ECHL Wheeling Nailers

DeFazio's Late Goal Spoils Walleye Rally

March 31, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


WHEELING, WV - Brandon DeFazio scored twice, including the game winning goal with 2:51 remaining to lift the Wheeling Nailers to a dramatic 5-4 victory over the Toledo Walleye at WesBanco Arena Thursday evening. With the win, the Nailers reclaim the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Nailers raced out to a commanding first period lead. Mikael Bedard started the scoring breaking into the zone on the wing, and with a quick release fired a wrist shot through the legs of Toledo netminder Joe Palmer to give his club the 1-0 lead. Brandon DeFazio made it 2-0, as he swung the puck from behind the net to the top of the crease and banked a shot off the body of Palmer and into the net for the goal at 13:17.

In the final minute of the first, Toledo iced the puck while on the power play, bringing the faceoff in the Nailers offensive zone. Wheeling won the draw and Joey Haddad fired a shot off the pads of Palmer. The rebound was knocked into the net by Tyler Murovich to extend the Nailers lead to 3-0 at the end of the first period. The shorthanded goal was the eighth of the season for Wheeling.

Wheeling kept things going into the second, receiving a power play marker from Kyle Bushee. Bushee rifled a shot past Palmer to give the Nailers a 4-0 lead. The goal was the third in the last four games for Bushee.

Despite the deficit, Toledo refused to let their postseason hopes diminish. Sebastien Piche opened up a furious rally by the Walleye scoring his 11th goal of the season at 13:39 of the second. With 14 seconds remaining in the period, Mike Hedden took off on a breakaway and deked the puck through the five-hole of Nailers goaltender Patrick Killeen to pull Toledo within two after 40 minutes played.

In the third, Toledo kept on fighting, as captain Randy Rowe scored at 7:21 of the period to pull the score to 4-3. Nearly six minutes later, Toledo's leading scorer Andy Bohmbach banked the puck of the skate of Killeen and into the net, to tie the game at four.

With 2:51 remaining in regulation, Wheeling's Brandon DeFazio swung the puck in front of the net, and fired a shot top shelf past Palmer to reclaim the lead 5-4. Toledo buzzed around the net the rest of the way out, including a scramble in the crease as time expired, but Killeen would make the saves to secure the 5-4 victory for Wheeling.

With the loss, Toledo is eliminated from postseason contention, while Cincinnati and Elmira both clinch spots in the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Nailers (79 points) jump back to fourth in the conference, one point ahead of the Florida Everblades (78 points) who battle South Carolina (76 points) tomorrow. If Florida wins tomorrow, then the Nailers and the Everblades will meet in the first round. Should that happen, both teams would still need to earn points on Saturday to secure the home ice advantage for the first round series.

Upcoming Home Schedule:

On Saturday April 2, the Nailers will wrap up their 2010-11 regular season against the Toeldo Walleye. It is Fan Appreciation Night with prizes being given away throughout the night. The game is also NFL Lockout Lallapalooza, fans may receive $5 off admission by wearing an NFL Jersey to the game. Game time is set for 7:35pm. Fans my purchase tickets to both games for just $25.

For Tickets:

Playoff ticket packages are currently on sale! Packages start at $84!

You may receive discounted tickets rates by participating in one of our group ticket packages. Call the Nailers office at (304) 234-GOAL, or (304) 234-4625 to speak to a ticket representative.

Individual tickets are on sale now through The Wheeling Nailers Office, Ticketmaster and the WesBanco Arena Box Office. Office hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. For Weekend game days, the office opens four hours before game time. For more information on ticket packages call the Nailers at 304-234-GOAL or online at www.wheelingnailers.com.

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics



ECHL Stories from March 31, 2011


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