Nailers Conclude 3 Game Road Trip Tonight
Published on January 26, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release
Tuesday, January 26th, 7:05 (North Charleston Coliseum) -Wheeling Nailers at South Carolina Stingrays
Saturday, January 30th, 7:35 (WesBanco Arena, Wheeling) - South Carolina Stingrays at Wheeling Nailers
Sunday, January 31st, 3:05 (WesBanco Arena, Wheeling) - South Carolina Stingrays at Wheeling Nailers
Preview -
The Nailers conclude their three game road trip to the Carolinas Tuesday night at 7:00 as they again take on the defending league champion South Carolina Stingrays. It's also the second game of a four game series between the two teams which continues at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling this Saturday and Sunday.
The Nailers earned a hard-fought 3-2 win at the Stingrays Sunday evening with goals by Andrew Lord, Aaron Clarke and Blair Yaworski. Michael-Lee Teslak picked up the win with 17 saves on 19 shots.
The Nailers are 22-18-3 overall this season for 47 points, 8th place in the American Conference (the top 8 teams out of 12 qualify for the Kelly Cup Playoffs in April). The ever-tightening North Division race finds the Nailers only four points back of first place Cincinnati and Kalamazoo. A Wheeling victory would put all four teams in the division within just two points of each other.
A Nailers win would also push Wheeling past 7th place Reading in the conference and into a 6th place tie with Charlotte and only 2 points out of 2nd place in the extremely jammed standings.
The Nailers are 9-3-1 in their last 13 and are 1-1-0 on their road trip. They are 1-2-0 this season against South Carolina and 1-1-0 at North Charleston Coliseum.
The Stingrays are the first place team in the American Conference with a league best mark of 30-10-6 for 66 points which is 15 points better than 2nd place Cincinnati and Kalamazoo. The Stingrays had their 5 game win streak snapped with Sunday's 3-2 loss to Wheeling. South Carolina also had a 13 game win streak from Nov 24-Dec 19.
South Carolina is also the defending Kelly Cup Champions after defeating the Alaska Aces in a seven game finals series last year. The Stingrays only had 13 skaters (3 shy of the league standard of 16) for Sunday evening's game and are missing several key players to injury and call-ups. They may get a couple of players back from injury for tonight's game to avoid another skeleton line-up.
Congratulations Beau!
Thomas Beauregard was named the Sher-wood Hockey ECHL Player of the Week for Jan 11-17. The announcement came belatedly because of the All-Star Game festivities last week. The Montreal, Que. native also rejoined the team in Charleston, SC after his two game loan to Springfield of the AHL.
Beauregard is tied for the longest goal-scoring streak in the ECHL this year with his current six gamer which he will be looking to extend tonight against the Stingrays.
The 23 year old registered the first back-to-back multi-goal games of his career with three points (2g-1a) in a 5-3 win at Cincinnati on Jan. 12 and two points (2g-0a) in an 8-4 loss at Toledo on Jan. 15. Beauregard has a six-game goal streak (8g) and a seven-game point streak (8g-4a).
He was loaned to Springfield of the American Hockey League on Jan. 22 and has one assist and two penalty minutes in two games.
Beauregard leads the Nailers and is second in the ECHL with 26 goals while his 41 points is first on the Nailers and tied for 15th in the league. He leads the team and is tied for fifth in the ECHL with eight power-play goals while his three game-winning goals are tied for the team lead.
Notes
Michael-Lee Teslak will be the Nailers lone $B!F(Bregular' goalie for now while Brad Thiessen remains up with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Equipment manager Billy Higgins will again be suiting up as the team's Emergency Backup Goalie. The Michigan Tech product on contract with the Philadelphia Flyers will be making his 7th start in a row.
Andrew Lord's goal Sunday evening in the first period was his first in almost a month breaking a drought dating back to December 27th.
Aaron Clarke is tied for the league lead with 3 shorthanded goals. Clarke has 8 goals and 15 points in his last 11 games dating back to before his injury.
Mitch Ganzak leads ECHL defensemen with 24 assists and is 2nd in points with 29 trailing only J.C. Sawyer of Toledo.
Blair Yaworski has scored the game-winning goal in 3 of Wheeling's last 4 victories.
Andrew Lord is 3rd in the ECHL with 15 major penalties.
Ryan Schnell is 2nd among ECHL rookies in penalty minutes and major penalties with 105 PIM's and 13 majors. Only Brett Gallant of Elmira has more.
The Nailers have 4 shorthanded goals in the past two weeks in their last 6 games. It began with Zack Sill's shorty at Cincinnati on January 12th. Then Thomas Beauregard registered one against Toledo on January 17th followed by Blair Yaworski's on January 19th vs. Toledo and then Aaron Clarke on January 24th at South Carolina.
T.J. Fox scored 2 goals in Friday night's 5-4 loss at the Charlotte Checkers. It was his 3rd multi-goal game in the past month dating back to December 26th and ended a 5 game goal-less drought for the Oswego, NY native. T.J.'s 15 goals Is 2nd on the Nailers trailing only Thomas Beauregard's 26.
Jordan Fox had a goal in back to back games last Friday and Saturday against Toledo and Johnstown giving him 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points. Jordan is 3rd among active Nailers in goals and points. He has 4 assists and 6 points in his last 6 games.
Cliff Loya is playing his 217th game with Wheeling. That is 2nd all-time in Wheeling Nailers history passing Tim Roberts(215 games, 1992-96). Next up on the all-time list is all-time leader Stephan Brannare (231 games, 1997-99, 00-01, 03-06).
Congratulations to Nick Johnson who maintained an impressive trend by scoring a goal in his NHL debut last Thursday night against the Washington Capitals. While wearing #42, Johnson became the 42nd Wheeling Nailers alum to make it to the National Hockey League.
