Fort Wayne Steals Overtime Win from Nailers
ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Fort Wayne Steals Overtime Win from Nailers

Published on March 1, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Wheeling Nailers vs. the Fort Wayne Komets
Wheeling Nailers vs. the Fort Wayne Komets
(Wheeling Nailers)

WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers were less than one minute away from earning their 20th home triumph of the season on Sunday afternoon, as they battled with the Fort Wayne Komets for the third time this week. However, Fort Wayne's William Dufour had other ideas, as he scored the tying goal during the final minute of regulation, then broke Wheeling's hearts with the overtime goal, as the Komets prevailed, 3-2 at WesBanco Arena. The Nailers and Adirondack Thunder both fell in overtime on Sunday, and remain tied for first place in the North Division with 68 points.

Both teams scored in the first period, while emotions began to boil over. Wheeling was first on the board at the 5:16 mark. Raivis Ansons took a pass from Mike Posma, and dangled his way through the right circle. Once he found an opening, Ansons delivered a perfect pass to the left side of the crease for a touch-in by Zach Urdahl. The Komets got their goal on the power play with 3:24 remaining. One of the defensemen for the Nailers lost his stick, which gave Matt Miller the chance to drag the puck off of the goal line from his backhand to his forehand, as he shoved a shot in from tight on the left side.

The score stayed 1-1 all the way until the 11:31 mark of the third period, when the Nailers regained the lead. Daniel Laatsch let a wrist shot go from the middle of the blueline, which was tipped in by Mike Posma. Wheeling was less than one minute away from getting a win to the finish line, but with 51 seconds left, Fort Wayne forced overtime with a tying tally. William Dufour whizzed in a wrist shot from the top of the right circle.

Nearly all of overtime was played, but at 6:11 of the extra session, the Komets earned the extra point with the winning goal. Similar to regulation, Dufour was the culprit, as he skated into the left circle, and drove a shot into the right side of the net for the 3-2 Fort Wayne victory.

Samuel Jonsson was the winning goaltender for the Komets, as he stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced. Taylor Gauthier made 29 saves on 32 shots he faced in the overtime defeat for the Nailers.

The Nailers will spend the next week in Rapid City, South Dakota, where they will play three games against the Mountain Division's Rapid City Rush. All three tilts begin at 9:05 p.m. Eastern, and will be played on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Wheeling's next home game is the annual Education Day Game on Wednesday, March 11th at 10:45 a.m. against the Reading Royals. That game is sold out. The Nailers will then play two huge home games against the Adirondack Thunder on Friday, March 13th and Saturday, March 14th. The Saturday game is Margaritaville Night, which will have a post game tropical tribute concert, specialty jerseys, and more. Individual tickets, group tickets, and more are available now by calling (304) 234-GOAL. The Wheeling Nailers, considered one of the top things to do in Wheeling, West Virginia, provide affordable family entertainment for fans throughout the Ohio Valley.

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Images from this story

Wheeling Nailers vs. the Fort Wayne Komets
Wheeling Nailers vs. the Fort Wayne Komets
   



ECHL Stories from March 1, 2026


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.

OurSports Central