ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Stingrays Playoff Series Preview

Published on May 13, 2016 under ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Goaltending

Wheeling: Foster, Palazzese

South Carolina: Carlson, Dekanich, Vanacek

Both teams have utilized two goaltenders to get them through the first two rounds of the 2016 Kelly Cup Playoffs. For Wheeling, Brian Foster went 3-1 against Florida, then posted a 3-2 mark against Reading, which included the clinching victories in both series. Franky Palazzese was 1-1 against both opponents, with his victory against the Royals coming in the game four, triple overtime marathon. South Carolina has mostly relied on experienced backstop Mark Dekanich, who went 5-4 against Kalamazoo and Adirondack. However, Dekanich was injured in overtime of game seven against the Thunder, forcing Vitek Vanacek into the crease. He was perfect on eight shots, improving to 3-0 in the postseason. Similar to Foster, Vanacek got the wins in both games that sent the Stingrays on to future rounds. Due to Dekanich's injury, South Carolina signed Adam Carlson to an ATO.

Defense

Wheeling: Cianfrini, Fick, Maione, Melindy, Schulze, Seymour, Stern

South Carolina: D'Agostino, Epp, Humphries, Jones, Leach, Ruikka, Saucerman, Shea

Defense was a key aspect in round two for the Nailers, as the blueliners combined with the netminders to allow just eight goals in the club's four victories. However, the men on the back end also contributed with offense. After Mathew Maione racked up nine points against Florida, he added four more against Reading, including three helpers in game six. Clark Seymour also had a big series, as he lit the lamp three times, while posting six total points. Maione, Danny Fick, and Brett Stern have appeared in all 13 postseason contests thus far. South Carolina has two familiar names on "D" in Nick D'Agostino and Bobby Shea, who both spent time in the Ohio Valley. Shea had a pair of assists in Wednesday's clinching triumph, while D'Agostino missed that game with an injury. Wade Epp and Joey Leach bring a hard-nosed approach to South Carolina's blueline, and have combined to go +13 in the first two series. The Stingrays were tied for the fewest goals against in the regular season with the Missouri Mavericks, and are first in that category during the playoffs.

Offense

Wheeling: Ammon, Bakker, Brace, Burton, Kwas, Leen, Loney, McCarron, O'Donoghue, Tabrum, Torquato, Wydo, Zlobin

South Carolina: Cameron, DeBlois, Devin, Fyten, Gaul, Gillies, Herbert, Pacan, Perrier, Staal, Vigier, Zajac

Riley Brace and Joe Devin are two players whose names will be remembered forever, as they were the heroes who scored overtime winners in game seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Clutch goals are nothing new to those two players, as Brace led the Nailers in scoring during the regular season, and has tacked on 14 more points in the playoffs. Devin has now scored three winning goals in game sevens, with two coming after regulation. South Carolina and Wheeling rank fourth and fifth respectively in playoff scoring, with Devin's nine goals leading the way for the Stingrays, and Cody Wydo's six lamp lighters topping the Nailers. Both teams have four players in double digits in points, with Brace, John McCarron, Wydo, and Shane Bakker serving as Wheeling's four, and Devin, Kelly Zajac, Caleb Herbert, and Austin Fyten lining up as the top four for South Carolina.

AHL Eligibles

Wheeling: All Spots Used

South Carolina: Lewington

For the Nailers, the 23 that you see listed are the 23 who can play in the series, as Derek Army gobbled up the last roster spot in game two of the second round against the Royals. The Pittsburgh and Washington organizations should take lots of pride in the 2015-16 season, as they are the only two clubs in which all three teams (NHL, AHL, and ECHL) reached round two. Washington has since been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but both AHL and ECHL teams continue to play. Hershey currently leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 3-2, which is where the final addition could come from in this series. Tyler Lewington played 14 games with the Stingrays during the regular season, recording six points. Andrew Rowe was on South Carolina's original list, but because he was not added when the Bridgeport Sound Tigers were eliminated, he is no longer an option.

Special Teams

Wheeling: PP- 17.8%, 9th. PK- 83.6%, 15th.

South Carolina: PP- 19.6%, 4th. PK- 87.5%, 1st.

