The Charlotte Checkers snapped the Abbotsford Heat's five-game winning streak, earning a wild 5-4 victory on Saturday.
The teams traded nine even-strength goals as the host Checkers out-shot Abbotsford 39-18.
The Heat raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Chris Breen and Tyler Ruegsegger, but markers by the Checkers' Luke Pither and Brett Bellemore levelled the score.
Dustin Sylvester scored at the 13-minute mark of the second to put the Heat back in front, but Charlotte's Michal Jordan and Tim Wallace would tally before the period was up to give the hosts their first lead of the night.
Akim Aliu's first goal of the season knotted the score at 4:14 of the third, but Checkers defenceman Bob Raymond notched the game-winner just over three minutes later. Heat goalie Barry Brust stopped 34 of 39 shots in the loss, while John Muse turned aside 14 of 18 shots for Charlotte.
Roman Horak and Max Reinhart both notched two assists apiece for the Heat, while defenceman Brett Carson saw his three-game goal-scoring streak snapped.
The AHL now heads into its all-star break, and Brust and Heat captain Quintin Laing will be participating in the festivities in Providence, R.I. on Sunday and Monday.
After the game, the Abbotsford club assigned forwards David Eddy and Adam Estoclet to the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies.
The Heat (22-13-7, 51 points) lead the North Division and are third in the Western Conference. They return to action with a Thursday-Friday set at the Lake Erie Monsters.