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ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Solar Bears Game Day Snap Shot

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


Second Period Struggles

The Wheeling Nailers have completed the first four contests in their seven-game homestand, posting a 1-2-1 record thus far. One trend that the Nailers would like to reverse is their performance in the second period. On Sunday afternoon, the Norfolk Admirals lit the lamp four times in the middle frame, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 lead, in an eventual 5-3 victory at WesBanco Arena. Wheeling has been outscored 11-4 in the second stanza in the last four games, but most of the damage has come from the two Sunday games against Kalamazoo and Norfolk. In Sunday's game, the Nailers built their first period lead on two goals by Anton Zlobin, who finished the weekend with four goals and six points in three games. The other Wheeling marker came from Matia Marcatuoni. Franky Palazzese made his seventh straight start in goal, stopping 33 of the 38 shots he faced - his second highest totals during the stretch.

Bust Out the Winter Clothing

The Orlando Solar Bears are in the midst of a seven-game road trip, of which, the first six tilts take place against teams outside of the South Division. The trip began on Wednesday night in Norfolk against the Admirals, and will ultimately take the Solar Bears through Wheeling, Kalamazoo, Fort Wayne, and Indy, before a quick one-game stop in Estero against their in-state rival, the Florida Everblades. In Wednesday's clash, Orlando was off and running from the drop of the puck, as Erik Bradford and Rylan Schwartz built a 2-0 lead before the game was four minutes old. TJ Foster added to the advantage later in the period, before Zach Bell's first tally of the campaign made the score 4-0 in favor of the visitors during the middle frame. Norfolk rallied to within two goals, but a 39-save performance by Rob Madore preserved the 4-2 victory for the Solar Bears - their third in the last four games.

Welcome Back, Captain

Transactions and injuries have left the Nailers in a very challenging position over the past few weeks, as nine players currently remain in the American Hockey League, while two players are out of the lineup with injuries. Wheeling is expected to get one player back on Friday night, as captain Shane Bakker has missed 18 consecutive games due to an upper body injury suffered during the team's November trip to Florida. Bakker has appeared in 14 games thus far this season, registering five assists and 34 penalty minutes. The third year pro also missed a significant chunk of time during the 2014-15 campaign, but that was due to his signing of a PTO with the then AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs. Shane appeared in his 100th career game in a Nailers uniform earlier this season, and is currently in the midst of his second year as the club's captain.

Pittsburgh Kid Heads Up

Ryan Massa will be the starting goaltender for the Solar Bears on Friday night, as he brings a 7-7-1 ECHL record to WesBanco Arena for the two-game weekend series. Massa's netminding partner Rob Madore was recalled to the Toronto Marlies on Thursday, after starting his year with a 6-7-4 mark with Orlando, despite a perfect 3-0-0 record in the AHL. Madore, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native, had spent the last two seasons with the Cincinnati Cyclones, earning Kelly Cup Playoff MVP Honors in 2014. Orlando possesses two other familiar names on its roster in forward Denver Manderson and defenseman Myles Harvey. Manderson broke into the ECHL with the Nailers in the 2011-12 season, racking up 40 points in 52 games. He then added 29 points in 27 games two seasons later. Myles Harvey wore the Black & Vegas Gold for 34 games during the 2013-14 campaign, accumulating three goals, four assists, and seven points. Shane Bakker was once a member of the Solar Bears, but never played a regular season game with them, while David Gove began his playing career in Orlando, when the team was part of the International Hockey League.

Time to Erase the Zero

Friday night marks the first of two head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Solar Bears this season, with both battles scheduled to take place at WesBanco Arena this weekend. Wheeling will be looking to change the course of history on Friday night, as it has yet to defeat Orlando in the now four seasons that the Solar Bears have been members of the ECHL. Orlando swept three games from the Nailers at Amway Center in 2012-13, then won single games in West Virginia in 2013-14 and 2014-15. This will be the first time since the Solar Bears' inaugural season that multiple games are featured in the season series, as well as the third year in a row that Wheeling doesn't venture to what is also the home of the NBA's Orlando Magic. Following the weekend, the Nailers will have one game remaining against the South Division - a February clash against Greenville.

Wheeling Nailers (15-13-2-2, 34 Pts.) vs. Orlando Solar Bears (13-14-2-3, 31 Pts.)

WHEELING NAILERS

(15-13-2-2, 34 PTS, 2nd North, 10th East)

98 GF, 100 GA

PP: 15.2% (21-for-138), 23rd

PK: 82.5% (104-for-126), 16th

20-F-Jarrett Burton (13 goals, 15 assists, 28 points in 32 games)

18-D-Mathew Maione (5 goals, 16 assists, 21 points in 30 games)

27-D-Brett Stern (5 goals, 8 assists, 13 points in 32 games)

17-F-Anton Zlobin (4 goals, 8 assists, 12 points in 16 games)

4-D-Paul Cianfrini (10 assists, 10 points in 31 games)

11-F-Cody Wydo (5 goals, 3 assists, 8 points in 19 games)

29-G-Franky Palazzese (9-8-2 record, 3.01 GAA, .899 Sv% in 19 games)

ORLANDO SOLAR BEARS

(13-14-2-3, 31 PTS, 5th South, 11th East)

100 GF, 109 GA

PP: 18.7% (20-for-107), 11th

PK: 85.8% (97-for-113), 6th

27-F-Eric Faille (14 goals, 17 assists, 31 points in 31 games)

17-F-TJ Foster (11 goals, 17 assists, 28 points in 30 games)

22-F-Brady Vail (11 goals, 17 assists, 28 points in 30 games)

7-D-Eric Baier (6 goals, 16 assists, 22 points in 32 games)

24-F-Jack Rodewald (5 goals, 15 assists, 20 points in 26 games)

21-F-Johnny McInnis (8 goals, 9 assists, 17 points in 32 games)

31-G-Ryan Massa (7-7-1 record, 3.29 GAA, .902 Sv% in 16 games)

Head to Head

2014-15 Season Series: Solar Bears 1, Nailers 0

2014-15 Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Solar Bears 1, Nailers 0

All-Time Series: Solar Bears 5, Nailers 0

All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Solar Bears 2, Nailers 0

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ECHL Stories from January 8, 2016


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