ROSEMONT, Ill. – Magnus Paajarvi scored 2 goals and Pheonix Copley stopped 23 shots as the Chicago Wolves shut down the Charlotte Checkers 3-0 Sunday afternoon on Breast Cancer Awareness Day at Allstate Arena.
Ivan Barbashev added a goal and Danny Kristo notched 2 assists for the Wolves (3-1-0-1), who moved into a share of first place in the Central Division.
Copley (1-1-0) registered his first win and first shutout in a Wolves uniform as he blanked a Charlotte squad that came in averaging 4.5 goals per game.
“When you come to a new team, you want to get off to a good start,” said Wolves head coach John Anderson. “He was really mentally prepared and made some big stops when he had to.”
The Wolves opened the scoring at 4:19 of the first as defenseman Andre Benoit launched a shot from the left point and Paajarvi tipped it underneath goaltender Drew MacIntyre’s pads. Kristo picked up his first of two assists on the play.
Chicago pushed its lead to 2-0 at 2:47 of the second on Barbashev’s wrist shot from the high slot that beat MacIntyre’s blocker. Zach O’Brien, who dished a backhand pass from the half-boards to set up the score, and Tommy Vannelli picked up assists.
Paajarvi’s second goal of the night gave the Wolves a 3-0 margin with 47 seconds left in the second. He waited inside the left faceoff circle while Pat Cannone carried the puck behind the net and found Paajarvi for a quick, top-shelf blast.
MacIntyre stopped 26 of 29 shots for Charlotte (4-3-0-0), which is in the midst of a 10-game road trip.
The Wolves continue their home stand as they welcome the Manitoba Moose to Allstate Arena next weekend at 7 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Sunday. To find the best deals on group outings or Flex Packs, visit ChicagoWolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.
WOLVES 3, CHECKERS 0
Charlotte 0 0 0 — 0
Chicago 1 2 0 — 3
First Period—1, Chicago, Paajarvi 3 (Benoit, Kristo), 4:19. Penalties—Boychuk, Charlotte (holding the stick), 6:36; Welsh, Chicago (delay of game), 14:24.
Second Period—2, Chicago, Barbashev 2 (O’Brien, Vannelli), 2:47; 3, Paajarvi 4 (Cannone, Kristo), 19:13. Penalties—Doty, Chicago (fighting), 7:27; Hagel, Charlotte (fighting), 7:27; Ryan, Charlotte (hooking), 13:00; Wohlberg, Charlotte (closing hand on puck), 14:14; Welsh, Chicago (slashing), 15:45.
Third Period—None. Penalties—Harrold, Chicago (interference), 5:19; Copley, Chicago (delay of game, served by Asuchuk), 6:41.
Shots on goal—Charlotte 7-6-10—23; Chicago 8-12-9—29. Power plays—Charlotte 0-4; Chicago 0-3. Goalies—Charlotte, MacIntyre (26-29); Chicago, Copley (23-23). Referee—Evgeny Romasko. Linesmen—Ryan Daisy and Dan Dineen.
