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ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Solar Bears Game Day Snap Shot

January 9, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


A Super Start

The Wheeling Nailers looked like they were turning the corner in a positive direction during the first period of Friday night's game, as they played the first of back-to-back home contests against the Orlando Solar Bears. Wheeling took a 2-0 lead and was a Jarrett Burton shot off of the right post away from having a three-goal advantage after the opening period of action. The first tally came at the 5:50 mark, when Connor Leen sent Anton Zlobin on a breakaway, which he converted through Ryan Massa's legs. 4:05 later, Cody Wydo had a puck pinball around and just find its way over the goal line, upping the lead to two. The Nailers outshot Orlando 13-5 before the first horn sounded.

But a Frustrating Finish

The Orlando Solar Bears didn't have the first period that they envisioned, but despite being down, they were far from being out of the game. Orlando battled back to tie the score in the second period on Max Nicastro's goal at 1:20 and Johnny McInnis' breakaway tally at 8:21. Then, in the third period, the Solar Bears pulled ahead thanks to a lucky break, as Rylan Schwartz's attempt from the top of the right circle redirected off of Harrison Ruopp's left leg and into the back of the cage. McInnis' second of the evening put the visitors ahead by two, and with less than a minute remaining, Nicastro's second of the contest made the score 5-2 in favor of Orlando. After surrendering two goals in the first period, Ryan Massa was perfect on 14 shots over the course of the final two frames, ending the night with 25 saves on 27 shots.

Power Needs a Charge

One of the turning points in Friday night's contest came early in the third period, when the Nailers received a five-minute power play, as Orlando's Spencer McAvoy boarded Connor Leen. At that point, the score was deadlocked at two, giving Wheeling a tremendous opportunity to regain the lead. Unfortunately, the man advantage didn't work out as planned, as the Nailers mustered only a couple of shots, going scoreless during the five-minute stretch. Despite netting a pair of goals last Saturday, Wheeling's power play has converted on just three of 21 chances during the homestand for a 14.3% clip. Overall, the Nailers rank 24th in the ECHL, while both Orlando special teams rank in the league's top ten (PP- 7th, PK- 6th). The Solar Bears scored on one of two chances on Friday, getting a marker from Max Nicastro in the final minute.

Give Him a Breather

For the majority of the first two-plus months of the season, the Nailers alternated their starting goaltenders, with Franky Palazzese and Brian Foster splitting the workload. However, due to recalls of both Foster and Casey DeSmith, the recent netminding duties have landed squarely on the shoulders of Palazzese, who made his eighth consecutive start on Friday night. During that time, the second year goalie backstopped two victories - allowing one goal each to Quad City and Brampton. Franky now owns a 9-9-2 record in 20 appearances, putting him on pace to play in at least 40 games for the second straight season. On Saturday night, the Nailers will turn to Foster, who earned his first AHL shutout on December 19th, with a 30-save effort for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Ryan Massa will make his second straight start in the opposite crease for Orlando.

History has Evil Ways

Saturday night marks the second of two head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Solar Bears, as well as the second and final battle at WesBanco Arena. Wheeling remains in search of its first ever triumph over Orlando, following Friday's comeback win by the visitors. Strangely enough, that was the second time in as many years that the Solar Bears came from two down, scoring five unanswered goals to defeat the Nailers. They did it in a 6-3 victory in West Virginia last November. In the six previous clashes, Wheeling has led on four occasions, earning two points with an overtime loss and a shootout setback at Amway Center in January of 2013. The Nailers are now 3-3-0 against South Division opponents, with one game left after Saturday.

Wheeling Nailers (15-14-2-2, 34 Pts.) vs. Orlando Solar Bears (14-14-2-3, 33 Pts.)

WHEELING NAILERS

(15-14-2-2, 34 PTS, 2nd North, 10th East)

100 GF, 105 GA

PP: 15.0% (21-for-140), 24th

PK: 82.0% (105-for-128), 18th

20-F-Jarrett Burton (13 goals, 15 assists, 28 points in 33 games)

18-D-Mathew Maione (5 goals, 16 assists, 21 points in 31 games)

17-F-Anton Zlobin (5 goals, 8 assists, 13 points in 17 games)

27-D-Brett Stern (5 goals, 8 assists, 13 points in 33 games)

7-F-Connor Leen (2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points in 17 games)

4-D-Paul Cianfrini (10 assists, 10 points in 32 games)

31-G-Brian Foster (6-5-1 record, 2.84 GAA, .911 Sv% in 12 games)

ORLANDO SOLAR BEARS

(14-14-2-3, 33 PTS, 5th South, 11th East)

105 GF, 111 GA

PP: 19.3% (21-for-109), 7th

PK: 86.1% (99-for-115), 6th

27-F-Eric Faille (14 goals, 17 assists, 31 points in 32 games)

22-F-Brady Vail (11 goals, 18 assists, 29 points in 31 games)

17-F-TJ Foster (11 goals, 17 assists, 28 points in 31 games)

7-D-Eric Baier (6 goals, 16 assists, 22 points in 33 games)

24-F-Jack Rodewald (5 goals, 17 assists, 22 points in 27 games)

21-F-Johnny McInnis (10 goals, 10 assists, 20 points in 33 games)

31-G-Ryan Massa (8-7-1 record, 3.22 GAA, .903 Sv% in 17 games)

Head to Head

Season Series: Solar Bears 1, Nailers 0

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

All-Time Series: Solar Bears 6, Nailers 0

All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Solar Bears 3, Nailers 0

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

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ECHL Stories from January 9, 2016


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