Joey Daccord made 23 saves and Max McCormick scored his first three career postseason goals, sending the Charlotte Checkers into the next round with a 4-0 win over Bridgeport on Monday night.
The Checkers won the best-of-five Atlantic Division semifinal series, three games to one, and will now take on Springfield beginning Sunday afternoon.
Daccord (3-1) finished third in the AHL during the regular season with a .925 save percentage, but this was his first shutout since Jan. 11, 2020.
McCormick opened the scoring just 1:01 into the contest, jumping on a misplayed puck in the Islanders zone and sending a quick shot past Cory Schneider for the first playoff goal of his eight-year pro career.
Zac Dalpe made it 2-0 with 1:39 left in the first period, getting behind the Bridgeport defense and converting on a breakaway for his fifth goal of the series.
Daccord helped preserve the lead with 10 stops in the final period, and McCormick scored a pair of empty-net goals to close out the scoring and secure his second career hat trick.
Schneider (3-2) stopped 30 of 32 shots in net for the Islanders.
Atlantic Division Semifinals – Series “H” (best-of-5)
A1-Charlotte Checkers vs. A6-Bridgeport Islanders
Game 1 – Tue., May 10 – Charlotte 3, BRIDGEPORT 2
Game 2 – Thu., May 12 – Charlotte 7, BRIDGEPORT 6 (2OT)
Game 3 – Sat., May 14 – Bridgeport 3, CHARLOTTE 2
Game 4 – Mon., May 16 – CHARLOTTE 4, Bridgeport 0