Nailers vs. Americans Game Day Snap Shot
June 1, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release
1-1 All Over Again
The Wheeling Nailers are involved in a tied series after two games for the fourth consecutive round, as they squared the set with the Allen Americans on Sunday afternoon. For the first two periods of action, it looked like the Nailers were going to coast to a victory, as they opened up a 7-1 lead against the Western Conference Champions. Derek Army, Clark Seymour, and Cody Wydo got the scoring started in the first period, with Army and Wydo collecting their markers on the man advantage. Anton Zlobin added a power play goal in the early stages of the middle frame, which was followed by goals from Jarrett Burton, Mathew Maione, and John McCarron. McCarron's strike was a shorthanded empty netter, and oddly enough, that ended up being the game winner, as Allen stormed back with five goals in the third period, forcing Wheeling to hold on for the 7-6 victory. Brian Foster got the win with 23 saves, while Franky Palazzese finished the contest making four stops.
Serious Surge in the Third
The Allen Americans finished in the top half of the ECHL during the regular season, averaging over three goals per game, and in Sunday's third period, Kelly Cup Final fans got a serious look at their offensive abilities. League MVP Chad Costello had the lone tally in the first two frames for the Americans, who faced a large deficit as the tilt reached its intermission. During the final stanza, Allen threw everything it had at the net, ultimately turning on the red light five times. Spencer Asuchak got the rally started by drilling in a centering pass from Dyson Stevenson. 1:59 later, Aaron Gens found the cage from high in the slot. The Americans then netted their first power play goal of the day, courtesy of Gary Steffes. Casey Pierro-Zabotel trimmed the margin to two at the 8:51 mark, before Gary Steffes banged in marker number six with 9:57 remaining. Allen was unable to muster a tying goal, and the final score stood, 7-6 in favor of the Nailers. Even though the winning goal went into an empty net, Joel Rumpel was charged with the loss, making 12 saves on 15 shots in relief of Jake Hildebrand, who gave up three goals on nine shots in the first period.
Zlobin Adding Extra Power to Power Play
In the first two games of the Kelly Cup Final, the Nailers have had an electric power play, as they went 2-for-4 in game one, before a 3-for-4 effort in game two ran their playoff success rate to 22.6%. A big reason for Wheeling's recent success on the man advantage has been the play of forward Anton Zlobin. The Moscow, Russia native missed seven straight games in the second and third rounds, before being reinserted into the lineup for game six against the South Carolina Stingrays. He prompty scored twice, with both tallies coming on the man advantage, as the Nailers won to force a decisive seventh match. Thus far against the Americans, Zlobin has drilled in two slap shots on the power play, while adding an assist, which also came with an opposing player in the sin bin. Anton has recorded five goals, two assists, and seven points in ten playoff games, with all seven points coming on the power play. Wheeling ranks second on the man advantage in the playoffs, trailing Allen, who has gone 3-for-8 in the two games, bringing its number up to 27.6%.
We've Seen Four and There Could be a Fifth
For the fourth straight series, both Wheeling netminders have appeared in at least one game, as Brian Foster went 1-1 in the first two contests, while Franky Palazzese played the final 9:57 of the third period to finish off the game two victory. In the other crease, the Nailers have seen two opposing goaltenders for the third time in four series, as both Jake Hildebrand and Joel Rumpel saw time between the pipes on Sunday afternoon. Hildebrand started and won the series opener on Saturday, before lasting only one period in game two, as he was beaten three times on nine shots. Regular season wins leader Joel Rumpel took over in the second period, and finished the game with 12 saves. Sunday marked the third time in the playoffs that Wheeling chased a goaltender from the net and the second time that the Nailers made a netminding change of their own. The Americans have three goalies on their playoff roster, with Riley Gill waiting in the wings after going 9-4 in the first three series.
