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ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers at Jackals Game Day Snap Shot

January 29, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


A Win, A Loss, and Another One Later

The Wheeling Nailers are ready to embark on a four-game stretch away from WesBanco Arena, after spending all of last weekend home in the Ohio Valley. On Friday night, the Nailers made their way into the win column in David Gove's first game after shedding the "interim" tag. Andrew Cerretani assisted on Connor Leen's tying goal in the third period, before netting the winner in overtime, while Casey DeSmith made 27 saves in the 2-1 triumph over the Kalamazoo Wings. One night later, Kalamazoo got its revenge, snapping a 1-1 tie with three goals in the third period for a 4-1 win. Cody Wydo had the lone marker for Wheeling, who received another 27-save effort from DeSmith. Sunday's game against Brampton was postponed, and will be made up on March 8th, as the Nailers are 10-10-3 through their first 23 home games of 2015-16.

Offense Arrived, Defense Disappeared

The Elmira Jackals experienced significant difficulty scoring goals when the calendar flipped over to January, as they scored less than three goals in eight consecutive games, totaling a mere eight pucks in the back of the net. Last Saturday, the Jackals reached the magic number of three, and it paid off, as they held off the Norfolk Admirals, 3-2 at Norfolk Scope Arena. On Wednesday, Elmira performed even better in the offensive end, denting the twine five times against the Reading Royals. However, Reading also brought its offense to the rink, drilling home seven goals on 52 shots in a wild 7-5 slugfest at First Arena. Allan McPherson led the way for the Jackals with one goal and two assists, and was joined in the goal column by Colin Jacobs, Cason Hohmann, Ian Young, and Jacob MacDonald. CJ Motte was the starting goaltender for both of those tilts, as he ended up with 89 saves on 97 shots.

Let's Meet the New Guys

In addition to Assistant Coach Jeff Christian, who will make his debut behind the bench, the Nailers will have two players in the lineup, who will suit up in Wheeling uniforms for the first time in their careers. Second year forward Jordan Kwas was claimed off of waivers from the South Carolina Stingrays, as the Nailers will be his third ECHL team. Kwas has two goals, ten assists, and 12 points in 27 games thus far this season, with his last goal coming against Wheeling at WesBanco Arena on December 5th. In a separate transaction, the Nailers acquired rookie forward Chris Ciotti in a trade with the Rapid City Rush. Ciotti has also dressed in 27 games this year, accumulating two goals, six assists, and eight points. Wheeling has also received defenseman Harrison Ruopp, who is expected to play on Friday, as well as forward Derek Army, who won't be in the lineup until Saturday. Anton Zlobin received a one-game suspension for a cross check last Saturday, so he will also miss Friday's clash.

A Place Formerly Feared

For their first six years in the ECHL, the Jackals made First Arena into a building which opponents didn't enjoy visiting, and that ultimately helped lead to six straight postseason appearances. The Nailers in particular experienced their struggles, winning just eight times in their first 30 games at that venue. However, the last two years produced a different story line, as Wheeling posted a 9-4-1 mark in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns. Both of those seasons resulted in playoff appearances for the Nailers and early summers for the Jackals. Despite a 22-19-1 record overall, Elmira has experienced a tough go on home ice, entering the weekend at 10-13-0 in front of its home fans, compared to a sparkling 12-6-1 mark outside of Southern New York. The East Division has created most of the struggles, as the Jackals are 5-11-0 at home against Adirondack, Manchester, Norfolk, and Reading.

First Trip to First Arena

Friday night marks the second of six head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Jackals this season, as well as the first of three battles at First Arena. For three of the last four years, Wheeling and Elmira were divisional opponents, leading to lots of games against one another. The six on the 2015-16 docket is the lowest number between the two clubs since 2010-11, when the Nailers got the upper hand in three of five matches. This first contest between the two sides this season took place on December 6th. Wheeling rallied from a 2-0 deficit to earn a point, but the Jackals prevailed in a shootout, scoring on two of three attempts. Derek Army, Ty Loney, Jacob MacDonald, and Tyler Currier were the four goal scorers, while Niklas Lundstrom edged Casey DeSmith in goal. The final five games of the season series will all take place between January 29th and February 28th.

Wheeling Nailers (16-19-2-2, 36 Pts.) at Elmira Jackals (22-19-1-0, 45 Pts.)

WHEELING NAILERS

(16-19-2-2, 36 PTS, T-3rd North, T-13th East)

113 GF, 126 GA

PP: 16.7% (26-for-156), 15th

PK: 83.3% (130-for-156), 17th

20-F-Jarrett Burton (14 goals, 19 assists, 33 points in 39 games)

18-D-Mathew Maione (5 goals, 22 assists, 27 points in 37 games)

11-F-Cody Wydo (9 goals, 6 assists, 15 points in 26 games)

27-D-Brett Stern (5 goals, 9 assists, 14 points in 39 games)

22-F-Jordan Kwas (2 goals, 10 assists, 12 points in 27 games)

4-D-Paul Cianfrini (10 assists, 10 points in 38 games)

29-G-Franky Palazzese (9-11-2 record, 3.11 GAA, .896 Sv% in 22 games)

ELMIRA JACKALS

(22-19-1-0, 45 PTS, T-3rd East, T-8th East)

113 GF, 129 GA

PP: 14.6% (23-for-158), 23rd

PK: 78.6% (121-for-154), 26th

10-F-Cason Hohmann (14 goals, 16 assists, 30 points in 30 games)

17-F-Mike Seidel (12 goals, 14 assists, 26 points in 40 games)

18-F-Colin Jacobs (10 goals, 14 assists, 24 points in 38 games)

9-F-Allan McPherson (10 goals, 11 assists, 21 points in 19 games)

23-D-Jacob MacDonald (9 goals, 11 assists, 20 points in 42 games)

11-F-Chris Langkow (2 goals, 16 assists, 18 points in 39 games)

30-G-CJ Motte (11-14-0 record, 2.94 GAA, .906 Sv% in 28 games)

Head to Head

Season Series: Jackals 1, Nailers 0

2014-15 Season Series at First Arena: Nailers 3, Jackals 3

All-Time Series: Nailers 43, Jackals 43

All-Time Series at First Arena: Jackals 27, Nailers 17

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics



ECHL Stories from January 29, 2016


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.

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