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Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Beast Game Day Snap Shot

November 28, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Defense Does the Trick

The Wheeling Nailers have utilized their offense for the majority of their wins in 2015-16, scoring at least four goals in eight of their ten victories. However, on Wednesday night, it was the defense's turn to shine, as Wheeling took the ice against the Reading Royals. After a scoreless opening period, Zack Torquato broke the deadlock with an unassisted goal at the 2:59 mark of the middle frame. The tally was Torquato's seventh in 11 games, after missing the beginning of the season due to offseason surgery. Franky Palazzese made that goal stand up, stopping all 28 shots he faced, including a pair of breakaways by Matt Hatch. The shutout was Palazzese's second of the year, and the win was his fifth in a row.

Toledo Tops Them Again

The Brampton Beast earned their first victory of the season on November 1st, ending a season-opening six-game winless streak, as they defeated the Toledo Walleye, 5-2 at Powerade Centre. Since the start of the month, Brampton has compiled a 6-3-0 record, bringing itself within two games of .500, with a 6-8-1 overall mark. Two of those defeats have come to the Walleye on consecutive Fridays, as Toledo got the upper hand, 3-2 in Canada last week, and was once again victorious on Black Friday, taking down the Beast, 4-1, in Brampton's first ever visit to Huntington Center. Chris Auger opened the scoring for the Beast, before the Walleye rallied with four straight goals by four different players. Sean Bonar made 28 saves in his Brampton debut.

This Army Just Got Stronger

When the Nailers take the ice on Saturday night, they will do so with two players in the lineup that they didn't have in Wednesday night's win. Derek Army was returned to Wheeling from the AHL's Portland Pirates, after appearing in four games. Portland was 3-1-0 with Army in the lineup, as the second-year forward produced five shots on goal. Prior to his stint in the AHL, Derek had three goals, eight assists, and 11 points in 11 games with the Nailers. In a separate move, Wheeling also received forward Matia Marcantuoni from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Last year, Marcantuoni spent 11 games with the Nailers, piling up four goals, six assists, and ten points, including a hat trick in his first contest. Thus far this season, Matia has three points in five games with the AHL Penguins.

Welcome Back to the Continent, Luke

Fans may recognize a familiar name on the opposing roster for Saturday's game, as former Nailer Luke Pither is now a member of the Beast. Pither spent 24 games with Wheeling during the 2012-13 season, recording nearly a point per game, as he amassed nine goals, 13 assists, and 22 points in 24 contests. Following the conclusion of the NHL's lockout, Luke spent the remainder of that campaign with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers, tacking on 18 more points in 23 tilts. Since then, the Oshawa, Ontario native has played two seasons in Europe, appearing in 20 games for KalPa in Finland's SM-liiga in 2013-14, before suiting up in 48 games for Klagenfurt AC in Austria last year. Pither has picked up two goals and seven points in ten games with Brampton thus far in 2015-16.

First of Four Straight Here

Saturday night marks the third of nine head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Beast this season, as well as the second of five battles scheduled to take place at WesBanco Arena. In late October, the two North Division rivals locked up for a home-and-home series, which was swept by Wheeling, 5-1 and 4-3. The Nailers never trailed that weekend, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in their home opener on the 24th, before skating out to 2-0 and 4-2 advantages on the 25th. Derek Army earned ECHL Player of the Week honors for his performance in the set, notching six points. Army has 13 points in six career games against Brampton. Franky Palazzese and Brian Foster both won once in goal, defeating Edward Pasquale, who is currently with the AHL's St. John's IceCaps. New Year's Eve will be the next clash between the Nailers and Beast, who will face each other six times in a 52-day stretch.

Download the Nailers new smartphone app presented by Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration. Available in theiTunes and Google Play Store. Use promo code "Leader" to receive 100 Nailers points.

In addition to Nailers Rewards, the app also includes:

Notifications and Alerts

News Feed containing team news, photos & videos

Interact Feed containing Nailers posts on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram

Team Summary

Roster

Team Stats and League Standings

View Schedule & Buy Tickets

Venue Information (Map, Directions, Parking, and Seating Chart) Individual tickets, mini plans, and group tickets are on sale now, with prices starting as low as $10 per seat. For tickets and more information, call the Nailers at (304) 234-GOAL or online at wheelingnailers.com.

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Wheeling Nailers (10-6-1-0, 21 Pts.) vs. Brampton Beast (6-8-1-0, 13 Pts.)

WHEELING NAILERS

(10-6-1-0, 21 PTS, 1st North, 3rd East)

55 GF, 48 GA

PP: 15.6% (12-for-77), 18th

PK: 81.8% (54-for-66), 20th

23-F-Riley Brace (8 goals, 10 assists, 18 points in 17 games)

20-F-Jarrett Burton (8 goals, 9 assists, 17 points in 17 games)

21-F-Sahir Gill (3 goals, 10 assists, 13 points in 16 games)

25-F-John McCarron (3 goals, 9 assists, 12 points in 17 games)

16-F-Derek Army (3 goals, 8 assists, 11 points in 10 games)

27-D-Brett Stern (3 goals, 7 assists, 10 points in 17 games)

31-G-Brian Foster (3-4-1 record, 2.88 GAA, .909 Sv% in 8 games)

BRAMPTON BEAST

(6-8-1-0, 13 PTS, 4th North, 13th East)

41 GF, 46 GA

PP: 19.3% (11-for-57), 9th

PK: 85.7% (54-for-63), 7th

22-F-Brandon Marino (6 goals, 12 assists, 18 points in 15 games)

5-D-Jeremie Blain (1 goal, 10 assists, 11 points in 15 games)

6-D-Mathew Maione (4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points in 15 games)

11-F-Luke Pither (2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points in 10 games)

18-D-Mike Vernace (1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points in 10 games)

16-F-Chris Auger (3 goals, 1 assist, 4 points in 11 games)

34-G-Sean Bonar (0-1-0 record, 3.13 GAA, .903 Sv% in 1 game)

Head to Head

Season Series: Nailers 2, Beast 0

Season Series at WesBanco Arena, Nailers 1, Beast 0

All-Time Series: Nailers 5, Beast 1

All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 1, Beast 0

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

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ECHL Stories from November 28, 2015


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