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ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Royals Game Day Snap Shot

April 8, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


We'll Take a Point There

The Wheeling Nailers picked up three out of six possible points last weekend, as they had the tall task of facing three teams which all entered the week inside the race for the Kelly Cup Playoffs. After falling 4-1 to Reading on Friday and knocking off Manchester 2-1 on Saturday, the Nailers made their way to Toledo for the last game of their season series against the Walleye. The two clubs exchanged goals 3:09 apart in the first period, as Kyle Bonis opened the scoring for Toledo, before Anton Zlobin answered with his tenth goal of the season to deadlock the score, 1-1. Defense and goaltending took over from there, as each team guaranteed itself a point by keeping the contest tied. While overtime was necessary, it ended in extremely quick fashion, as the Walleye twin brothers Tyson and Tylor Spink connected just 18 seconds into the extra session, giving the home team a 2-1 win. Jeff Lerg and Franky Palazzese were both stellar in goal, combining to turn aside 53 of 56 shots.

A Strong Week has Them on the Verge

The Reading Royals made a strong case for themselves in the Eastern Conference Playoff Race last week, as they earned seven out of eight possible points, leaving them just one point away from securing a spot in the dance. After falling 3-2 in overtime to Elmira on Tuesday, the Royals rebounded with a 4-1 win in Wheeling on Friday night. That success continued when Reading returned to Santander Arena for a two-game set against the Norfolk Admirals. On Saturday night, the Royals came back from a 2-1 deficit, as Nikita Kashirsky knotted the game in the second period, and Yannick Tifu's second of the night broke the tie with 4:49 to go giving Matt Skoff his first professional win in goal. Reading also fell behind on Sunday, entering the third period down 1-0, before one tally from Mike Marcou and two from Mike Pereira rallied the Royals to the 3-1 triumph, which was backstopped by Adam Morrison's 32 saves.

The Who's, Where's, and When's

With two games remaining in the 2015-16 regular season, there is still lots to be determined, as five teams are separated by three points, with only four of the five receiving invitations to the Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Nailers enter the weekend in a three-way tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference, owning the first tiebreaker with Elmira (ROW; 35-31), but trailing in the third tiebreaker with Kalamazoo (Head-to-Head; 5-3). Wheeling can still pass Reading, who currently sits in fifth place in the conference, but would need two wins to do so, without letting a point go the other way, as those two clubs go head-to-head. Adirondack is one point ahead of the Nailers, entering a home-and-home series with Manchester, starting in New Hampshire on Friday. Kalamazoo faces off against Toledo in a home-and-home series, starting in T-Town, while Elmira and Brampton will play once at each other's building, starting north of the border. Wheeling can clinch a playoff berth on Friday with a win and an Elmira loss in regulation. Otherwise, the Nailers will have to wait until game 72 to decide their fate. As it stands, all positions 5-9 are mathematically possible, and all can still be possible after Friday.

Lots of Accolades Going Around

Whether it was from the team or the league, many of the Nailers got to take home honors this week. On Wednesday night, the organization handed out its yearly awards, with eight different players getting called up to the podium. Brett Stern was the lone person to hear his name called twice, as he won the Fan Choice Player of the Year, as well as the Player's Player - the two player awards not selected either purely on statistics or by the staff. On a league level, Wheeling had three players receive recognition. On Monday, forward Cody Wydo was named ECHL Rookie of the Month for March, after racking up 18 points in 13 games. Then, on Thursday, the Nailers had a pair of players chosen for the All-ECHL Teams. Mathew Maione's 51 points to lead all defensemen in scoring earned him a spot on the All-ECHL First Team, while Riley Brace's sixth best point total (63) in the entire league landed him a position on the All-ECHL Second Team. Maione and Brace are both first time winners, and 2015-16 marks the first time that two Nailers were chosen in the same season since 1994-95.

Here Today, There Tomorrow

Friday night marks the tenth of 11 head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Royals this season, as well as the sixth and final battle at WesBanco Arena. The 2015-16 season series has seen an interesting twist in fates, as each of the first five games played were decided in favor of the home team, while the most recent four have all gone the way of the visiting club. Reading earned its second straight win in Wheeling last Friday, after dropping each of its last ten before that. On Saturday, the Nailers will be in search of their third consecutive triumph at Santander Arena, after lighting the lamp 11 times there in two games during early March. Wheeling carries a 5-4 lead in the set going into Friday night, and is in search of its second straight season with a winning record in the 15-year all-time series. The two teams will play for the 11th and final time on Saturday night in Pennsylvania, as one of seven home-and-home series around the ECHL this weekend.

Wheeling Nailers (35-26-5-4, 79 Pts.) vs. Reading Royals (36-24-6-4, 82 Pts.)

WHEELING NAILERS

(35-26-5-4, 79 PTS, T-2nd North, T-7th East)

206 GF, 206 GA

PP: 16.9% (44-for-260), 12th

PK: 83.9% (219-for-261), 17th

23-F-Riley Brace (26 goals, 37 assists, 63 points in 54 games)

18-D-Mathew Maione (9 goals, 42 assists, 51 points in 68 games)

11-F-Cody Wydo (22 goals, 27 assists, 49 points in 57 games)

25-F-John McCarron (12 goals, 16 assists, 28 points in 49 games)

17-F-Jordan Kwas (8 goals, 20 assists, 28 points in 58 games)

27-D-Brett Stern (7 goals, 17 assists, 24 points in 70 games)

29-G-Franky Palazzese (20-15-3 record, 2.82 GAA, .907 Sv% in 38 games)

READING ROYALS

(36-24-6-4, 82 PTS, 2nd East, 5th East)

217 GF, 186 GA

PP: 18.4% (49-for-266), 6th

PK: 84.6% (198-for-234), 13th

19-F-Justin Crandall (16 goals, 38 assists, 54 points in 52 games)

28-F-Cam Reid (18 goals, 28 assists, 46 points in 51 games)

10-F-Yannick Tifu (18 goals, 25 assists, 43 points in 64 games)

55-F-Michael Pelech (11 goals, 32 assists, 43 points in 68 games)

26-F-Nikita Kashirsky (13 goals, 26 assists, 39 points in 58 games)

43-D-Kevin Young (6 goals, 25 assists, 31 points in 54 games)

39-G-Adam Morrison (9-6-6 record, 2.55 GAA, .917 Sv% in 22 games)

Head to Head

Season Series: Nailers 5, Royals 4

Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 3, Royals 2

All-Time Series: Royals 84, Nailers 68

All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 38, Royals 37

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics



ECHL Stories from April 8, 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.

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