Sports stats



ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Royals Game Day Snap Shot

November 13, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


A Royal Defensive Battle

The Wheeling Nailers had their best offensive performance on Tuesday morning, as they lit the lamp seven times, while matching a season-high with 40 shots on goal. As not such great luck would have it, the opposite was true on Wednesday night, as the Nailers faced the Reading Royals in a game that was dominated by defense. After Reading took a 1-0 lead 7:03 into the contest, Riley Brace pulled Wheeling even, finishing off a 2-on-1 rush with Derek Army. The Nailers struggled in the middle frame, recording just four shots on goal, as the Royals went back on top with 1:27 remaining. Despite a 10-4 shots advantage in the third, Wheeling was unable to erase the second deficit, falling 2-1. Brian Foster turned in a solid game with 22 saves.

Three Typical Suspects

Three different players figured into the scoring of Reading's two goals on Wednesday night, and although leading rookie scorer Justin Crandall was held off of the scoresheet, the three individuals involved shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Robbie Czarnik and Mike Pereira both tallied a goal and an assist, running their season totals to four goals and ten points. Czarnik had 40 points in 52 ECHL games last season, and could play in his 200th professional game as early as Sunday, with 145 AHL games on his resumé. Pereira is a rookie, who amassed 107 points in 135 games over four years at UMass-Amherst. The final assist went to Adam Comrie, who has racked up 56 points in 75 games with the Royals, including 29 goals. The beneficiary of that offense was Martin Ouellette, who ran his season record to 3-1-0, while keeping his goals against average at a minuscule 1.51.

AHL Call Ends the Iron Streak

Derek Army received some exciting news late on Thursday, as he was signed to a professional tryout by the Portland Pirates, and is expected to make his American Hockey League debut on Friday night. Army was Wheeling's leading scorer at the time of the transaction, after collecting eight assists and 11 points in ten games. The 2014-15 ECHL All-Rookie Team member led the Nailers with 29 goals a season ago, and finished second in points (66) behind Riley Brace, while becoming the first player since Brock Sheahan (2008-09) to appear in all 72 games in a season for Wheeling. With ten games under his belt this season and another four at the conclusion of his college career in 2013-14, Derek had a games played streak of 86 with the Nailers, which will come to an end on Friday. The North Kingstown, Rhode Island native will be the second Wheeling player to play at the ECHL and AHL levels this season, joining Ty Loney.

Where Did All the Shots Go

While the Nailers and Royals have shown their ability to put the puck in the net during the early part of the season, they have also produced two of the stingiest defenses in the ECHL. Despite being outshot for just the second time in ten games on Wednesday, Wheeling surrendered only 24 shots on goal to Reading, and enters the weekend averaging the fourth fewest shots against in the league at 26.00. On the other side of the ice, the Royals limited the Nailers to a mere 21 shots on goal, marking the seventh time in nine games that a Reading opponent has recorded 25 or fewer shots. The Royals have allowed the fewest shots per game, entering the weekend with an average of 22.00, which includes a 13-shot night by Elmira and a 16-shot tilt by Orlando.

All Square in the Wheel

Friday night marks the second of 11 head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Royals, as well as the first of six battles scheduled to take place at WesBanco Arena. It won't take Wheeling and Reading long to rekindle their rivalry, as the two sides will take the ice against each other four times during the month of November. However, those are the only four contests on the docket until a two-game weekend series in West Virginia on February 5th and 6th. Last season, the Nailers dominated the Royals on home ice, winning all six games, with five of them decided in regulation. Dating back to 2013-14, Wheeling has won seven straight against Reading in its backyard, while the home team has won 12 of the last 13 games in the all-time series. The Nailers and Royals have both won 36 times when Wheeling makes the last line change.

---

Wheeling Nailers (5-5-0-0, 10 Pts.) vs. Reading Royals (6-3-0-0, 12 Pts.)

WHEELING NAILERS

(5-5-0-0, 10 PTS, 1st North, T-7th East)

30 GF, 30 GA

PP: 20.0% (9-for-45), 10th

PK: 76.2% (32-for-42), T-22nd

20-F-Jarrett Burton (6 goals, 3 assists, 9 points in 10 games)

21-F-Sahir Gill (3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points in 10 games)

22-D-Clark Seymour (4 goals, 3 assists, 7 points in 10 games)

23-F-Riley Brace (2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points in 10 games)

25-F-John McCarron (1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points in 10 games)

27-D-Brett Stern (2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points in 10 games)

29-G-Franky Palazzese (3-2-0 record, 2.81 GAA, .887 Sv% in 5 games)

READING ROYALS

(6-3-0-0, 12 PTS, 2nd East, 5th East)

36 GF, 20 GA

PP: 20.5% (8-for-39), 9th

PK: 86.7% (26-for-30), 6th

19-F-Justin Crandall (4 goals, 9 assists, 13 points in 9 games)

7-F-Robbie Czarnik (4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points in 9 games)

14-F-Mike Pereira (4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points in 9 games)

11-D-Adam Comrie (5 goals, 4 assists, 9 points in 9 games)

28-F-Cam Reid (3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points in 7 games)

37-F-Joe Rehkamp (2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points in 9 games)

31-G-Connor Knapp (3-2-0 record, 2.28 GAA, .908 Sv% in 5 games)

Head to Head

Season Series: Royals 1, Nailers 0

2014-15 Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 6, Royals 0

All-Time Series: Royals 81, Nailers 63

All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 35, Royals 35

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...

ECHL Stories from November 13, 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