Checkers finish off Wolves in Game 5 to win Calder Cup

For a region not accustomed to springs without postseason hockey, the Wolves’ run through the AHL playoffs was greatly appreciated. It gave the hockey community a team to rally around.

A fan in a full-body wolf costume walked up an hour before Game 5 of the Calder Cup Finals on Saturday, yet found himself stuck behind hundreds of others in the security line at Allstate Arena. The cavernous venue didn’t end up being filled, but the atmosphere was easily equal to that of an NHL game.

But the game itself failed to live up to the anticipation. Against the relentless Charlotte Checkers, the Wolves’ veteran roster proved unable to counter endless waves of forechecking. A crowd of 8,535 was silenced just 91 seconds in, and the night — and the Wolves’ postseason run — ended in less-than-storybook fashion with a 5-3 loss and a championship celebration by the visiting team.

“Our team played the best that we possibly could have, to an individual,” Wolves coach Rocky Thompson said. “And that’s what I told our players. I said, ‘You shouldn’t be sad. I know it’s tough when you don’t win championships, but you shouldn’t be sad when that’s all you have. You did everything you could.’ I’m proud of that.”

Two key forwards were out for the Wolves — Daniel Carr and Stefan Matteau, the latter of whom lacerated his kidney midway through Game 4 but played through it. Thompson’s squad also had a number of other players battling through injuries.

That was too much to overcome for the Wolves against the Checkers, the Hurricanes’ affiliate that won an AHL-best 51 games and was blessed with one of the fastest, youngest lineups in the league. Entering the game, prospects aged 23 or younger had scored 52 percent of the Checkers’ playoff points against 36 percent for the Wolves.

“Bounces weren’t really going our way, but everybody battled through injuries,” said Wolves forward Cody Glass, the Golden Knights’ top prospect. “[The Checkers are] very skilled, very fast, and they have guys who, if you give them a little bit of space, can finish.”

The Checkers quickly capitalized on a sluggish start by the Wolves — a trend in the five-game series — when Aleksi Saarela found eventual playoff MVP Andrew Poturalski for the opening goal at 1:31 of the first period.

“We were on our heels,” Thompson said. “They came out really good, and we came out flat. It could’ve been a heck of a lot worse than one goal down after the first 10 minutes.”

The teams traded second-period goals. The Checkers’ Morgan Geekie slid a juicy rebound past goalie Oscar Dansk (27 saves) before the Wolves’ Brooks Macek tipped a Tomas Hyka shot past goalie Alex Nedeljkovic in the -waning seconds.

Trevor Carrick blasted a slapper from the point to restore the Checkers’ two-goal lead early in the third, but they were unable to conclude the series-clinching victory without some late dramatics.

The Wolves drew within a goal twice with Dansk pulled for an extra attacker in the last four minutes — first on a rebound tap-in by Gage Quinney, then on a shot by Glass, who finished with 15 points in 22 playoff games. Both times, the Checkers responded with empty-netters.

“I still really liked the way we played,” Thompson said. “We gave ourselves chances in every single game.”