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ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Everblades Game Day Snap Shot

April 23, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


It's Now a Best-of-Three

The Wheeling Nailers gave their fans another thrilling result at WesBanco Arena on Friday night, and in doing so, deadlocked their best-of-seven series with the Florida Everblades at 2-2. Wheeling fell behind 3-0 in the second period, but began to stage a comeback, when John McCarron and Ty Loney lit the lamp 1:52 apart from each other. Florida rebuilt a two-goal cushion going into the intermission, but the Nailers still had more magic to utilize in their home building. 29 seconds into the third period, McCarron tallied his second of the night, while his team was playing shorthanded. 1:19 later, Cody Wydo evened the score, when he tapped in a loose puck on the left side of the net. With 12:22 to go in regulation, Riley Brace gave Wheeling its only lead of the night, when he drilled home a slap shot for what turned out to be the winning goal in a 5-4 triumph. Brian Foster was the winning goaltender, as he made 25 saves.

They Left the Door Open

The Florida Everblades probably thought they were in great position at the midway mark of Friday night's game, as they held a 2-1 advantage in the series and a 3-0 advantage in the contest. However, the second half of the tilt went in the opposite direction, and for just the second time in the series, the lead changed hands, as the Nailers netted five of the final six goals in a 5-4 decision for the home team. Florida registered the lone goal in the first period, as Brendan O'Donnell found the back of the net for the third time in the last two games. Early in the second period, two tallies in 13 seconds helped the Everblades increase their lead to three, as Ryan Martindale and Matt Willows made their way into the goal column. After Wheeling had pulled within two, Danny New restored Florida's two-goal lead, when he finished off a rush with the teams playing 4-on-4. The Everblades ended up being outshot 25-19 over the course of the final two frames, and Anthony Peters was unable to hold of the surge, as he was the victim of five goals on 31 shots.

Add Another Chapter to the Comeback Legend

Leads have been far from safe for teams playing against the Nailers in 2015-16, as the Everblades learned first hand on Friday night. Wheeling trailed Florida 3-0 with less than ten minutes remaining in the second period, before ending the game with five of the final six goals, rallying for the 5-4 win. Between the regular season and playoffs, Friday was the team's 16th comeback victory of the year, which is impressive in its own right. However, the accolades don't stop there. The Nailers have now won a game when trailing after two periods on nine occasions. They have erased a multiple goal deficit six times, and have come back from three goals down in four different scenarios. Three of the four three-goal comebacks have taken place at WesBanco Arena, including two in the month of April. On the other side of the rink, Friday was Florida's second regulation loss all year when leading after two periods.

The Scoresheets are Filled

While the sport of hockey appears to be slanting towards a defensive and goaltending mentality, the series between the Nailers and Everblades has been anything but, as the two teams have combined to turn on the red light 32 times during the first four games of the series. Games one, three, and four have each seen nine goals scored, with the two clubs exchanging 6-3 wins in the odd-numbered tilts, and Wheeling winning game four, 5-4. The fewest tallies came in game two, when Florida prevailed, 4-1. There is a very good chance that this will rank as one of the highest scoring series in team history. The most combined goals in a series all-time was 56, which was done in 1993, when the Wheeling Thunderbirds and Toledo Storm each beat the opposing netminder 28 times. The Nailers are three goals away from reaching the top-five in goals scored, while the series as a whole is four goals away from making a dent in the top-five.

Last One Before the Trip South

Saturday night is game five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series between the Nailers and Everblades, as well as the third and final battle at WesBanco Arena. Game four marked just the second time ever that Wheeling defeated Florida in West Virginia, as one of the other previous victories took place at Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown. The Nailers have won two of their last three home contests against the Everblades, giving them three home wins and ten wins overall against their counterparts for the series. Five of the 21 regular season matches that the two sides have played against each other have required extra hockey, but the four games in the series have all been settled in regulation, with just one of the four being decided by one goal. After Saturday, both clubs will take aerial transportation to Estero, where the series will resume for game six on Monday night.

Wheeling Nailers (2-2) vs. Florida Everblades (2-2)

WHEELING NAILERS

(2-2)

15 GF, 17 GA

PP: 14.3% (3-for-21), T-10th

PK: 80.0% (20-for-25), T-10th

23-F-Riley Brace (2 goals, 6 assists, 8 points in 4 games)

25-F-John McCarron (4 goals, 2 assists, 6 points in 4 games)

11-F-Cody Wydo (3 goals, 3 assists, 6 points in 4 games)

18-D-Mathew Maione (2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points in 4 games)

21-F-Andrew Ammon (1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points in 4 games)

17-F-Jordan Kwas (1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points in 4 games)

31-G-Brian Foster (1-1 record, 3.91 GAA, .860 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

(2-2)

17 GF, 15 GA

PP: 20.0% (5-for-25), T-6th

PK: 85.7% (18-for-21), T-6th

7-F-Ryan Martindale (3 goals, 3 assists, 6 points in 4 games)

29-F-Matt Willows (2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points in 4 games)

5-D-Danny New (2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points in 4 games)

21-F-Brendan O'Donnell (3 goals, 1 assist, 4 points in 4 games)

41-F-Jon DiSalvatore (1 goal, 3 assists, 4 points in 4 games)

11-F-Kevin Lynch (2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points in 4 games)

30-G-Anthony Peters (2-2 record, 3.91 GAA, .871 Sv% in 4 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 2, Everblades 2

Playoff Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 1, Everblades 1

Season Series: Nailers 2, Everblades 1

Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 0, Everblades 0

All-Time Series (Regular Season + Playoff): Everblades 15, Nailers 10

All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena (Regular Season + Playoff): Everblades 8, Nailers 3

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics



ECHL Stories from April 23, 2016


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