ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers at Admirals Game Day Snap Shot, January 20

Published on January 20, 2017 under ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Wheeling Nailers (18-14-3-0, 39 Pts.) at Norfolk Admirals (12-20-4-0, 28 Pts.)

WHEELING NAILERS

(18-14-3-0, 39 PTS, 5th North, 9th East)

117 GF, 107 GA

PP: 18.1% (28-for-155), 12th

PK: 75.5% (114-for-151), 27th

26-D-Kevin Schulze (6 goals, 23 assists, 29 points in 33 games)

17-F-Jordan Kwas (12 goals, 14 assists, 26 points in 35 games)

23-F-Garrett Meurs (13 goals, 12 assists, 25 points in 34 games)

8-F-Nick Sorkin (9 goals, 15 assists, 24 points in 30 games)

9-F-Christian Hilbrich (9 goals, 15 assists, 24 points in 35 games)

11-F-Cody Wydo (9 goals, 13 assists, 22 points in 34 games)

29-G-Sean Maguire (6-5-1 record, 2.80 GAA, .905 Sv% in 13 games)

NORFOLK ADMIRALS

(12-20-4-0, 28 PTS, 7th South, 12th East)

92 GF, 121 GA

PP: 10.0% (12-for-120), 27th

PK: 81.8% (112-for-137), 20th

7-F-Brodie Dupont (8 goals, 17 assists, 25 points in 24 games)

12-F-Nick MacNeil (9 goals, 11 assists, 20 points in 32 games)

19-F-TJ Foster (8 goals, 12 assists, 20 points in 28 games)

10-F-John Dunbar (10 goals, 8 assists, 18 points in 27 games)

11-F-Paul Rodrigues (5 goals, 9 assists, 14 points in 34 games)

77-D-Frankie Simonelli (4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points in 17 games)

31-G-Brandon Anderson (8-1-0 record, 1.89 GAA, .934 Sv% in 10 games)

Head to Head

2015-16 Season Series: Admirals 3, Nailers 2

2015-16 Season Series at Norfolk Scope Arena: Admirals 2, Nailers 1

All-Time Series: Admirals 3, Nailers 2

All-Time Series at Norfolk Scope Arena: Admirals 2, Nailers 1

A Quick Flip of the Script

The Wheeling Nailers played their final game before the All-Star Break on Sunday afternoon, and in doing so, picked up their first road victory since November 20th, as they knocked off the Kalamazoo Wings, 5-2 at Wings Event Center. After surrendering three goals in the first period on Saturday, the Nailers turned that completely around on Sunday, as they jumped out to the early 3-0 lead, thanks to two goals by Christian Hilbrich and one from Michael Webster. Jordan Kwas added to the advantage in the middle frame, tipping in a power play goal for marker number four. The final Wheeling tally of the afternoon came from a man who had a day to remember, as Hilbrich completed his hat trick and four-point game, deflecting in Tyler Currier's shot. Sean Maguire took care of business between the pipes, turning aside 28 of 30 shots for his first career road win, and sixth triumph in his last nine starts.

The Boat is Surfacing

The Norfolk Admirals had an ugly start to the 2016-17 season, but since the turn of the calendar year, things are improving drastically. Norfolk enters Friday's contest with a 6-0-0 record in January, having allowed just one goal total in its last four games. Prior to the All-Star Break, the Admirals swept a three-game road trip against Greenville and Atlanta, winning 5-0, 3-0, and 3-1. Monday's finale was a scoreless deadlock after twenty minutes, but in the second period, Norfolk went ahead on goals by John Dunbar and TJ Foster. The Gladiators trimmed the margin to one during the early stages of period three, before Joey Benik put the icing on the cake with an empty netter for the Admirals. Brandon Anderson continued his amazing play in goal, backstopping the victory with 29 saves.

Andy has Been Dandy

Brandon Anderson is a familar name for fans in the ECHL's Eastern Conference, as he made his professional debut playing two seasons with the Reading Royals from 2012-14. After compiling 33 wins in a Reading uniform, the Langley, British Columbia bounced around between three teams during the 2014-15 campaign, then found himself out of pro hockey completely in 2015-16. This year, the netminder got back in the crease with the SPHL's Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, posting a mediocre 2-4-0 record. The call then came from the Admirals, and Anderson's game has risen to a new level. In ten appearances with his new club, Brandon is 8-1-0, with a 1.89 goals against average, a .934 save percentage, and three shutouts. The shutouts came consecutively, as he blanked the Elmira Jackals once, before back-to-back perfect performances against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Prior to Atlanta's third period goal on Monday, his shutout streak lasted 269:36 - the longest shutout sequence by a team in ECHL history.

Two Award Winners in the Building

While the stars of the league were shining brightly on Wednesday night at Glens Falls Civic Center, two players in Friday's game recently spent time in the spotlight as well. The reigning ECHL Player of the Week will take the ice against the reigning ECHL Goaltender of the Week, as both individuals hope to keep their recent runs of success going in a positive direction. The Goaltender of the Week was the aforementioned Brandon Anderson of the Admirals, who went 3-0-0 with two shutouts, and is expected to make seventh straight start between the pipes. The Player of the Week is Wheeling's Christian Hilbrich, who is enjoying the best stretch of his rookie season. Hilbrich capped off his phenomenal week with three goals and four points on Sunday, bringing his weekly totals to five goals, four assists, and nine points in four contests. Christian has points in five of six games thus far in the month of January, as he has climbed into a tie for fourth place on the club in scoring.

One Chance to Have Some Fun

Friday night marks the first and only head-to-head meeting between the Nailers and Admirals this season, as the teams do battle at Norfolk Scope Arena. Last year, Norfolk's hockey team returned to the ECHL, following a 15-year stint in the AHL, and proceeded to come out on top in three of the five games played against Wheeling. While the new version of the ECHL's Admirals have yet to produce a winning record, there is a rich history from the past, as the Hampton Roads Admirals were Riley Cup Champions twice and Kelly Cup Champions once, while the AHL's Norfolk Admirals were Calder Cup Champions in 2011-12. One of the highlight individuals from the organization is the late John Brophy, who served as head coach for both the Nailers and Admirals during his storied career. Both teams will go with an old school look on Friday night, as Wheeling will wear its 25th season alternate jerseys with Thunderbirds colors and a silver Nailers logo, while Norfolk will wear its original jerseys with the blue and gold anchor logo.

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

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ECHL Stories from January 20, 2017


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