WATERLOO — Steven Lorentz was on edge.

The Charlotte Checkers were on the brink of capturing the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup and, due to an injury, the Waterloo native was forced to watch the game from a video room at Chicago’s Allstate Arena this past Saturday.

“It was nerve-racking,” he said. “I was so anxious. I just wanted the game to end.”

But the hometown Wolves, who trailed the best-of-seven series 3-1, were resilient. The Checkers had a two-goal lead three times, but the pack kept chipping away until the visitors iced the victory — and the series — with an empty-net goal with 16 seconds to go.

“Once we got that last one it was a big sigh of relief,” said Lorentz. “That’s when the party started.”

Lorentz and the rest of the scratches were already in uniform when they bolted onto the ice to celebrate the franchise’s first ever Cup win.

The run, which also saw the Checkers dispatch the Providence Bruins, Hershey Bears and Toronto Marlies, was an emotional journey for the 23-year-old, who started the season with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades before earning a promotion.

The Waterloo Wolves minor hockey product waited patiently as the veterans all took turns carrying the Cup before teammate Morgan Geekie passed him the AHL’s Holy Grail, which has been dished out since 1936.

“It was a little heavier than I thought it was going to be,” said Lorentz, who’s Waterloo girlfriend, Erin Markle, was in the stands cheering him on. “I threw it up there pretty quickly and gave it a kiss.”

Back home in Waterloo Region, proud parents Mark and Karon, sisters Jennifer, Jamie and Stephanie and several friends watched the action on a live stream.

“I was just staring at the trophy,” said Lorentz, of that magic moment. “It’s not the Stanley Cup, but it takes the same amount of games. You work your whole life and that’s the highest trophy I can win (right now).”

It was a memorable second pro campaign for the Carolina Hurricanes prospect, who played his junior hockey with the Peterborough Petes.

Lorentz made the most of a mid-season call-up to the Checkers, by collecting nine points in 29 games. He added another five points in a dozen playoff games, before a neck injury sustained in Game 2 of the final pushed him to the sidelines.

“There is so much you learn along the way about yourself and the team,” he said. “The biggest thing is how to win. It takes so much.”

The postgame celebration is a bit of a blur, but there are moments that stick out.

“I don’t think it really hit me until I brought the Cup down and passed it off,” he said. “I sat back and relished it after I watched the next few guys go. That next half an hour from the buzzer sounding to being in the room … is something I’ve never done before and it’s something I’ll never forget.”

And the good times aren’t over.

Every member of the Checkers gets to spend a day with Calder Cup later this summer. Lorentz, who got back to town Wednesday, is still planning his 24-hour tour.

For now, it’s time to visit family and friends and heal his wounds. In a few weeks, he’ll join fellow local hockey pros such as Logan Stanley, Kyle Wood and Nathan Bastian and ramp up his off-season training.

Next season, a repeat performance in Charlotte would be sweet. A Stanley Cup with the ‘Canes would be even sweeter.

“Let’s hope so,” he said. “That’s the next goal.”