ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers Game Preview: Kalamazoo Vs Wheeling

Published on January 28, 2012 under ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Kalamazoo Wings (22-14-2-2 48 Pts) vs. Wheeling Nailers (22-15-2-1 47 Pts)

On Saturday night, the Wheeling Nailers will continue Penguins Weekend at WesBanco Arena, when they welcome the North Division leading Kalamazoo Wings to town.

In an interesting twist of fate, all four games that took place in the Eastern Conference on Friday night were won by teams who entered the evening outside of the playoff picture, as Cincinnati, Reading, Toledo, and Trenton were all victorious, knocking off Kalamazoo, Wheeling, Chicago, and South Carolina. Therefore, the top seven teams in the conference remain in the identical position that they were entering the weekend, with the Nailers currently standing in sixth, and the Wings currently standing in third. Wheeling enters Saturday with a 22-15-2-1 record, which is good for 47 points, as well as second place in the Atlantic Division. Kalamazoo's current record is 22-14-2-2, which is good for 48 points, as well as the top spot in the North Division.

For the second straight game, the Nailers took on the Reading Royals, as the two teams collided at WesBanco Arena on Friday night. The pattern of the season series continued as it has gone for almost all of the contests, as the visiting Royals came out on top by a final score of 4-2, giving the road team the win in seven of eight games. Chris Barton and Peter Lenes were the goal scorers for Wheeling, with Barton netting his team-leading 22nd of the season, while Lenes matched his total with Trenton, picking up his seventh goal and 12th point in just eight games. Paul Crowder, Jordon Southorn, Nick Petersen, and Andrew Hotham recorded the assists. Hotham now has four points in four games since returning from an injury that kept him out of the lineup for 21 games. Meanwhile, Petersen has four points in two games since being assigned to the Nailers from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The Kalamazoo Wings enter Saturday night's battle, having alternated wins and losses in each of their last eight games. The most recent contest in that stretch took place on Friday night at Wings Stadium, when they dropped a 3-2 overtime decision against the Cincinnati Cyclones. Brent Clarke and Bryan Haczyk lit the lamp, while Maxime Clermont's 42 saves earned his team a point. Clermont has started three of the last four games for the Wings, but still trails Riley Gill in all of the goaltending categories. Gill has appeared in 26 games, going 14-9-3, with a 3.05 GAA, and an .898 Sv%, while Clermont has played in 15 games, going 7-5-1, with a 3.41 GAA, and an .895 Sv%. Kalamazoo's strongest asset is their offense, which has found the twine a conference-leading 145 times. Trent Daavettila leads the way offensively with 31 assists, and 39 points, while Justin Taylor is the club's leading goal scorer with 16. On the blueline, the top scorer for the Wings is Sam Ftorek, who has eight goals and 27 points in 35 games.

This is the second of three meetings between the Nailers and Wings, as well as the final game of two at WesBanco Arena. Kalamazoo picked up the win in the first contest back on November 4th, edging out Wheeling 6-5, thanks to four power play goals. Both teams top scorers from that game have both left for Europe, as Patrick Asselin posted four points for the Wings, while Nick Plastino netted a pair of goals for the Nailers. Riley Gill and Patrick Killeen were the goaltenders of record.

There are two former Nailers currently on the Kalamazoo roster. Defenseman Elgin Reid played in 47 games with the Nailers during the 2008-09 season, recording 13 goals, 21 assists, and 34 points. Defenseman Joe Tolles played in 25 games for Wheeling earlier this season, posting one goal, four assists, and five points. There are no former Wings on the Wheeling roster.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Wheeling Nailers

22-15-2-1, 47 points, 2nd Atlantic Division, 6th Eastern Conference

132 GF, 115 GA

PP: 30-for-163 (18.4%), 9th

PK: 137-for-164 (83.5%), 8th

Active Leaders

Goals: Barton (22)

Assists: Crowder, Torquato (20)

Points: Barton (39)

Penalty Minutes: Ross (81)

+/-: Merth (+15)

Wins: Killeen (13)

GAA: Delmas, Killeen (2.71)

Sv%: Delmas (.899)

Kalamazoo Wings

22-14-2-2, 48 points, 1st North Division, 3rd Eastern Conference

145 GF, 135 GA

PP: 42-for-189 (22.2%), 1st

PK: 129-for-168 (76.8%), 20th

Active Leaders

Goals: Taylor (16)

Assists: Daavettila (31)

Points: Daavettila (39)

Penalty Minutes: Bootland (118)

+/-: Ftorek, Kivisto (+8)

Wins: Gill (14)

GAA: Gill (3.05)

Sv%: Gill (.898)

Saturday's game between the Nailers and Wings at WesBanco Arena begins at 7:35. For ticket information or to purchase tickets call 304-234-GOAL (4625) or online at shop.wheelingnailers.com. You can now purchase Nailers game tickets on your smartphone by visiting m.wheelingnailers.com.

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

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