carom off the corner wall into the slot area. Matt Luff found himself in the perfect spot to blast it into the yawning net to give the T-Birds the 2-1 lead with just 6:23 remaining. The veteran winger's team-leading eighth of the season would end up standing as his second game-winner of the year.

The tightrope act continued as the Checkers, with the net empty, threw everything at Zherenko in a stretch of nearly two minutes in the offensive zone. When the dust settled, the Springfield netminder had fended off 10 third-period offerings, and when Peterson hit an empty net in the closing seconds, the T-Birds goalie had his third consecutive win. In that time frame, Zherenko has stopped 97 of the 100 shots he has faced. 

The T-Birds look for a sweep of the weekend and a perfect 5-0 road trip as they complete the back-to-back set on Sunday with another 4:00 puck drop against the Checkers at Bojangles Coliseum. 

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).