Bridgeport knocked out by Charlotte

Joey Daccord made 23 saves Monday night at Bojangles’ Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C., to end the Bridgeport Islanders’ season with a 4-0 Charlotte Checkers victory in Game 4 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals.

The Checkers, regularseason division champions, won the best-of-5 series 3-1 and advance to face the Springfield Thunderbirds in the division final.

Max McCormick scored two empty-net goals in the closing minutes to complete a hat trick and put away a game that hadn’t seen a goal since the last couple of minutes of the first period.

Cory Schneider made 30 saves for Bridgeport.

Bridgeport’s Parker Wotherspoon overskated a puck in the circle to Schneider’s left a minute into the game, leaving McCormick an open shot.

Checkers captain Zac Dalpe — who scored three goals, including the gamewinner, in Charlotte’s memorable Game 2, doubleovertime 7-6 victory on Thursday at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport — doubled Charlotte’s Game 4 lead on a breakaway with 1:39 left in the first period.

Connor Carrick set that up from the Checkers’ blue line, knocking the puck away from Bridgeport’s Simon Holmstrom, who scored two late goals Saturday in Bridgeport’s 3-2 Game 3 win.

The expanded AHL playoffs allowed the Islanders in as the Atlantic Division’s sixth seed after a strong final quarter of the season.

The Islanders won the franchise’s first playoff series in 19 years, defeating Providence twice in overtime to sweep a best-of-3 series and advance to meet Charlotte. But Bridgeport still has not reached the AHL’s playoff final eight since 2003, the team’s second season and a year after it reached the Calder Cup Final.

Game 1 of the best-of-5 Atlantic Division Final will be at Springfield, Mass., on Sunday at 3 p.m. The Thunderbirds finished a sweep of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with a wild 7-6 win over the weekend.

Bridgeport centerman Otto Koivula sat out injured for the third time in four games. Blade Jenkins made his pro playoff debut in Koivula’s place.