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ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers at Walleye Game Day Snap Shot

January 16, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Put That Set Behind Us

The Wheeling Nailers have experienced some tough times as of late - many of which were highlighted during a stretch that featured seven straight games at WesBanco Arena. Wheeling compiled a 1-5-1 record on the homestand, earning just three of 14 possible points. Despite those numbers, results could have gone in a different direction, as the Nailers outshot the opposition in all three games last weekend, entered the third period tied on all three occasions, and scored the first goal twice in three contests. In Sunday's game, the Nailers never led the Indy Fuel, but erased 1-0 and 2-1 deficits on goals by Anton Zlobin and Jarrett Burton. With under three minutes remaining, Indy's Peter Schneider broke a 2-2 tie, and Shane Owen's 39 saves made the score hold up, as he defeated Franky Palazzese, who stopped 24 of 27 shots for Wheeling.

Hot Walleye Melt Ice

The Toledo Walleye have begun to get on a roll in the second half of the season, having won each of their last four games and nine of their last 12, following a 6-2 setback at WesBanco Arena on December 12th. Over the course of their last four victories, Toledo has surrendered only five goals to the opposition, as Jeff Lerg is putting together his second straight dynamic season between the pipes. On Friday night, the Walleye allowed the first tally of the evening to the Evansville IceMen, but rebounded with five in a row for a convincing 5-1 triumph at Huntington Center. Shane Berschbach had two goals and two assists, while Evan Rankin returned from the AHL with two goals and one assist to lead the offensive attack for the home team. Dominic Zombo also chipped in with a goal and Tyler Sikura added three assists. Lerg earned the win, sharing the goaltending duties with Dustin Carlson, who was also involved in a late game altercation, as the two clubs combined for 90 penalty minutes.

Different Looks in Goal

Franky Palazzese and Jeff Lerg have carried the majority of the loads in goal for the Nailers and Walleye this season, as Palazzese has gotten the nod in 21 of 35 games for Wheeling, and Lerg has been tapped 22 times in 35 tilts for Toledo. However, on Saturday night, there is expected to be two different faces in the creases. The Nailers will turn to rookie Casey DeSmith, who will make his fifth professional appearance. After one relief appearance and one start with Wheeling, DeSmith received the same amount of appearances with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, including his first career win - a 22-save performance in a 3-2 win at Hartford on January 3rd. The Walleye are expected to turn to former first round draft pick Tom McCollum, who is in T-Town on a conditioning stint. McCollum has had a winning record at the AHL level in three consecutive seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins, and last took the ice in the ECHL during the 2011-12 campaign.

The Right Time to Step Up

Anton Zlobin battled through a pair of injuries at the start of the year, then was a bit snakebitten when it came to scoring goals, as he was unable to find the back of the net in his first 13 games of the season. However, with teammates on recall to the AHL, Zlobin picked the perfect time to rise to the occasion, as he led the Nailers in scoring with six goals and ten points during the seven-game homestand. Anton carries a six-game point streak onto the road trip, which includes goals in five of the six contests. Cody Wydo (3-4-7), Jarrett Burton (3-4-7), and Mathew Maione (0-7-7) were tied for second with seven points each on the homestand, which saw 15 different players record at least one point. Shane Berschbach has points in five straight games for the Walleye.

This is How the First Half Ends

Saturday night marks the fourth of seven head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Walleye this season, as well as the third of four battles at Huntington Center. Home teams have had the edge in the historical series with 35 wins in 53 games, and that has held true in 2015-16, as both clubs have defended their own buildings in the first three clashes. In early December, Toledo and Wheeling split a home-and-home series, with the Nailers earning three of four possible points. However, on December 26th, the Walleye took care of business in regulation, with a 4-1 decision. Both squads will conclude the first halves of their respective seasons, while the season series will cross the midway mark during the second period. Toledo will visit WesBanco Arena twice in March, before the Nailers return to Northwest Ohio on April 3rd. Both leading scorers in the season series are currently in the AHL - Riley Brace from Wheeling and AJ Jenks of the Walleye.

Wheeling Nailers (15-16-2-2, 34 Pts.) at Toledo Walleye (21-10-1-3, 46 Pts.)

WHEELING NAILERS

(15-16-2-2, 34 PTS, 2nd North, 11th East)

105 GF, 114 GA

PP: 15.8% (23-for-146), 19th

PK: 82.4% (112-for-136), 18th

20-F-Jarrett Burton (14 goals, 16 assists, 30 points in 35 games)

18-D-Mathew Maione (5 goals, 18 assists, 23 points in 33 games)

25-F-John McCarron (7 goals, 11 assists, 18 points in 30 games)

17-F-Anton Zlobin (6 goals, 10 assists, 16 points in 19 games)

27-D-Brett Stern (5 goals, 9 assists, 14 points in 35 games)

11-F-Cody Wydo (6 goals, 5 assists, 11 points in 22 games)

30-G-Casey DeSmith (0-0-1 record, 2.01 GAA, .923 Sv% in 2 games)

TOLEDO WALLEYE

(21-10-1-3, 46 PTS, 1st North, 3rd East)

103 GF, 83 GA

PP: 21.7% (26-for-120), 2nd

PK: 84.3% (97-for-115), 12th

10-F-Shane Berschbach (12 goals, 19 assists, 31 points in 30 games)

16-F-Tyler Sikura (8 goals, 15 assists, 23 points in 35 games)

72-D-Joel Chouinard (5 goals, 15 assists, 20 points in 29 games)

19-F-Tyler Maxwell (5 goals, 11 assists, 16 points in 30 games)

25-F-Josh Shalla (6 goals, 6 assists, 12 points in 31 games)

15-F-Austin Wuthrich (7 goals, 4 assists, 11 points in 19 games)

31-G-Tom McCollum (4-6-0 record, 2.53 GAA, .924 Sv% in 10 AHL games)

Head to Head

Season Series: Walleye 2, Nailers 1

Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Walleye 2, Nailers 0

All-Time Series: Walleye 27, Nailers 26

All-Time Series at Huntington Center: Walleye 16, Nailers 7

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

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