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ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Battle in the Burgh

November 16, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Wheeling, WV - The Wheeling Nailers are bringing professional hockey to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, November 17 when they host the Johnstown Chiefs.  The game will be played at Iceoplex in Southpointe, and will mark the 12th Anniversary of the first ever game played between Wheeling and Johnstown.

The Nailers have faced the Johnstown Chiefs twice already this year, one preseason match and

one regular season.  The first meeting was played on Johnstown's side of Pittsburgh at the Hamarville Blade Runners, the Nailers won the game 3-1.  The second time the two teams faced off was on October 23rd at Johnstown, the Chiefs won that game 4-3.  The teams face-off seven more times this season, beginning with the November 17th at the Iceoplex in Southpointe, PA.  If the Nailers win they will win the Battle for the Burgh, after having won the first game in Hamarville on the Eastern side of Pittsburgh.

The Wheeling Nailers are the proud ECHL "AA" affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins and have been for several seasons.  The Penguins place some of their draft picks with the Nailers as they hone their skills and advance to the NHL with Pittsburgh.  Wheeling is located less than an hour away from downtown Pittsburgh, just off I-70.  The close proximity between the teams has allowed both sides to take advantage of the affiliation.  The Penguins staff can see their draft picks frequently and the Nailers have been aided with their presence in the community.

Players that hope to help the Nailers finish off Johnstown in the Pittsburgh rivalry, are guys like Penguins contracted goalie Dany Sabourin, who leads the ECHL with a 0.91 goals against average and a .970 save percentage.  Sabourin was voted ECHL goalie of the week for the last two consecutive weeks, October 25-31 and November 1-7.  Dany appeared in four games with the Stanley Cup Runner-Up Calgary Flames.  Another player who has been playing tough defensive hockey and is contracted by the Penguins is Pittsburgh native Cliff Loya, who has two assists and 13 penalty minutes in six games.  Quickly becoming a fan favorite is another Penguins contracted player, Pascal Morency who has racked up 41 penalty minutes in six games, which moved him into fifth in league for penalties.  These are just a few players that are Penguins property and playing for the Nailers, who hope to beat the Chiefs for the title of Pittsburgh champions.

History of the Wheeling/Johnstown Rivalry

In November 1992 the Wheeling Thunderbirds hosted the Johnstown Chiefs at the Wheeling Civic Center.  Wheeling won the game 3-2 and one of the best and longest rivalries in the ECHL began.  Both franchises were part of the original five franchises that took the ice in the first ECHL season in 1988-89.  In 1992, the Carolina Thunderbirds eventually became the current Wheeling Nailers while the Johnstown Chiefs have played in the same city since its inception.

No two franchises have played each other more in the first 16 years of the ECHL than the Wheeling and Johnstown franchises.  Counting the one game already played in this, the 17th season of the ECHL, the two franchises have played 138 games against each other.  The Wheeling franchise has posted a 75-48-15 record all-time against Johnstown since 1988, and 57-37-13 since the rivalry has been between the cities of Wheeling and Johnstown.

In the first 16 years of each franchise, both have advanced to the playoffs 10 times.  In those playoff seasons for both teams, they have only met twice in the postseason.  In 1989 the Carolina Thunderbirds beat Johnstown for the Riley Cup in seven games.  The first and only meeting between Wheeling and Johnstown in the post season was in the 1993 Riley Cup Playoffs quarter finals.  The Wheeling Thunderbirds beat Johnstown three games to one.  The Nailers and the Chiefs have both appeared in the same post season once, last years Kelly Cup Playoffs, but have never met after the regular season.

The two franchises have combined to send 44 players to the NHL during their existence.  The two teams share one player that played for both franchises before making his NHL debut, Marquis Mathieu.  Within the ECHL, the Wheeling Franchise has the highest total of former players to reach the NHL with 25 and Johnstown is third with 20.  Those that were on an NHL roster last season that also played in Wheeling are David Aebischer(2001 Stanley Cup Champion with Colorado), Tomas Vokoun(Nashville, 2004 NHL All-Star), Martin Brochu(Pittsburgh), Andy Chiodo(Pittsburgh), Scott Ferguson(Edmonton), Marc Lamothe(Detroit), Darcy Verot(Washington) and Francis Bouillon(Montreal).  Brochu and Chiodo played in both Wheeling and Pittsburgh last season.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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