Welcome to Our House
Wednesday night is game three of the Kelly Cup Final Series between the Nailers and Americans, as well as the first of three battles at WesBanco Arena. Allen will become the fifth team to make its first ever visit to Wheeling this season, after joining the ECHL prior to the 2014-15 season. Multiple players on the Americans have visited the building in the past, including Casey Pierro-Zabotel, who played with the Nailers in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 campaigns. Wheeling will be looking to build on a 6-4 home record in the playoffs, while Allen comes in with a 5-3 record away from Texas. For the second straight round and third time in four series, the only way the set can end in West Virginia is if one team wins all three contests. Neither the Nailers nor Thunderbirds have ever had a final or semi-final series involving a trophy presentation end in Wheeling. The Americans have won all seven of their semi-final or final clinchers on home ice.
Wheeling Nailers (13-9) vs. Allen Americans (13-7)
WHEELING NAILERS
(13-9)
71 GF, 70 GA
PP: 22.6% (21-for-93), 2nd
PK: 85.7% (90-for-105), 4th
23-F-Riley Brace (5 goals, 18 assists, 23 points in 22 games)
18-D-Mathew Maione (6 goals, 15 assists, 21 points in 22 games)
25-F-John McCarron (10 goals, 10 assists, 20 points in 21 games)
11-F-Cody Wydo (9 goals, 9 assists, 18 points in 22 games)
24-F-Ty Loney (6 goals, 9 assists, 15 points in 22 games)
19-F-Shane Bakker (5 goals, 9 assists, 14 points in 22 games)
29-G-Franky Palazzese (4-3 record, 2.30 GAA, .910 Sv% in 9 games)
(37-26-5-4, 83 PTS, 2nd North, 5th East)
214 GF, 211 GA
PP: 17.8% (48-for-269), 9th
PK: 83.6% (225-for-269), 15th
23-F-Riley Brace (26 goals, 41 assists, 67 points in 56 games)
18-D-Mathew Maione (11 goals, 43 assists, 54 points in 70 games)
11-F-Cody Wydo (23 goals, 27 assists, 50 points in 59 games)
25-F-John McCarron (14 goals, 17 assists, 31 points in 51 games)
17-F-Jordan Kwas (9 goals, 20 assists, 29 points in 60 games)
27-D-Brett Stern (7 goals, 17 assists, 24 points in 72 games)
29-G-Franky Palazzese (20-15-3 record, 2.86 GAA, .906 Sv% in 39 games)
ALLEN AMERICANS
(13-7)
67 GF, 57 GA
PP: 27.6% (24-for-87), 1st
PK: 79.5% (67-for-83), 11th
13-F-Chad Costello (5 goals, 22 assists, 27 points in 20 games)
10-D-David Makowski (5 goals, 15 assists, 20 points in 18 games)
15-F-Greger Hanson (12 goals, 7 assists, 19 points in 19 games)
7-D-Eric Roy (3 goals, 13 assists, 16 points in 19 games)
12-F-Gary Steffes (10 goals, 5 assists, 15 points in 20 games)
16-F-Vincent Arseneau (7 goals, 6 assists, 13 points in 18 games)
30-G-Riley Gill (9-4 record, 2.37 GAA, .920 Sv% in 15 games)
(41-24-3-4, 89 PTS, 2nd Central, 4th West)
222 GF, 204 GA
PP: 21.1% (58-for-275), 1st
PK: 86.4% (247-for-286), 3rd
13-F-Chad Costello (24 goals, 79 assists, 103 points in 72 games)
18-F-Casey Pierro-Zabotel (15 goals, 32 assists, 47 points in 58 games)
12-F-Gary Steffes (22 goals, 23 assists, 45 points in 69 games)
10-D-David Makowski (17 goals, 21 assists, 38 points in 54 games)
43-D-Matt Register (7 goals, 30 assists, 37 points in 53 games)
15-F-Greger Hanson (14 goals, 22 assists, 36 points in 33 games)
30-G-Riley Gill (13-12-1 record, 2.74 GAA, .907 Sv% in 29 games)
Head to Head
Playoff Series: Nailers 1, Americans 1
Playoff Series at WesBanco Arena: First Game
No Previous Games Between the Teams
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- ECHL Today - June 1 - ECHL
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