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ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers at Wings Game Day Snap Shot

March 25, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


The Points Continue to Pile Up

The Wheeling Nailers were unable to collect their 35th victory of the season on Wednesday night, but for the 11th game in a row, they made sure not to leave the rink empty-handed, picking up at least one point. The goaltenders shined the brightest in that contest - the only one of the 2015-16 campaign between the Nailers and the Midwest Division's Fort Wayne Komets. JP Anderson made his third start in a Wheeling uniform, and one could argue that it was his best, as he kept the Komets off of the scoreboard for 60 minutes, including a penalty shot stop on leading scorer Shawn Szydlowski. However, Pat Nagle was equally as good for Fort Wayne, as he blanked the Nailers, sending a scoreless affair into overtime. Szydlowski ultimately got his revenge 1:35 into the extra session, giving the Komets the 1-0 win.

A Beneficial Trip for Both Teams

The Kalamazoo Wings helped themselves and the Nailers with their recent two-game road trip, as they swept a pair of decisions from the Adirondack Thunder and Reading Royals to keep their playoff hopes alive. In Tuesday's game, Joel Martin took the bull by the horns in the crease, and proceeded to shutout Adirondack on 38 shots. At that point, all Kalamazoo needed was some offense, which it received from Ludwig Blomstrand and Adam Phillips in the second period for a 2-0 decision. The following night, Clay Witt got the nod in Reading, and while he wasn't perfect like Martin the night before, he did record a victory for the second time in as many starts. The Wings jumped out to a 3-0 lead on goals by Curtis Valk, Justin Taylor, and Lane Scheidl, before the Royals closed the gap to one with two goals in 49 seconds during the third period. The equalizer wasn't in the cards for Reading, as Kalamazoo prevailed, 3-2.

You're Only Tired if You Want to Be

In minor league sports, scheduling and travel can take its toll on teams over the course of a season, but recently, the Nailers have taken some of that adversity and turned it directly on its side. Wednesday night marked the fourth time since late January that Wheeling had played a game in one city, traveled through the night, then played in another city the following day. While the Nailers were unable to pick up the win at Fort Wayne, they did acquire at least one point for the fourth straight time, improving to 3-0-1 in that scenario during the aforementioned timeframe. In addition to its solid record in the second half of the back-to-backs, Wheeling has also taken care of business before hopping on the bus, going 2-0-2. Earlier in the season, the team went 2-5-1 in the back end of stretches in which it played two games in two nights in two different cities.

Three Weekends to Sort it All Out

The 2015-16 ECHL regular season schedule has worked its way to the final three weekends, and so far, only two positions have been reserved for the Kelly Cup Playoffs. In the Western Conference, Missouri has locked up everything, including a Brabham Cup Championship, given to the team with the best record in the league. In the Eastern Conference, Toledo is the only one to have punched a ticket. The real fun in the east comes from the teams ranked fifth through 12th, as there are 11 points of separation, which will ultimately determine which four teams will dance and which four will hit the links on April 10th. The Nailers are currently at the top of the pack, sitting in fifth place with 76 points, tied with Adirondack (but holding the tiebreaker), three points up on Reading, four points ahead of Elmira, and six points better than Orlando. This is the highest Wheeling has been in the standings since December 11th, when it entered play tied for third in the conference. Kalamazoo is currently in 11th place with 67 points, trailing eighth place Elmira by five points for the final playoff spot.

We Thought We'd Come for Two This Time

Friday night marks the seventh of eight head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Wings this season, as well as the second of three battles at Wings Event Center. It took until the middle of March for Wheeling to make its first visit of the year to Southwest Michigan, after the first five clashes of the season series took place at WesBanco Arena. The Nailers have been victorious against the Wings on consecutive Saturdays, winning 4-2 on home ice and 5-2 on the road, while posting over 40 shots on both occasions. With wins in three of the last four games, Wheeling has deadlocked the set at 3-3, while outshooting Kalamazoo all six times. The Nailers and Wings last met for a two-game weekend in Michigan last January, with Wheeling taking the opener and Kalamazoo coming out on top in the finale. The two tilts this weekend will put the wraps on the seventh year of the rivalry.

Wheeling Nailers (34-23-4-4, 76 Pts.) at Kalamazoo Wings (31-28-4-1, 67 Pts.)

WHEELING NAILERS

(34-23-4-4, 76 PTS, 2nd North, T-5th East)

197 GF, 188 GA

PP: 17.8% (43-for-242), 9th

PK: 84.5% (207-for-245), 14th

23-F-Riley Brace (23 goals, 36 assists, 59 points in 49 games)

18-D-Mathew Maione (9 goals, 40 assists, 49 points in 63 games)

11-F-Cody Wydo (22 goals, 25 assists, 47 points in 52 games)

17-F-Jordan Kwas (8 goals, 19 assists, 27 points in 53 games)

25-F-John McCarron (10 goals, 14 assists, 24 points in 44 games)

27-D-Brett Stern (6 goals, 17 assists, 23 points in 65 games)

31-G-Brian Foster (10-7-3 record, 2.54 GAA, .913 Sv% in 20 games)

KALAMAZOO WINGS

(31-28-4-1, 67 PTS, 3rd North, 11th East)

200 GF, 213 GA

PP: 14.2% (36-for-253), 24th

PK: 84.5% (202-for-239), 13th

23-F-Ludwig Blomstrand (23 goals, 30 assists, 53 points in 63 games)

19-F-Alex Mallet (18 goals, 31 assists, 49 points in 64 games)

21-F-Lane Scheidl (12 goals, 24 assists, 36 points in 64 games)

93-F-Justin Taylor (19 goals, 15 assists, 34 points in 62 games)

10-F-David Gilbert (15 goals, 14 assists, 29 points in 54 games)

7-D-Cory Pritz (3 goals, 26 assists, 29 points in 49 games)

49-G-Joel Martin (29-21-5 record, 3.06 GAA, .915 Sv% in 56 games)

Head to Head

Season Series: Nailers 3, Wings 3

Season Series at Wings Event Center: Nailers 1, Wings 0

All-Time Series: Nailers 19, Wings 19

All-Time Series at Wings Event Center: Nailers 9, Wings 8

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ECHL Stories from March 25, 2016


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