Copley gets shutout for Chicago Wolves

Magnus Paajarvi scored 2 goals and Pheonix Copley stopped 23 shots Sunday as the Chicago Wolves shut down the Charlotte Checkers 3-0 on Breast Cancer Awareness Day at the 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," Wolves coach John Anderson said of Copley. "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 2 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 lead 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 homestand as they welcome the Manitoba Moose to the Allstate Arena at 7 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Sunday.