Sports stats



ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Road Warriors Game Day Snap Shot

February 28, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Wheeling Nailers (25-25-0-0, 50 PTS) vs. Greenville Road Warriors (29-22-1-2, 61 PTS)

WHEELING NAILERS

(25-25-0-0, 50 PTS, 6th North, 12th East)

147 GF, 154 GA

PP: 17.2% (34-for-198), 13th

PK: 84.2% (176-for-209), 10th

23-F-Riley Brace (15 goals, 32 assists, 47 points in 39 games)

16-F-Derek Army (19 goals, 21 assists, 40 points in 50 games)

15-F-Zack Torquato (11 goals, 29 assists, 40 points in 37 games)

12-F-David Gilbert (13 goals, 17 assists, 30 points in 47 games)

20-F-Jarrett Burton (7 goals, 12 assists, 19 points in 34 games)

98-F-Chaz Johnson (10 goals, 8 assists, 18 points in 45 games)

9-D-David Makowski (5 goals, 7 assists, 12 points in 29 games)

30-G-Eric Hartzell (12-10-0 record, 2.69 GAA, .912 Sv% in 22 games)

GREENVILLE ROAD WARRIORS

(29-22-1-2, 61 PTS, 5th East, 7th East)

161 GF, 164 GA

PP: 13.5% (26-for-192), 24th

PK: 81.3% (148-for-182), 23rd

27-F-Vinny Saponari (15 goals, 35 assists, 50 points in 50 games)

29-F-Josh Nicholls (18 goals, 16 assists, 34 points in 38 games)

10-F-Kyle Jean (13 goals, 19 assists, 32 points in 43 games)

16-F-Chris McCarthy (13 goals, 17 assists, 30 points in 45 games)

7-D-Ryan Hegarty (9 goals, 19 assists, 28 points in 52 games)

18-F-Michael St. Croix (7 goals, 18 assists, 25 points in 41 games)

5-D-Spencer Humphries (2 goals, 20 assists, 22 points in 47 games)

31-G-Jason Missiaen (11-10-2 record, 3.34 GAA, .896 Sv% in 24 games)

Head-to-Head

Season Series: Road Warriors 2, Nailers 1

Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Road Warriors 2, Nailers 1

All-Time Series: Road Warriors 11, Nailers 9

All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 5, Road Warriors 5

Not Over Until We Say It Is

The Wheeling Nailers showed unbelievable resiliency on Friday night, as they picked up their second straight win, defeating the Elmira Jackals, 3-2 in a shootout. Regulation and overtime featured fantastic goaltending, as Franky Palazzese and Travis Fullerton combined for 69 saves on 73 shots. Wheeling never trailed in the game, as Riley Brace and David Makowski built 1-0 and 2-1 leads, only to see Elmira force extra hockey with a power play goal at the 17-minute mark in the third period. After a scoreless overtime, the two sides combined for 11 goals on 20 shootout attempts, with Chaz Johnson scoring the winning goal on the final shot of the tenth round. The Nailers fell behind five times in the shootout, battling back to tie each time.

Shootout Stopped the Skid

The Greenville Road Warriors were also involved in a thrilling game on Friday night, but they were probably hoping for a bit less drama, as they visited the Reading Royals. After falling behind 1-0, the Road Warriors scored the next five goals, building a 5-1 lead by the 5:43 mark of the second period. Josh Nicholls, Bretton Cameron, Scott Arnold, Chris McCarthy, and Vinny Saponari were the goal scorers. However, the first place Royals weren't about to go away quietly, as they rallied with four consecutive tallies, tying the game at five. Both sides came up empty in overtime, leading to a shootout, which was quickly decided in Greenville's favor. Kyle Jean, Michael St. Croix, and McCarthy scored on consecutive attempts to win in four rounds.

The Match Game Lasted Nine Rounds

While Friday night's shootout was far from setting the record for the longest shootout in ECHL history, it was the longest for Wheeling, dating back to before the start of the 2006-07 season (since Leaguestat took over ECHL.com), as ten shooters from each team were needed to decide a winner. The two squads matched each other goal-for-goal and save-for-save during the first nine rounds, which surprisingly enough, started with both sides going 0-for-2. Rounds three, four, and five saw both teams score, rounds six and seven saw the goaltenders shine, and rounds eight and nine both turned on the red light. Finally, in the tenth round, Lucas Bloodoff missed for Elmira, allowing Chaz Johnson to bury the clinching marker. Jean-Sebastien Dea, Riley Brace, Zack Torquato, David Makowski, and Paul Cianfrini were the other five scorers in the shootout for the Nailers, helping Franky Palazzese to his first professional shootout win, after a career-high 45-save performance during the game.

Warriors Back to .500 on the Road

Since their last visit to Wheeling on December 20th, the Road Warriors have spent most of their time at home, as Saturday night will be just their tenth road game in the last 27 contests. Greenville started the 2014-15 campaign with a strong record, going 11-8-1 away from home in October, November, and December. However, over the last nine games, the Road Warriors have struggled to live up to their name, going 2-5-2, with wins coming against Gwinnett and Reading. Prior to Friday, Greenville suffered three straight setbacks on the road, as it was outscored 16-7. At home, the Road Warriors have posted a 16-9-0 record, tying them with the Nailers and three other teams for the third most home victories in the Eastern Conference.

Same Place as the Last Three

Saturday night marks the fourth of five head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Road Warriors this season, with all five battles between the two clubs scheduled to take place at WesBanco Arena. Wheeling won the opening game of the series on November 26th, building a 3-0 lead, before holding on for a 4-2 victory. Prior to the holidays, Greenville took both decisions, using Jason Missiaen's 21-save shutout for a 1-0 win on December 19th, as well as a pair of goals late in the third period for a 5-3 triumph the following night. The two December wins by the Road Warriors ended a five-game home winning streak for the Nailers during the regular season portion of the historical series, as both teams have now won five times in West Virginia.

Saturday, February 28th is Pink in the Rink, when Wheeling battles Greenville at 7:35 . The Nailers will wear special jerseys, there will be pink rally towels handed out, and autographed mystery pucks will be available for purchase.

Sunday, March 1st wraps up the weekend at 4:05 against the Road Warriors on a Family Funday with $5 kids tickets, Oglebay Good Zoo Day, and a post game skate with the team. That day will also be the annual Pucks & Paws Day, when fans are invited to bring their dogs and cats to the game.

Tuesday, March 3rd will be the make-up game for the postponed contest from February 16th against the Jackals. Face-off is scheduled for 7:05, and fans will be able to purchase a hot dog and soda combo for $5.

Wheeling Nailers 2015-16 season tickets, as well as flex tickets, group tickets and single-game tickets for 2014-15 are on sale now. For more information, call 304-234-GOAL or visit wheelingnailers.com.

Listen to all Nailers regular season and post-season games live on the Valley's rock station EAGLE 107.5 FM, on www.iheartradio.com or watch live on www.echl.tv. Catch every road game live on WLUTV on Comcast Cable 14.

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics



ECHL Stories from February 28, 2015


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