Sunday- Wheeling Nailers (22-18-3)
South Carolina Stingrays (30-10-6)
Head Coach:
Wheeling - Greg Puhalski
South Carolina- Cail MacLean
Affiliation:
Wheeling - Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Charlotte - New York Rangers (NHL), Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL),
Lake Erie Monsters (AHL)
South Carolina- Washington Capitals (NHL), Hershey Bears(AHL)
Top Nailers
Wheeling - Thomas Beauregard (26-15-41), T.J. Fox (15-16-31), Jordan Fox (12-18-30), Mitch Ganzak (5-24-29), Aaron Clarke (12-16-28)
Top Stingrays
South Carolina- Keith Johnson (18-25-43), Trent Campbell (10-27-37), Rob Ricci (17-19-36), Gregg Johnson (12-24-36)
Top Goalies
Wheeling- Michael-Lee Teslak (10-9-2, 3.34, 0.882%) (with Wheeling, 5-4-1, 3.80,.873)
South Carolina- Shane Connelly (9-7-3, 3.54, 0.889% / with SC 6-0-1, 2.71,. 918), Parker Van Buskirk (6-10-2, 3.58, 0.877%)
Upcoming Home Games
The Nailers return to Wheeling for back to back home games on Saturday and Sunday January 30th and 31st to host the South Carolina Stingrays. Saturday, January 30th is Doug Sauter Bobblehead Night for the first 2,500 fans courtesy of WesBanco and Wheeling Hockey Hall of Fame Night. Doug Sauter and Nick Bedway will be inducted in pre-game ceremonies featuring the unveiling of their Hall of Fame banners. Sauter is the first and all-time winningest head coach in Wheeling hockey history. Nick Bedway was a long-time beat-writer covering the team and introducing the Ohio Valley to pro hockey. They will be joining the inaugural class including all-time Wheeling leading scorer Darren Schwartz and WAHA founder Bob Otten.
Sunday, January 31st is a KoSports Ice of Dreams Day for the 3:05pm game and will feature an open-skate with the Nailers players after the game. Don't forget to bring your skates, gloves, and camera!
Nailers hockey is always the most awesome family entertainment value in town and we want you there cheering on your hometown team. Kids tickets are always $5 and students get in for only $7. Call the Nailers at 304-234-GOAL
Nailers Inaugural Education Day
There are still openings available for the Nailers inaugural Education Field Trip Day on Tuesday, February 9th. Tickets are free for all students and teachers when the Nailers play the Johnstown Chiefs at 11:00am. All the kids will be receiving an educational book and will quizzed on the material they learn at the game when they return to the classroom. It's going to be a really fun time for the kids so get your school signed up for the special event with the Nailers by calling 304-234-GOAL.
Experience Counts:
Greg Puhalski is entering his 16th year at the bench and 3rdfor the Nailers. He is second among all ECHL coaches with 601 coming into this season trailing only Steve Martinson who had 650 wins entering this year. Puhalski has over 200 ECHL wins dating back to the beginning of his coaching career with the Toledo Storm from 1994-98.
Right-Hand Man:
Greg Puhalski has an assistant coach on the staff this year. Doug Doull joins the Nailers and the Penguins organization after doing some coaching in Canadian University hockey for a couple seasons following his 8 year playing career in the AHL and NHL. Doull fought some of the NHL's toughest customers in his time with the Boston Bruins in 2003-04. He played 37 games in the NHL mostly with Boston (and 2 with Washington) and racked up 151 PIM's. His AHL career included stays with Hershey, San Antonio, Utah, Providence, St. John's, Saint John and with other AAA level teams in the old IHL in the late 90's with Michigan (now Kalamazoo), Detroit Vipers and Manitoba.
It's a Girl!!
Wheeling head coach Greg Puhalski is the Ohio Valley's newest Dad! His wife Ally is doing well after giving birth to that couple's first child, a healthy baby girl. Zara Katherine Puhalski was born at 7:05 p.m. on October 29th.
Nailers broadcaster Bob Rotruck and Nailers Accountant Linda Timberlake also share that birthday and both say they heartily approve of the date chosen by the newest member of Nailers Nation!
Congratulations Greg and Ally. And welcome to Nailers Nation Zara!!
ECHL Stories from January 26, 2010
- Stingrays End Home Stand With 3-1 Loss To Nailers - South Carolina Stingrays
- Nailers Topple League's Best Again 3-1 - Wheeling Nailers
- Ryan Cruthers Loaned To Norfolk - Reading Royals
- ECHL Transactions - ECHL
- Galivan Recalled By AHL Chicago - Atlanta Gladiators
- Grizzlies To Visit Shriners Hospital Wednesday; Guns N' Hoses Game Saturday - Utah Grizzlies
- Chiefs Autograph Session At Galleria Is Tomorrow - Johnstown Chiefs
- Florida's Brust Named Reebok Hockey ECHL Goaltender Of The Week - ECHL
- Barry Brust Named Reebok Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week - Florida Everblades
- Elmira's Tyler Donati Named Sher-Wood Hockey ECHL Player Of The Week - ECHL
- Gladiators Ink Youngclaus - Atlanta Gladiators
- Tyler Donati Named ECHL Player Of The Week - Elmira Jackals
- Roberts Returned On Loan From Lake Erie - Atlanta Gladiators
- Nailers Conclude 3 Game Road Trip Tonight - Wheeling Nailers
- Beauregard Returns And Wins Player Of Week - Wheeling Nailers
- Back On Golden Pond - Kalamazoo Wings
- Stingrays Gameday: Stingrays End Home Stand Tonight Against Nailers - South Carolina Stingrays
- ECHL Today - ECHL
- Walleye Release Two Players - Toledo Walleye
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