Springfield Thunderbirds Defeat Charlotte Checkers in Game 3 to Advance in Calder Cup Playoffs

The Springfield Thunderbirds completed a remarkable playoff series comeback by defeating the Charlotte Checkers 2-1 in overtime during Game 3 of their Calder Cup First Round matchup on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Former Checkers forward Julien Gauthier scored the series-winning goal 14:50 into overtime, sending the Thunderbirds to the Atlantic Division semifinals with a 2-1 series victory. Gauthier, who tallied 27 goals for Charlotte during their 2019 Calder Cup championship season, skated up the right wing, cut to the net, and backhanded a shot that rolled past goaltender Cooper Black and dropped into the net.

The victory capped off a historic turnaround for Springfield, which became the first team in Calder Cup Playoff history to win a series after losing Game 1 by more than five goals. The Thunderbirds dropped the opener 8-1 on April 22 but responded with a 5-2 win in Game 2 on April 24 before clinching the series in overtime.

Springfield’s Game 3 comeback began at the 5:45 mark of the third period when a strong forecheck forced a turnover. Defenseman Calle Rosén sent a bouncing puck on net that eluded Black for the tying goal, making it 1-1. Despite being outshot 35-24, goaltender Georgi Romanov made 34 saves and finished the series with a .955 save percentage in his two starts, earning the win in Game 3 to improve to 2-0.

Charlotte struck first in Game 3 at 5:58 of the opening period. With the teams skating four-on-four, Jack Studnicka gathered the puck off a center-ice faceoff and skated into the offensive zone before finding a trailing Tobias Björnfot, who snapped a shot past Romanov to give the Checkers an early lead.

The Thunderbirds will now face the winner of the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy — awarded to the team with the best regular-season record in the AHL — in the Atlantic Division semifinals. Game 1 of that series is scheduled for Friday, April 26, 2026.

In the other Atlantic Division semifinal matchup, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will square off against the Hershey Bears.

This series marked the second playoff meeting between the Thunderbirds and Checkers. The two teams previously faced off in the 2022 Atlantic Division Finals, where Springfield swept Charlotte in three games en route to a Calder Cup Final appearance.

The Charlotte Checkers entered the postseason as the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, having finished the regular season with a 44-23-5-0 record. Head coach Geordie Kinnear, who served as the Thunderbirds’ first head coach from 2016 to 2020, coached Charlotte in the series.