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ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers at Stingrays Game Day Snap Shot

May 23, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Rare Rough Patch at Home

The Wheeling Nailers were a better road team by one win during the regular season (19-18), but during the playoffs, their success on home ice has been a major reason why they sit two victories away from the Kelly Cup Final. Wheeling posted a 5-2 mark at WesBanco Arena against the Florida Everblades and Reading Royals, then won its first home game against South Carolina. Unfortunately, the most recent two didn't turn out how envisioned, as the Stingrays rallied for a 4-2 win in game four on Friday, then came away with a 3-1 decision in game five on Saturday. The Nailers got their first opening goal of the series on Saturday, when Cody Wydo tipped in a Mathew Maione point shot on the power play. Despite a 35-save effort from Brian Foster, Wheeling was unable to light the lamp after that, and South Carolina battled back with one goal in the second period and two in the third, taking a 3-2 series lead home.

Pesky Rays Wouldn't Go Away

The South Carolina Stingrays found themselves trailing in back-to-back contests at WesBanco Arena, but managed to battle back in both games four and five, as they came from behind to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference Final. In game five on Saturday, South Carolina surrendered the opening goal for the first time since its game seven win over Adirondack in round two. It took the Stingrays until the 9:40 mark of the second period to draw even, when Kelly Zajac won a face-off to Colton Saucerman for a power play tally - their second in as many nights and second of the series. For the third game in a row, the deciding goal came during the final ten minutes of regulation, as David Pacan poked in a loose puck at the top of the crease, while the teams were playing 4-on-4 with 7:17 to go. Stephan Vigier completed the scoring with an empty netter, in support of Vitek Vanecek, who made 27 saves for his sixth win of the playoffs and third of the series.

Leads are Far From Safe

Six of the last seven games involving the Nailers have seen at least one lead change, including four of the five games played in the current series against the Stingrays. In game one, South Carolina led from start to finish, taking a 3-0 result into the win column. In games two and three, the Stingrays took the lead, but saw the Nailers battle back on both occasions, before a reversal of roles took place in game five, when South Carolina erased an early advantage for Wheeling. Game four has been the only tilt with multiple swaps, as the Stingrays scored first, followed by two goals from the Nailers, and finally three straight goals by South Carolina. Ten of Wheeling's 18 playoff games have been won by a team who has trailed at some point during the contest, including eight wins by the team that allowed the opening marker. The Nailers are still in search of their first two-goal lead in the series.

Add Another Return Trip to the Mileage

Only one of the teams remaining in the chase for the 2016 Kelly Cup has needed all three parts of all three of its series to begin the postseason. That team is the Nailers. In round one, Wheeling split a pair of games in Florida, brought the series home, where it took two of three games, then traveled back down to Estero, finishing off the series in game six. Next up were the Royals, whom the Nailers got to open with at home, again going 1-1. That series shifted to Reading, where the home squad won twice, forcing Wheeling to come back and win twice at WesBanco Arena, which it did successfully. In the current round, the teams split two games at North Charleston Coliseum, before the Stingrays stunned the home crowd in Wheeling by stealing a pair of comeback wins. The series now shifts back to the Lowcountry, for either one or two games, depending on Monday's result. Whether by bus or by plane, the Nailers will have traveled 7,784 miles in three rounds, with another 1,153 miles in one direction looming, if they can reach the championship round against Allen.

We Ain't Goin' Nowhere Tonight

Monday night is game six of the Eastern Conference Final Series between the Nailers and Stingrays, as well as the third of four possible battles at North Charleston Coliseum. Unlike one of its previous opponents, Wheeling is not making any plans to leave South Carolina after Monday's game, as all player luggage will be left at the hotel, and equipment bags will stay unpacked until the series comes to an official conclusion. Each of the last two times the Nailers have trailed 3-2 in a series, they have forced a decisive seventh game, doing so at Toledo in 2015, as well as during the second round series against Reading in 2016. In a playoff run which has already been filled with history, Wheeling will be looking to add another chapter, becoming the first team to rally back from a 3-2 series deficit with back-to-back triumphs on enemy ice. The Nailers are 5-1 in South Carolina during playoff series in 2011, 2014, and 2016.

