Komets Spoil Wheeling's Comeback Hopes
Published on February 28, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release
Wheeling Nailers defenseman Brent Johnson (left) eyes the Fort Wayne Komets
(Wheeling Nailers)
FORT WAYNE, IN- The Wheeling Nailers battled back from a three-goal deficit against the Fort Wayne Komets on Saturday night at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Unfortunately, they didn't come away with any points for their efforts. Fort Wayne regained the lead on Matthew Brown's second goal of the contest with 6:06 left in the third period, then added an empty netter for a 6-4 victory on home ice. Emil Pieniniemi had three assists for the Nailers, who received goals from four different players.
The Komets came out firing in the first period, as they outshot Wheeling, 17-8, while taking a 3-1 lead on the scoreboard. The first goal came at the 3:10 mark, when Brady Stonehouse gathered in a pass from Nick Deakin-Poot in the right circle, and proceeded to wire shot into the right side of the cage. The Nailers had a good response to that, which included a tying tally. Ryan McAllister's long distance shot got tipped off of the left post, then kicked to the right for a tap-in by Connor Lockhart for his team-leading 18th goal of the campaign. Fort Wayne rebounded to regain the lead 3:10 later. Jalen Smereck sent Matthew Brown in behind the defense, and Brown converted the partial breakaway by chipping a shot into the left side of the twine. The Komets added to their advantage on the power play. Dru Krebs' shot missed wide, but Blake Murray gathered in the rebound and fed Alex Aleardi for the goal from the left side of the crease.
All things considered, the middle frame was a better one for the Nailers, as they held a 14-9 shots advantage. However, the lone strike went to Fort Wayne. The puck bounced into the right side of the crease, where Kirill Tyutyayev whacked away, and ultimately got one of his attempts to dribble its way inside of the left post with 3:55 left in the period.
Wheeling made a serious push in the first 11 minutes of the third period, and came all the way back to tie the score. Jack Works began the offensive outburst for the Nailers at the 3:03 mark, when he deposited the rebound of Max Graham's inital attempt. 1:52 later, Nolan Renwick tipped in a point shot by Emil Pieniniemi to trim the deficit down to one. McAllister potted the equalizer with 9:26 remaining, when he ripped a shot from the slot into the left side of the goal. Unfortunately, Wheeling wasn't able to take any points out of the match, as Brown put the Komets back into the lead, when he sifted in the rebound of Tyson Feist's shot off of a face-off for his second of the night. Matt Copponi added an empty netter in the final minute to solidify Fort Wayne's 6-4 win.
Nathaniel Day was the winning goaltender for the Komets, as he made 35 saves on 39 shots. Maxim Pavlenko surrendered five goals on 32 shots in the defeat for the Nailers.
The Nailers and Komets will make the journey back to WesBanco Arena for the weekend finale on Sunday afternoon at 4:10. That will be the annual Faith & Family Day, which will feature a post game celebration of faith with player testimonials, live music, and more. The next Big-6 Promotional Game is Margaritaville Night on Saturday, March 14th. 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.
Images from this story
 Wheeling Nailers defenseman Brent Johnson (left) eyes the Fort Wayne Komets |
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