Nailers at Royals Game Day Snap Shot
February 8, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release
WHEELING NAILERS
(20-18-1-5, 46 PTS, 2nd Atlantic, 10th East)
111 GF, 129 GA
PP: 13.2% (21-for-159), 18th
PK: 83.8% (155-for-185), 14th
21-F-Sahir Gill (8 goals, 21 assists, 29 points in 39 games)
2-D-Mike Ratchuk (7 goals, 17 assists, 24 points in 41 games)
7-F-Max MacKay (11 goals, 12 assists, 23 points in 32 games)
98-F-Chaz Johnson (7 goals, 12 assists, 19 points in 40 games)
16-F-Cody Sylvester (11 goals, 4 assists, 15 points in 25 games)
22-F-Jack MacLellan (9 goals, 6 assists, 15 points in 28 games)
1-G-Mike Condon (13-10-4 record, 2.55 GAA, .920 Sv% in 27 games)
READING ROYALS
(25-15-1-0, 51 PTS, 1st Atlantic, T-5th East)
126 GF, 105 GA
PP: 15.9% (25-for-157), 8th
PK: 86.1% (124-for-144), 6th
10-F-Yannick Tifu (12 goals, 20 assists, 32 points in 41 games)
16-F-Ryan Cruthers (10 goals, 17 assists, 27 points in 23 games)
14-F-TJ Syner (12 goals, 14 assists, 26 points in 30 games)
15-F-Sean Wiles (11 goals, 15 assists, 26 points in 26 games)
18-F-Domenic Monardo (12 goals, 9 assists, 21 points in 40 games)
11-D-Michal Cajkovsky (7 goals, 11 assists, 18 points in 36 games)
30-G-Riley Gill (11-8-0 record, 2.32 GAA, .920 Sv% in 19 games)
Head-to-Head
Season Series: Royals 6, Nailers 1
Season Series at Santander Arena: Royals 3, Nailers 0
All-Time Series: Royals 72, Nailers 51
All-Time Series at Santander Arena: Royals 38, Nailers 24
All in Against the Atlantic
Last weekend, the Wheeling Nailers completed a four-game homestand, as well as a six-game stretch against North Division opponents, going 2-2-0 at WesBanco Arena and 3-3-0 overall. Looking ahead, the next chunk of the schedule will be almost exclusively played against Atlantic Division foes, as the Nailers will battle the Reading Royals and Elmira Jackals in 12 of their next 15 contests. Wheeling currently trails Reading by five points for the division crown, while leading Elmira by seven points for second place. Thus far this season, the Nailers have played 15 of their 30 games against divisional opponents, posting a 7-6-2 record.
Divisional Dominance for Reading
The Reading Royals are also coming off of a six-game stretch against the North Division, as they went 3-3-0, with all six tilts taking place away from Santander Arena. That road trip gave Reading an 11-13-0 record against opponents outside of the Atlantic Division, as the Royals hold the lead in the division, thanks to incredible success against Elmira and Wheeling. Reading is 14-2-1 in 17 games against the Jackals and Nailers this season, including a nearly perfect 7-0-1 mark in eight games on enemy ice.
Manderson Makes His Return
On Saturday afternoon, the Nailers received some help from the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, as forward Denver Manderson was loaned to Wheeling, while defenseman Barry Goers was released from his 25-game professional tryout. Manderson has been with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton since the middle of November, when he was recalled after a two-point game with the Nailers against Elmira on the 16th. Denver has nine points in 12 games with Wheeling this season, in addition to seven points in 25 games with the Penguins. Goers has seven points in 16 games with the Nailers and five points in eight games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Not Much Getting Through
On the ice, one of the main reasons for Reading's success in 2013-14 has been its ability to shut down opposition scorers. The Royals have surrendered just 105 goals thus far this season, which ranks third in the ECHL, trailing only South Carolina (84) and Alaska (89). With that statistic in mind, it should come as no surprise that the goaltending has been consistent, as affiliated netminders Brandon Anderson (Washington) and Riley Gill (Hershey) have been the goaltenders of record in 39 of Reading's 41 games. The Royals have also had five defensemen (Campanale 40, Banwell 37, Cajkovsky 36, Molle 36, Gens 32) appear in at least 30 games.
Searching for Success at Santander
Saturday night marks the eighth of 15 meetings between the Nailers and Royals this season, as well as the fourth of eight clashes at Santander Arena. Wheeling has yet to win a game in Reading since the building switched names, opening the 2013-14 campaign with an 0-2-1 record in its first three visits. Despite back-to-back playoff appearances by the Royals, including a Kelly Cup Championship last spring, the Nailers managed a 5-6-1 record in Eastern Pennsylvania during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. Reading currently leads the season series, 6-1, for a 72-51 advantage all-time.
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