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ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Admirals Game Day Snap Shot

March 13, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Lots of Cheering by Lots of People

The Wheeling Nailers welcomed their third largest crowd of the season into WesBanco Arena on Saturday night, and 4,546 fans left with smiles on their faces, thanks to a terrific performance by the home team. Wheeling came out on fire against the Kalamazoo Wings, racking up 22 shots in the first period, while jumping out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Cody Wydo and Chris Ciotti. Kalamazoo pulled within a goal during the middle frame, but the Nailers quickly restored their two-goal advantage when Connor Leen finished off an odd-man rush. A key moment took place in the second period, when Brian Foster made two of his 18 saves on Justin Taylor, denying a breakaway and a penalty shot. Wydo's second of the evening extended the Wheeling lead to three, before the Wings closed the gap to 4-2, which turned out to be the final score. With their 30th win of the campaign, the Nailers are seven games over .500 for the first time all year.

The Long Trip has Been Worth it So Far

The Norfolk Admirals embarked on a four-game, seven-day road trip at the start of the weekend, as they will ultimately visit the Kalamazoo Wings, Toledo Walleye, Wheeling Nailers, and Elmira Jackals. Thus far, the Admirals have earned three out of four possible points, after knocking off Kalamazoo, 5-2 on Friday, and dropping a 2-1 decision in overtime to the Walleye. In Friday night's tilt, Norfolk stormed out of the gates with three goals before the first period was ten minutes old. The Wings attempted a comeback in the third, put the fast start was too much to overcome, as the Admirals skated away with the victory, utilizing goals from five different players. In Saturday's contest, Norfolk and Toledo exchanged goals in the opening stanza, with Evan Rankin striking first and Danick Gauthier answering. The score stayed deadlocked until 2:15 of overtime, when Beau Schmitz lifted the Walleye on Zombie Night. Nic Riopel got the win in net on Friday with 25 saves, while Ty Rimmer suffered the OT loss on Saturday, despite a 37-save effort.

Great Job Foster, Now it's Anderson's Turn

Brian Foster returned to the Nailers from the American Hockey League on Thursday, and promptly turned in back-to-back solid performances between the pipes, helping Wheeling earn three out of four possible points thus far this weekend. Foster made 24 saves in a 2-1 shootout setback against Toledo, then stopped 18 shots in a 4-2 triumph over Kalamazoo on Saturday, bringing his record to 2-0-1 in his last three ECHL starts, and 3-0-1, when you include his recent work in the AHL. On Sunday afternoon, the Nailers will turn to JP Anderson for the first time. Anderson, 23, is in his third season as a pro, and Wheeling will be his fifth stop, after suiting up with San Francisco, Ontario, and Allen in the ECHL, in addition to 16 games with the AHL's Worcester Sharks in 2014-15. JP has 13 professional wins under his belt, after an excellent junior career, which saw him reach the Memorial Cup Final in 2011 as a member of the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors. He will be the first left-handed netminder to appear in a game for the Nailers since Alex Westlund in 2013-14.

Let's Make a Few Deals

The ECHL's Trade Deadline passed on Thursday, but before then, one of the busier teams making last minute deals was Norfolk, who has quite a few new faces since the last time it visited West Virginia. The trading party started on March 3rd, when the Admirals acquired defenseman Davis Vandane from the Alaska Aces. Vandane lit the lamp in his second game with the club. Then, on Wednesday, Norfolk added a pair of players from the Reading Royals in forward Robbie Czarnik and defenseman Sam Windle. Experienced forward Michael Pelech went the other way. Czarnik's 47 points put him into a tie with Steven Whitney for the team's lead in scoring. The final trade came on Thursday, when the Admirals loaded up their offense even more with 2015 ECHL All-Star Danick Gauthier, who came in a deal with the Rapid City Rush. Forward Dean Ouellet and defenseman Wes Cunningham are two other players that have been acquired via trade since the teams last collided.

West Virginia and Virginia Meet for the Last Time

Sunday afternoon marks the fifth and final head-to-head meeting between the Nailers and Admirals this season, as well as the second battle at WesBanco Arena. Wheeling got the season series started with a 3-0 victory all the way back on Opening Night, but since then, it has been all Norfolk, as the Admirals have won each of the last three, pouring in 15 goals during those contests. Norfolk answered Wheeling's triumph one night later, 4-2, then picked up a decisive 6-2 win at home on November 7th to close out the Virginian portion of the set. On January 3rd, the two teams made their way to the Ohio Valley for a game which was won by Norfolk, 5-3. Jarrett Burton and Michael Pelech were the leaders with four points each in the first four games. There are seven Nailers and six Admirals on the active rosters that played on Opening Night.

Wheeling Nailers (30-23-2-4, 66 Pts.) vs. Norfolk Admirals (25-30-4-1, 55 Pts.)

WHEELING NAILERS

(30-23-2-4, 66 PTS, 2nd North, 8th East)

181 GF, 180 GA

PP: 16.4% (36-for-220), 16th

PK: 84.2% (192-for-228), 15th

23-F-Riley Brace (21 goals, 31 assists, 52 points in 43 games)

18-D-Mathew Maione (8 goals, 37 assists, 45 points in 57 games)

11-F-Cody Wydo (20 goals, 20 assists, 40 points in 46 games)

25-F-John McCarron (8 goals, 14 assists, 22 points in 38 games)

17-F-Jordan Kwas (6 goals, 15 assists, 21 points in 47 games)

27-D-Brett Stern (6 goals, 15 assists, 21 points in 59 games)

1-G-JP Anderson (First Start of the Season)

NORFOLK ADMIRALS

(25-30-4-1, 55 PTS, 5th East, 13th East)

171 GF, 194 GA

PP: 17.4% (38-for-219), 8th

PK: 83.2% (213-for-256), 18th

14-F-Robbie Czarnik (23 goals, 24 assists, 47 points in 53 games)

21-F-Steven Whitney (18 goals, 29 assists, 47 points in 58 games)

10-F-Scott Allen (15 goals, 19 assists, 34 points in 42 games)

22-F-Alexis Loiseau (11 goals, 22 assists, 33 points in 42 games)

15-F-Greg Chase (16 goals, 15 assists, 31 points in 31 games)

41-D-Jordan Hill (4 goals, 20 assists, 24 points in 60 games)

33-G-Nic Riopel (8-11-1 record, 2.61 GAA, .918 Sv% in 23 games)

Head to Head

Season Series: Admirals 3, Nailers 1

Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Admirals 1, Nailers 0

All-Time Series: Admirals 3, Nailers 1

All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Admirals 1, Nailers 0

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

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ECHL Stories from March 13, 2016


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