Charlotte Checkers

The Charlotte Checkers opened their defense of the Eastern Conference championship with an 8-1 victory over the Springfield Thunderbirds in Game 1 of their best-of-three series at Bojangles Coliseum. Noah Gregor scored twice while Jack Studnicka collected four points in a record-setting playoff performance for Charlotte. The Checkers now lead the series 1-0 heading into Game 2 on Friday.