ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers at Everblades Game Day Snap Shot

November 21, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Two Down, One to Go

The Wheeling Nailers put together another strong performance on Friday night, as they picked up their second win in as many games on their trip to Florida, defeating the Everblades, 5-3 at Germain Arena. For only the second time in 2015-16, Wheeling earned a victory when allowing the first goal, as Florida struck just 93 seconds into the contest. The Nailers rebounded with the next three goals, putting up a crooked number in the first period for the second straight tilt. Evan Wardley, Riley Brace, and Zack Torquato built a 3-1 lead, before the Everblades got one back. Torquato added another goal in the middle frame, and Cody Wydo tacked on one final tally in the third, while Brian Foster made a season-high 48 saves between the pipes.

51 Shots Weren't Enough

The Florida Everblades also brought their offensive weaponry to the match on Friday night, as they attacked the Wheeling goal with a barrage of shots. Florida recorded 12 of the first 13 shots on goal, but found itself in a 1-1 deadlock at that point. The Everblades went on to set a season-high with 24 first period attempts - two of which made it through to turn on the red light, by Gabriel Desjardins and Corey Syvret. Only one of Florida's final 27 shots was successful in reaching the back of the net, as Brant Harris scored with 2:33 left in the third period. Anthony Peters allowed five goals on 24 shots during Friday's clash, and has surrendered 11 goals on 49 shots in the first two games of the week.

High Five for Scoring

While some fans of the higher leveled leagues will tell you that scoring is down, the Nailers are doing everything in their power to prove that wrong, and to win while doing so. In both games this week, Wheeling has scored at least five goals, becoming the first team this season to reach that number against the Everblades in one game, let alone two. The Nailers have now scored at least four goals in each of their last five wins, as they put up seven against Cincinnati on November 10th, six against Reading on the 13th, four against Evansville on the 15th, six on Wednesday, and five on Friday. Earlier this season, they netted five and four goals respectively in a two-game sweep over Brampton, bringing the team's goals per game average in their nine wins to 4.67. Wheeling has scored 1.67 goals per game in five regulation losses and an overtime setback.

Building up the Road Numbers

When Saturday's tilt comes to an end, the Nailers will have played 16 games in the 2015-16 regular season - two games shy of being 1/4 of the way to the overall total of 72. Eight of those games have taken place at WesBanco Arena, where Wheeling has gone 5-2-1, in search of its seventh straight 20-win season on home ice. Of course, that means the other eight will have been played on the road, where the Nailers have been victorious twice already this week, to improve to 4-3-0 away from the Ohio Valley. After opening with a win in Norfolk, Wheeling went 1-3-0 in its next four road battles, before rebounding to jump above the .500 mark. In Clark Donatelli's four years as head coach, the Nailers have posted a winning road record twice, doing so in 2011-12 and 2013-14. The four wins this season have come in three different locations - Norfolk, Brampton, and Florida.

Let's Finish it in Style

Saturday night marks the third and final head-to-head meeting between the Nailers and Everblades this season, as well as the third of three battles at Germain Arena this week. Two wins have already secured the first season series victory for Wheeling since 2010-11, when the team posted a 2-0-1 record in three road tilts. The Nailers and Everblades rarely saw each other when Florida first joined the ECHL in 1998, but are now in their seventh consecutive year with at least one game on the schedule. Neither team has ever swept the other in a three-game set, as Wheeling took two of three games in 2010-11, while Florida won two out of three in 2009-10 and 2011-12. The Everblades won six straight road games against the Nailers from 2012-15, before Wheeling began its current three-game winning streak with a 3-2 triumph last November 29th.

Download the Nailers new smartphone app presented by Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration. Available in theiTunes and Google Play Store. Use promo code "Leader" to receive 100 Nailers points.

In addition to Nailers Rewards, the app also includes:

Notifications and Alerts

News Feed containing team news, photos & videos

Interact Feed containing Nailers posts on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram

Team Summary

Roster

Team Stats and League Standings

View Schedule & Buy Tickets

Venue Information (Map, Directions, Parking, and Seating Chart) Individual tickets, mini plans, and group tickets are on sale now, with prices starting as low as $10 per seat. For tickets and more information, call the Nailers at (304) 234-GOAL or online at wheelingnailers.com.

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Wheeling Nailers (9-5-1-0, 19 Pts.) at Florida Everblades (11-6-0-0, 22 Pts.)

WHEELING NAILERS

(9-5-1-0, 19 PTS, 1st North, 3rd East)

52 GF, 43 GA

PP: 17.4% (12-for-69), 13th

PK: 81.4% (48-for-59), 20th

23-F-Riley Brace (7 goals, 10 assists, 17 points in 15 games)

20-F-Jarrett Burton (8 goals, 8 assists, 16 points in 15 games)

21-F-Sahir Gill (3 goals, 9 assists, 12 points in 15 games)

25-F-John McCarron (3 goals, 8 assists, 11 points in 15 games)

22-D-Clark Seymour (4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points in 15 games)

27-D-Brett Stern (2 goals, 7 assists, 9 points in 15 games)

31-G-Brian Foster (3-3-1 record, 2.70 GAA, .910 Sv% in 7 games)

FLORIDA EVERBLADES

(11-6-0-0, 22 PTS, 1st South, 1st East)

64 GF, 38 GA

PP: 26.2% (17-for-65), 3rd

PK: 90.4% (66-for-73), 1st

28-F-Matt Marquardt (5 goals, 13 assists, 18 points in 17 games)

29-F-Matt Willows (5 goals, 12 assists, 17 points in 16 games)

17-F-Evan Bloodoff (5 goals, 10 assists, 15 points in 17 games)

25-F-Ethan Werek (5 goals, 9 assists, 14 points in 12 games)

23-F-Brant Harris (9 goals, 4 assists, 13 points in 17 games)

20-D-Corey Syvret (4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points in 17 games)

30-G-Anthony Peters (4-5-0 record, 2.57 GAA, .907 Sv% in 9 games)

Head to Head

Season Series: Nailers 2, Everblades 0

Season Series at Germain Arena: Nailers 2, Everblades 0

All-Time Series: Everblades 12, Nailers 8

All-Time Series at Germain Arena: Nailers 6, Everblades 5

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics



ECHL Stories from November 21, 2015


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