ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Royals Game Day Snap Shot

Published on March 1, 2014 under ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


WHEELING NAILERS

(28-21-1-5, 62 PTS, 2nd Atlantic, 7th East)

154 GF, 155 GA

PP: 14.9% (29-for-195), 13th

PK: 84.8% (189-for-223), 10th

15-F-Zack Torquato (13 goals, 29 assists, 42 points in 33 games)

21-F-Sahir Gill (10 goals, 29 assists, 39 points in 50 games)

2-D-Mike Ratchuk (11 goals, 20 assists, 31 points in 52 games)

17-F-Carter Rowney (10 goals, 20 assists, 30 points in 30 games)

16-F-Cody Sylvester (17 goals, 11 assists, 28 points in 36 games)

7-F-Max MacKay (12 goals, 16 assists, 28 points in 43 games)

30-G-Kieran Millan (2-0-0 record, 0.50 GAA, .978 Sv% in 2 games)

READING ROYALS

(32-19-1-1, 66 PTS, 1st Atlantic, 3rd East)

161 GF, 137 GA

PP: 15.0% (32-for-213), 12th

PK: 86.7% (163-for-188), 4th

16-F-Ryan Cruthers (12 goals, 26 assists, 38 points in 35 games)

14-F-TJ Syner (15 goals, 19 assists, 34 points in 42 games)

15-F-Sean Wiles (15 goals, 18 assists, 33 points in 38 games)

18-F-Domenic Monardo (17 goals, 13 assists, 30 points in 52 games)

4-D-Marvin Degon (5 goals, 23 assists, 28 points in 49 games)

11-D-Michal Cajkovsky (10 goals, 16 assists, 26 points in 48 games)

33-G-Brandon Anderson (17-8-1 record, 2.33 GAA, .911 Sv% in 27 games)

Head-to-Head

Season Series: Royals 7, Nailers 4

Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Royals 3, Nailers 2

All-Time Series: Royals 73, Nailers 54

All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Royals 34, Nailers 28

The Comeback of the Season

The Wheeling Nailers found themselves in quite the deficit on Friday night, as they trailed the Elmira Jackals, 4-0, with a little less than two minutes played in the second period. However, the Nailers were far from being out of the game, or the period, for that matter, as they stormed back to take a 5-4 lead into the second intermission. Anton Zlobin, Dustin Stevenson, Zack Torquato, Cody Sylvester, and Peter Merth scored the goals in the middle frame, while Eric Hartzell's confidence rose between the pipes. Sylvester capped off the victory with an empty net goal, as Wheeling rallied to win after trailing by four for the first time this season. Previously, the team had won once when trailing by three (November 23rd at Fort Wayne), and two other times when trailing by two.

A Royal Rumbling of the Conference Leaders

The Reading Royals enter Saturday on the heels of back-to-back wins, as they defeated the Elmira Jackals, 4-1 on Wednesday, before a 4-0 shutout victory against the South Carolina Stingrays on Friday. In Wednesday's game, the Royals fell behind 1-0, before rallying for four straight goals, including two power play markers. On Friday night, goaltender Brandon Anderson was the story, as he made 33 saves for his third shutout and 17th win of the season. In both of their wins, the Royals received goals from four different players, with TJ Syner standing as the lone player to light the lamp in both contests. Saturday night begins a stretch of eight straight games in which Reading will play only Wheeling, Evansville, and Elmira.

Two Goals That Were Well Worth the Wait

During Wheeling's second period comeback on Friday, it received a pair of goals from two relatively unlikely sources, as defenseman Dustin Stevenson cut the deficit to 4-2, before fellow blueliner Peter Merth put the Nailers ahead, 5-4. Although Stevenson had scored a goal in each of the last two postseasons, his last regular season goal before Friday came on January 28, 2011 - a span of 211 professional games. Merth's timeframe was a bit smaller, as his last goal came on November 1st, 2012 - a span of 55 professional games. Stevenson and Merth became the 24th and 25th players to score a goal for Wheeling in 2013-14.

Another Winning Road Trip

This season, the Nailers have had two road trips that have been six games in length, and on both occasions, they came home with a winning record. In November, Wheeling posted a 5-0-1 record in Reading, Fort Wayne, Cincinnati, and Elmira, and in February, the team went 4-2-0, picking up wins in Reading and Elmira. On the season, the Nailers have earned 14 wins away from WesBanco Arena in 29 games, matching their total at home, where they have gone 14-9-0-3 in 26 contests.

Closing the Gap

Saturday night's game marks the 12th of 15 head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Royals this season, as well as the sixth of seven tilts at WesBanco Arena. Reading exploded out of the gates in the season series, coming out on top in six of the seven games, with the lone setback coming in an overtime loss at Wheeling on December 6th. Since then, the Nailers have started to swing the series in their favor, after winning three of four contests in February. Wheeling and Reading are currently separated by just four points in the Eastern Conference Standings, with the Royals holding the lead, as well as two games in hand.

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



ECHL Stories from March 1, 2014


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.

OurSports Central