Sports stats



ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Everblades Game Day Snap Shot

April 20, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


All Tied as the Cities Switch

The Wheeling Nailers and Florida Everblades have made their way to the Ohio Valley for game three of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series, after splitting a pair of contests at Germain Arena. Wheeling took the series opener, 6-3 on Friday, rolling out to a 4-0 lead in the first period. John McCarron and Mathew Maione both tallied twice, while Cody Wydo tacked on four points in the winning effort. However, the script took a different turn on Saturday in game two. After a scoreless first period, the Everblades netted the first three goals of the tilt, as Ryan Martindale converted on a power play tally, which was followed up by even strength markers from Matt Willows and Jon DiSalvatore. Anton Zlobin attempted to cut into the deficit with a power play goal for the Nailers, but Matt Marquardt salted away the 4-1 win for Florida with one final goal in the closing minutes of the third period.

The Men Behind the Masks

Franky Palazzese and Anthony Peters were the starting goaltenders for the first two games of the series, and in all likelihood, both players will find themselves between the pipes on Wednesday night at WesBanco Arena. The two clashes in Estero were drastically different for Peters, whose night came to an early end on Friday, as he was bested four times on ten shots, before giving way to Rasmus Tirronen, who was 21-for-23 in relief. On Saturday night, Peters was dealt a lighter workload, but passed a big test early, as he was perfect on 11 Nailers shots in the opening stanza. He ended the evening with 20 saves on 21 shots for his first pro playoff win. Palazzese had a busier night on Saturday, as he had to face 39 Florida attempts, coming away with 35 stops. Franky backstopped his second career postseason win in a Wheeling uniform on Friday, with a 25-save effort.

Two Open Spots Remain

Zack Torquato will make his series debut for the Nailers on Wednesday night, as he was returned to the club from the AHL's Chicago Wolves, after spending most of four months at hockey's triple-A level. In doing so, he will become the 21st player to join Wheeling's playoff roster, leaving the Nailers with two remaining spots available for six players currently playing in the AHL. He will also be the 19th different skater to appear in a game during the current postseason and 20th player, as goaltender Brian Foster is the lone Nailer who has yet to appear in the 2016 Kelly Cup Playoffs. With Mike Cornell and Ethan Werek joining the series on Saturday, the Everblades have utilized all 23 of their roster spots. However, Ralph Cuddemi, Rob Florentino, and Matt Stanisz have yet to make an appearance in the first two contests. Torquato is tied for sixth in playoff scoring in team history, as he enters with 14 points in 18 games.

Waters Getting Dangerous

While there may not be a regular rivalry between Wheeling and Florida, a pair of three-goal decisions has sparked some dislike in the first two tilts of the best-of-seven series. On Friday night, the two teams combined for 14 power plays, while a total of five penalties were assessed during the final five minutes of play. Saturday night's affair added to the feud, as the first fight took place, with Danny Fick and Danny New doing the dance at the 20-minute mark of the third period. The power play total dropped from 14 to nine, but the penalty minute total jumped from 38 to 65. Part of that came from two game misconducts against the Nailers. John McCarron and Shane Bakker received supplemental discipline in the form of fines, but both are expected to be in the lineup for game three. After a penalty free first period on Saturday, there were eight distributed in the second, and another 12 in the third. After three days off, the teams could see each other as many as five more times over the next eight days.

We Had to Invite Them for Playoffs

Wednesday night marks the first visit of the 2015-16 season to WesBanco Arena for the Everblades, as all three games of the regular season series and both postseason clashes took place in Southwest Florida. Wheeling posted a 3-2-0 record on enemy ice this year, continuing the historical trend of the road team having the greater success. Florida has made the treck up north for nine games during its 18 seasons in the ECHL, but only seven of those games occured at WesBanco Arena, as the other two were played in Johnstown during the 2011-12 campaign. On November 29, 2014, the Nailers ended a six-game home winless streak against the Everblades, thanks to a 3-2 triumph. While six may seem like a long streak, four of those decisions came via the shootout, as Wheeling and Florida have had five of 21 all-time regular season contests require the skills competition. The Everblades have never played more than two road games against the Nailers in any season.

Best-of-Seven Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series Tied, 1-1

WHEELING NAILERS

(1-1)

7 GF, 7 GA

PP: 18.2% (2-for-11), T-7th

PK: 83.3% (10-for-12), T-7th

11-F-Cody Wydo (1 goal, 3 assists, 4 points in 2 games)

18-D-Mathew Maione (2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points in 2 games)

25-F-John McCarron (2 goals, 2 points in 2 games)

21-F-Andrew Ammon (1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points in 2 games)

23-F-Riley Brace (2 assists, 2 points in 2 games)

6 players tied with 1 point

29-G-Franky Palazzese (1-1 record, 3.51 GAA, .896 Sv% in 2 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)

FLORIDA EVERBLADES

(1-1)

7 GF, 7 GA

PP: 16.7% (2-for-12), T-9th

PK: 81.8% (9-for-11), T-9th

29-F-Matt Willows (1 goal, 3 assists, 4 points in 2 games)

7-F-Ryan Martindale (2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points in 2 games)

41-F-Jon DiSalvatore (1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points in 2 games)

5-D-Danny New (3 assists, 3 points in 2 games)

28-F-Matt Marquardt (2 goals, 2 points in 2 games)

2 players tied with 2 points

30-G-Anthony Peters (1-1 record, 3.75 GAA, .839 Sv% in 2 games)

(46-23-1-2, 95 PTS, 2nd South, 4th East)

226 GF, 175 GA

PP: 17.1% (45-for-263), 13th

PK: 86.0% (203-for-236), 4th

29-F-Matt Willows (23 goals, 43 assists, 66 points in 71 games)

11-F-Kevin Lynch (22 goals, 36 assists, 58 points in 62 games)

28-F-Matt Marquardt (15 goals, 30 assists, 45 points in 72 games)

21-F-Brendan O'Donnell (17 goals, 20 assists, 37 points in 53 games)

23-F-Brant Harris (19 goals, 15 assists, 34 points in 51 games)

20-D-Corey Syvret (7 goals, 21 assists, 28 points in 70 games)

30-G-Anthony Peters (27-15-2 record, 2.20 GAA, .920 Sv% in 46 games)

Head to Head

Playoff Series: Nailers 1, Everblades 1

Playoff Series at WesBanco Arena: First Game

Season Series: Nailers 2, Everblades 1

Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 0, Everblades 0

All-Time Series (Regular Season + Playoff): Everblades 14, Nailers 9

All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena (Regular Season + Playoff): Everblades 7, Nailers 2

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics



ECHL Stories from April 20, 2016


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Wheeling Nailers Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central