Nailers at Thunder Game Day Snap Shot
February 12, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release
The Streaks Were Fun While They Lasted
The Wheeling Nailers put together a terrific five-game run, which saw them earn nine of ten possible points against the Elmira Jackals, Brampton Beast, Cincinnati Cyclones, and Reading Royals, as they posted a 4-0-1 record. Four of those five contests were decided on the road, as the Nailers are currently in the midst of a stretch in which ten of 12 games will take place away from WesBanco Arena. Unfortunately, the point streak came to an end on Saturday night, as Wheeling took one on the chin from the Royals, surrendering three goals in the first period, one in the second, and two more in the third for a 6-0 final score. Reading's win was its first in 11 games in West Virginia, and it also marked the first time the Nailers had been held off of the scoreboard in almost a full calendar year, dating back to February 21, 2015 at Toledo.
Elmira Built a Snowman
The Adirondack Thunder actually fared worse than the Nailers in their last contest, as they suffered an 8-0 throttling from the Elmira Jackals on Tuesday night at Glens Falls Civic Center. Elmira picked up a pair of even strength tallies in the opening stanza to take a 2-0 lead, before scoring one goal of each kind during the middle frame, opening up a 5-0 advantage, while putting an end to Kent Simpson's night between the pipes. Jacob DeSerres didn't provide much relief for the Thunder, as he allowed the fifth goal, in addition to three more markers in the third period, including a center ice dump-in by former Nailer Kyle Bushee. The final tally came with 5.8 seconds left, when Chris Langkow capped off the 8-0 final score. The Jackals' Guy Leoeuf led all players with a +5 rating, while Ryan Constant of Adirondack fell on the other side of the equation with a -5 rating. CJ Motte pitched the shutout with 28 saves.
Brace Yourself, Riley's Back
While most of the transactions over the past two months have involved players moving up to the American Hockey League, the Nailers did receive some exciting news earlier in the week, as forward Riley Brace has returned from the Chicago Wolves, and will be in the lineup on Friday night. Brace was on fire when Wheeling last saw him, as he lit the lamp twice on December 27th, capping off a stretch which saw him rack up five goals, five assists, and ten points in seven games, as the team went 3-3-1 around the holidays. In addition to Brace, the Nailers also received goaltender Brian Foster from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, while adding forward Andrew Ammon, who had eight goals and 12 points in 42 games between the ECHL and AHL last season. Forward Adam Krause returned to the Wheeling lineup last weekend, playing in his first two games since December 6th, while forward Connor Leen is eligible to come off of the 21-day IR as early as Sunday.
Hoping the Trip Leads Down a Path of Success
Due to their geographic location, the Nailers are one of the more fortunate teams in the ECHL, who doesn't face many prolonged road trips over the course of the season. However, with the addition of two teams in the northeast part of the country, Wheeling will experience its first stretch of at least seven days away from home since the 2012-13 season, when it played three games in Orlando. The six straight road games matches the longest run in enemy territory from last year, but that was done over the course of three different trips. For this particular journey, the Nailers will play four straight games against the East Division, taking on the Adirondack Thunder twice and Manchester Monarchs and Elmira Jackals once each. They will then conclude the voyage with their final visit of the year to Brampton, Ontario, where they will clash twice with the Beast. Following this trip, Wheeling will have ten away games remaining - all of which are against Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, Kalamazoo, Reading, and Toledo.
A Different Look This Time Around
Friday night marks the second of three head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Thunder this season, as well as the first of two battles at Glens Falls Civic Center. Wheeling is making its first ever trip to Glens Falls, as well as its first trip to New York outside of Elmira, as Adirondack serves as just the second club based out of the Empire State in the 28-year history of the ECHL. The Nailers and Thunder have taken the ice once thus far this season, as Adirondack picked up a 4-1 win at WesBanco Arena on October 30th. Since then, both rosters have undergone drastic changes, as Wheeling will dress five of the 16 skaters from that game on Friday, while the Thunder have lost five skaters and a goaltender from that previous tilt. The Nailers and Adirondack will take a quick break from each other over the weekend, before gathering again on Tuesday to conclude the three-game season series.
Wheeling Nailers (20-20-2-3, 45 Pts.) at Adirondack Thunder (27-13-2-2, 58 Pts.)
WHEELING NAILERS
(20-20-2-3, 45 PTS, 2nd North, 10th East)
129 GF, 142 GA
PP: 17.7% (31-for-175), 8th
PK: 83.3% (150-for-180), 17th
18-D-Mathew Maione (5 goals, 27 assists, 32 points in 43 games)
23-F-Riley Brace (13 goals, 17 assists, 30 points in 29 games)
11-F-Cody Wydo (12 goals, 6 assists, 18 points in 32 games)
27-D-Brett Stern (5 goals, 10 assists, 15 points in 45 games)
4-D-Paul Cianfrini (2 goals, 13 assists, 15 points in 44 games)
10-F-Chris Ciotti (5 goals, 8 assists, 13 points in 33 games)
29-G-Franky Palazzese (12-12-2 record, 3.01 GAA, .900 Sv% in 26 games)
ADIRONDACK THUNDER
(27-13-2-2, 58 PTS, 2nd East, 4th East)
123 GF, 103 GA
PP: 15.7% (27-for-172), 19th
PK: 84.5% (125-for-148), 13th
11-F-Michael Kirkpatrick (17 goals, 19 assists, 36 points in 44 games)
22-D-Ryan Constant (6 goals, 18 assists, 24 points in 43 games)
9-F-Greg Wolfe (9 goals, 13 assists, 22 points in 35 games)
34-F-Jeff Silengo (10 goals, 8 assists, 18 points in 31 games)
12-F-Louick Marcotte (8 goals, 8 assists, 16 points in 29 games)
10-F-Ryan Lomberg (7 goals, 7 assists, 14 points in 16 games)
1-G-Kent Simpson (7-4-2 record, 2.38 GAA, .926 Sv% in 13 games)
Head to Head
Season Series: Thunder 1, Nailers 0
Season Series at Glens Falls Civic Center: First Game
All-Time Series: Thunder 1, Nailers 0
All-Time Series at Glens Falls Civic Center: First Game
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