ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Marcantuoni Nets Three, But Nailers Fall Short

November 7, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


EVANSVILLE, IN- Matia Marcantuoni made an incredible first impression in his Wheeling Nailers debut, netting a hat trick on Friday night at Ford Center in Evansville. Unfortunately for the Nailers, Myles Bell of the IceMen also netted a hat trick, and his club came out on top, 6-3, thanks as well to 39 saves by Chris Driedger.

The Nailers launched themselves out of the gates, picking up the game's first ten shots, with one finding the back of the net. Riley Brace tipped the puck up the left side, springing Matia Marcantuoni into the offensive zone. Marcantuoni had his initial shot blocked, but was able to bury the rebound for his first professional goal. Unfortunately, the remainder of the frame turned sour, as the IceMen rallied with three goals. Peter Sakaris redirected in Troy Rutkowski's point shot off of a face-off win at 10:19, and 45 seconds later, Dylan Bell finished off a 2-on-1 rush with Patrick Kennedy. Then, with under one minute to go in the period, Matt Lowry won a battle behind the net, centering a pass to Kevin Harvey for a 3-1 Evansville lead.

The IceMen tallied once in the middle frame, extending their advantage to three. Brandon Wong took a shot from the left circle, which was thwarted by Franky Palazzese. However, Kale Kerbashian was in position for the rebound, as he cashed in at the 5:42 mark. Wheeling successfully killed off two-man disadvantages in both of the first two periods.

It took only 30 seconds for a goal to be scored in the third, as Bell tallied his second of the night for Evansville, ripping in a shot from the right circle. Marcantuoni answered less than four minutes later with his second of the contest, as he broke in shorthanded, sliding a shot through netminder Chris Driedger. Bell and Marcantuoni exchanged markers again in the final minutes, as both players completed their hat tricks. Bell's came off a 2-on-1 with Peter Sakaris, while Marcantuoni tapped in a pass off an end-to-end rush by Ben Blood. The final score was 6-3, IceMen.

Chris Driedger played a strong game in goal for Evansville, stopping 39 of the 42 shots he faced. Franky Palazzese suffered the loss for Wheeling, making 25 saves on 31 shots.

The Nailers will visit the Cincinnati Cyclones on Saturday at 7:35, before returning home on Sunday for a 4:05 game against the Indy Fuel.

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