Wheeling Nailers (10-8) at South Carolina Stingrays (11-6)

WHEELING NAILERS

(10-8)

52 GF, 54 GA

PP: 17.9% (14-for-78), 4th

PK: 87.1% (74-for-85), 2nd

18-D-Mathew Maione (5 goals, 14 assists, 19 points in 18 games)

23-F-Riley Brace (5 goals, 13 assists, 18 points in 18 games)

25-F-John McCarron (6 goals, 8 assists, 14 points in 17 games)

11-F-Cody Wydo (7 goals, 5 assists, 12 points in 18 games)

19-F-Shane Bakker (4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points in 18 games)

24-F-Ty Loney (5 goals, 5 assists, 10 points in 18 games)

31-G-Brian Foster (6-5 record, 2.69 GAA, .915 Sv% in 11 games)

(37-26-5-4, 83 PTS, 2nd North, 5th East)

214 GF, 211 GA

PP: 17.8% (48-for-269), 9th

PK: 83.6% (225-for-269), 15th

23-F-Riley Brace (26 goals, 41 assists, 67 points in 56 games)

18-D-Mathew Maione (11 goals, 43 assists, 54 points in 70 games)

11-F-Cody Wydo (23 goals, 27 assists, 50 points in 59 games)

25-F-John McCarron (14 goals, 17 assists, 31 points in 51 games)

17-F-Jordan Kwas (9 goals, 20 assists, 29 points in 60 games)

27-D-Brett Stern (7 goals, 17 assists, 24 points in 72 games)

31-G-Brian Foster (10-8-3 record, 2.70 GAA, .908 Sv% in 22 games)

SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS

(11-6)

55 GF, 34 GA

PP: 17.9% (12-for-67), 5th

PK: 89.0% (73-for-82), 1st

21-F-Austin Fyten (7 goals, 10 assists, 17 points in 17 games)

19-F-Kelly Zajac (2 goals, 14 assists, 16 points in 17 games)

8-F-Joe Devin (10 goals, 5 assists, 15 points in 16 games)

23-F-Caleb Herbert (9 goals, 6 assists, 15 points in 17 games)

61-F-David Pacan (3 goals, 11 assists, 14 points in 17 games)

10-F-Brett Cameron (5 goals, 4 assists, 9 points in 17 games)

30-G-Vitek Vanacek (6-2 record, 1.86 GAA, .929 Sv% in 9 games)

(44-18-7-3, 98 PTS, 1st South, 2nd East)

224 GF, 162 GA

PP: 19.6% (51-for-260), 4th

PK: 87.5% (251-for-287), 1st

61-F-David Pacan (20 goals, 42 assists, 62 points in 69 games)

28-F-Stephan Vigier (24 goals, 26 assists, 50 points in 70 games)

10-F-Brett Cameron (20 goals, 28 assists, 48 points in 61 games)

8-F-Joe Devin (18 goals, 23 assists, 41 points in 55 games)

17-D-Bobby Shea (5 goals, 24 assists, 29 points in 64 games)

20-F-Jared Staal (12 goals, 12 assists, 24 points in 64 games)

30-G-Vitek Vanacek (18-7-6 record, 2.03 GAA, .917 Sv% in 32 games)

Head to Head

Playoff Series: Stingrays 3, Nailers 2

Playoff Series at North Charleston Coliseum: Nailers 1, Stingrays 1

Season Series: Nailers 1, Stingrays 1

Season Series at North Charleston Coliseum: Did Not Play

All-Time Series (Regular Season + Playoff): Nailers 20, Stingrays 16

All-Time Series at North Charleston Coliseum (Regular Season + Playoff): Nailers 10, Stingrays 9

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics



ECHL Stories from May 23, 2016


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