Americans Escape with Overtime Win in Game Five
June 4, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release
WHEELING, WV- If the 2015-16 Wheeling Nailers season is to end happily, they will have to have a duplicate performance of round three, with two straight wins on the road. The Allen Americans snapped a 2-2 tie in the series as well as a 2-2 tie in game five, when Greger Hanson put home the rebound of Nikita Jevpalovs' shot at the 17-second mark of overtime.
After a scoreless and very defensively played first period, the Nailers finally broke the deadlock with 7:44 remaining in the middle frame. Wheeling had just finished killing off a penalty, then turned things into an offensive chance. Riley Brace carried the puck in on the left side of the zone, chipping a pass ahead to Ty Loney. Loney waited in the bottom of the left circle, then dropped a pass back to Jarrett Burton, who roofed a wrist shot into the top-right corner of the cage.
Allen battled back to tie the score at the 3:33 mark of the third period, utilizing a lucky bounce. Rick Pinkston fired a shot wide from the blueline, but the end boards bounce kicked out to Chad Costello, who poked in a shot on the left side. 4:02 later, the Americans went ahead. Vincent Arseneau blocked a shot in his own zone, then got a pass from Nikita Jevpalovs, which he slid in from the left circle. With 3:57 remaining, the Nailers forced overtime with a power play strike. Mathew Maione flew a shot toward the slot from the middle of the blueline. The puck was batted down by Cody Wydo, who turned to his forehand, and buried a shot into the left side of the net.
Unfortunately for the Nailers, the final home game of the year didn't end with an exclamation point, as the Americans needed just 17 seconds to pot the winning goal. Nikita Jevpalovs took a shot from the left side, which was padded away by Franky Palazzese. However, the rebound was lifted in by Greger Hanson.
Riley Gill was the winning goalie for Allen, as he made 24 saves on 26 shots. Franky Palazzese suffered the defeat, turning aside 13 of the 16 shots he faced.
The Nailers and Americans will play game six in Allen on Thursday at 8:05, followed by game seven on Saturday at 8:05.
Download the Nailers new smartphone app presented by Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration. Available in the iTunes and Google Play Store. Use promo code "Leader" to receive 100 Nailers points.
ECHL Stories from June 4, 2016
- Americans Escape with Overtime Win in Game Five - Wheeling Nailers
- Americans Grab 3-2 Series Lead, After 3-2 Overtime Win over Wheeling - Allen Americans
- Nailers vs. Americans Game Day Snap Shot - Wheeling Nailers
- ECHL Today - June 4 - ECHL
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