ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Cyclones Game Day Snap Shot

Published on October 6, 2016 under ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Preseason Game #1

WHEELING NAILERS

2015-16:

(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

Players With ECHL Experience: Andrew Ammon, Brent Clarke, Jordan Kwas, Darryl Lloyd, Kenton Miller, Luke Sandler, Sam Windle

CINCINNATI CYCLONES

2015-16:

(36-27-5-4, 81 PTS, 2nd Midwest, 7th West)

222 GF, 210 GA

PP: 17.6% (48-for-272), 10th

PK: 81.6% (200-for-245), 21st

Players Who Played in the ECHL in 2015-16: Rob De Fulviis, Mike Donnellan, Nick Huard, Eric Knodel, Colin Mulvey, Joel Rumpel, Jordan Sims

Head-to-Head

2015-16 Season Series: Nailers 3, Cyclones 1

2015-16 Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 1, Cyclones 0

All-Time Series: Nailers 59, Cyclones 56

All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 31, Cyclones 25

Hockey Season is Back

The Wheeling Nailers were one of the last two teams left playing in the 2015-16 season, and now, less than four months later, they are ready to hit the ice again, as they begin the 2016 Preseason Schedule, with a tilt against their nearby rivals, the Cincinnati Cyclones. Wheeling is coming off of its most successful playoff run in team history, as it won three postseason rounds, and 14 playoff contests, knocking off the Florida Everblades, Reading Royals, and South Carolina Stingrays, before coming up two wins short against the Allen Americans. While Cincinnati's season was a bit shorter, the Cyclones did reach the playoffs, as they took a 3-2 lead against the Fort Wayne Komets in the opening round, before dropping games six and seven on the road to end their run. The total time off between games for the Nailers was 118 days. 2016-17 will be the 29th season of ECHL hockey, and the 25th season of professional hockey in Wheeling.

Conference Foes Again

For the third consecutive summer, the ECHL realigned divisions and conferences, so for the fourth year in a row, the Nailers and Cyclones will look at each other in a different light. Wheeling will compete in the North Division of the Eastern Conference, playing along with Adirondack, Brampton, Elmira, Manchester, and Reading. Meanwhile, Cincinnati finds itself in the South Division of the Eastern Conference, jostling with Atlanta, Florida, Greenville, Norfolk, Orlando, and South Carolina. Last season, the Nailers and Cyclones were non-conference opponents, despite the fact that Cincinnati is Wheeling's closest opponent geographically. The year before that (2014-15), the two squads were divisional opponents, and in 2013-14, the setup was similar to this season, as the two teams were in the same conference, but not in the same division. With this season's new playoff format, the only opportunity for the Nailers and Cyclones to do battle in the postseason is in the Eastern Conference Championship Round.

Renewing the Preseason Rivalry

Since Wheeling's old rival Johnstown departed the league in 2010, fans have been able to set their clocks for a pair of preseason showdowns between the Nailers and Cyclones. 2016 will mark the sixth time in the last seven years that the two clubs will take the ice against each other in preseason action. Last year was the only time that the two-game set resulted in a sweep, as Cincinnati won the opening match 6-1 at US Bank Arena, before escaping with a 4-2 victory at WesBanco Arena. The Nailers will be looking to end a two-game home preseason skid against the Cyclones on Thursday, as the two teams split two games in Wheeling in 2014. 2011 was the last time that the exhibition home-and-home series started with a home game for the Nailers, and 2013 was the lone year out of the seven that did not feature a clash between Wheeling and Cincinnati.

The Names You Know

Both teams will be icing very new lineups in Thursday night's game, as only four of the 40 expected players wore their team's uniform in 2015-16. For the Nailers, Jordan Kwas and Andrew Ammon are the two current players from the 2016 Eastern Conference Championship Team, while the Cyclones have familiar names Nick Huard and Colin Mulvey on their roster. Additionally, Wheeling has five more players with ECHL experience - Brent Clarke, Darryl Lloyd, Kenton Miller, Luke Sandler, and Sam Windle. Cincinnati has five other players who played elsewhere in 2015-16 - Rob De Fulviis, Mike Donnellan, Eric Knodel, Joel Rumpel, and Jordan Sims. Mulvey and De Fulviis both spent time with the Nailers during their careers, while Clarke has worn a Cyclones jersey. Donnellan and Sandler were teammates on Wheeling's preseason roster last autumn.

Wish We Played Them More

Both of the last two seasons have featured four-game season series between the Nailers and Cyclones, and all eight games have been played very close, with lots of exciting moments. Wheeling has been victorious in five of the eight matches, including three of four in 2015-16. The first game of the set was the memorable Education Day Comeback, when the Nailers erased a 5-2 deficit, scoring five goals in the final five minutes of play, sending Cincinnati home with a shocking 7-5 defeat. Wheeling then knocked off the Cyclones, 3-1 at US Bank Arena in early February, before the two sides split a pair of overtime contests on St. Patrick's Day Weekend. Six of the last eight games between the teams have been decided by one goal, with the other two coming out with two-goal margins.

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

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