ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers Clinch Fourth Seed in Playoffs with 4-3 Win

April 2, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


WHEELING, WV - Mikael Bedard scored twice to help lead the Wheeling Nailers to a 4-3 victory over the Toledo Walleye in the regular season finale Saturday night at WesBanco Arena. The Nailers clinched the fourth seed, and home ice advantage in the first round of the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs. The win came in front of the largest crowd of the season announced at 4,771.

After neither team lit the lamp in the first period, Wheeling's Tyler Murovich broke the scoreless tie at 4:03 into the second. Murovich received a feed in the slot and wristed a shot past Walleye goaltender Joe Palmer to give Wheeling a 1-0 lead. Toledo tied the game at one a 1:15 later, as Mike Hedden fired a shot from the left wing circle past Nailers netminder Peter Delmas.

Wheeling grabbed the lead right back, as Mikael Bedard swung in front after a faceoff win, and hurled the puck into the net for the goal. Toledo responded three minutes later as Sebastien Piche took a pass from behind the net and tapped the puck into the net at the top of the crease, tying the game at two.

Playing in his first professional game, Anthony Maiani took advantage of a Walleye turnover in front of their own net. Maiani stole the puck at the top of the crease, deked twice to the forehand, and flipped the puck top shelf past Palmer for the go ahead goal to give Wheeling a 3-2 lead. The goal was the first of the career for the University of Denver standout player.

Mikael Bedard made it 4-2 Wheeling, on his second goal of the game at 12:50 of the second. Bedard received a cross ice feed, and hammered home a one-time shot into the net to extend the lead to 4-2. In the third, Toledo's leading scoring Andy Bombach tried to stage another comeback bid for his club. Bombach dangled around two Nailers defenders in the slot, and deked around Delmas to finish off a dazzling goal to pull his team within one 4-3.

The Nailers limited Toledo's chances down the stretch, and would hang on to win 4-3 and clinching the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Peter Delmas earns the win in goal stopping 33 of 36 shots of enemy rubber, while Palmer takes the loss allowing four goals on 38 shots faced. Wheeling finishes the regular season with a record of 38-29-0-5 (81 pts).

The Nailers now will take on the South Carolina Stingrays in the first round of the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs beginning on Tuesday at the North Charleston Coliseum. Wheeling will host game three on Friday April 8 at WesBanco Arena beginning at 7:35 p.m. The following is a complete schedule of games for the first round series:

#4 Wheeling Nailers vs. #5 South Carolina Stingrays (Best of Five Series) AWAY: Wheeling at South Carolina - Tuesday, April 5 @ 7:00 PM AWAY: Wheeling at South Carolina - Wednesday, April 6 @ 7:00 PM HOME: South Carolina at Wheeling - Friday, April 8 @ 7:35 PM HOME: South Carolina at Wheeling -Saturday, April 9 @ 7:35 PM** HOME: South Carolina at Wheeling - Monday, April 11 @ 7:05 PM** ** If necessary

For Tickets: To purchase playoff tickets, or playoff ticket packages, call the Nailers office at (304) 234-GOAL, or (304) 234-4625 to speak to a ticket representative.You may receive discounted tickets rates by participating in one of our group ticket packages

Individual tickets are on sale now through The Wheeling Nailers Office, Ticketmaster and the WesBanco Arena Box Office. Office hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. For Weekend game days, the office opens four hours before game time. For more information on ticket packages call the Nailers at 304-234-GOAL or online at www.wheelingnailers.com.

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ECHL Stories from April 2, 2011


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