No two teams in the 2016 Kelly Cup Playoffs have seen more special teams play than the Nailers and Stingrays. Wheeling has received 60 opportunities on the power play (2nd), while being forced to kill off 67 opposition man advantages (1st). South Carolina has gone to the power play 49 times (7th), while being whistled down shorthanded on 64 occasions (2nd). Both sides have had great success, as the Nailers rank fifth on the power play (20.0%) and third on the penalty kill (86.6%), while the Stingrays are fourth on the man advantage (20.4%) and second with a teammate in the penalty box (89.1%). Wheeling's penalty kill was a major reason for success in round one, as the four wins featured a 28-for-29 clip, while the power play stepped up in round two, netting eight goals, with seven of them coming in victories. South Carolina's most impressive night of special teams came in game four against Adirondack, when the power play clicked at a 3-for-4 clip and the penalty kill was perfect on 11 attempts.

Toughness

Wheeling: 34 fighting majors, T-17th (Patrick McGrath - 10)

South Carolina: 57 fighting majors, 5th (Bobby Shea - 12)

If the 2014-15 Nailers took the ice against the 2015-16 Stingrays, a smart better would say that a fighting major per game would be almost a certainty. Now, with a trip to the Kelly Cup Final on the line, that is significantly less likely, although South Carolina has already thrown down the gloves seven times in 12 postseason contests. Bobby Shea has been responsible for two of those majors, as he danced with Brett Ponich in the opening round and Dana Fraser in round two. He was the team leader for the Stingrays during the regular season, getting into 12 altercations. Although Joey Leach finished second with ten, veteran heavyweight Trevor Gillies puts the most fear into opponents, as he eclipsed 100 penalty minutes for the 13th time in his pro career. With Patrick McGrath in the AHL, Shane Bakker accumulated the most majors on the current Nailers, but regardless of whether gloves drop or not, this series is expected to pack lots of punch in the hits department.

Coaching

Wheeling: HC- David Gove (1st Season, 23-16-6), AC- Jeff Christian (1st Season)

South Carolina: HC- Spencer Carbery (5th Season, 207-115-38), AC- Ryan Warsofsky (3rd Season)

It's very rare that a team reaches the conference final round of the playoffs with two head coaches in the same season, but Pittsburgh's organization is one team away from all three clubs completing that feat in 2015-16. In fact, Wheeling has done so with three different voices behind the bench. Jeff Christian filled in for David Gove (personal leave of absence) in round two, and is expected to continue doing so when the Eastern Conference Final begins. The Nailers have taken down two experienced coaches in each of the first two rounds, eliminating Greg Poss of Florida (six seasons, one cup) first, before edging Larry Courville of Reading (eight seasons, one cup). Spencer Carbery is in his fifth year as the bench boss of the Stingrays, and has reached the postseason in all five campaigns. Carbery took home ECHL Coach of the Year honors in 2013-14, but thanks to Wheeling, the playoff run was ended quickly. However, the 34-year old rebounded last spring, taking his team to game seven of the championship, before falling short against the Allen Americans. Zack Torquato will continue to help Christian in Gove's absence, while Ryan Warsofsky is in his third season as Carbery's right-hand man.

Experience

Wheeling: 2,770 professional games (0 prior Kelly Cup Champions)

South Carolina: 3,855 professional games (1 prior Kelly Cup Champion)

For the third round in a row, the Nailers are the lesser experienced squad, but that hasn't bothered them in the opening two sets, as the Everblades and Royals chasing down golf balls instead of championships. Brian Foster and Andrew Ammon are the two Nailers who have reached the conference final round, as Brian Foster did so with Cincinnati in 2013, and Andrew Ammon was a member of the Stingrays last spring. During round two, Shane Bakker and Paul Cianfrini both made a dent in the record books, as they skated past Peter Merth for the most games played in team history. Bakker has appeared in 30, followed by Cianfrini at 28. Six of the 22 players on South Carolina's roster were part of last season's run to the Kelly Cup Final, including Joe Devin, who scored the winning goal in the Eastern Conference Final against Toledo. One Stingray has had his name engraved into the championship trophy, as Bobby Shea was a member of the 2012-13 Reading Royals team.

Eastern Conference Final

Wheeling Nailers vs. South Carolina Stingrays

Game 1 - Fri. May 13th at South Carolina, 7:05

Game 2 - Sat. May 14th at South Carolina, 7:05

Game 3 - Wed. May 18th AT WHEELING, 7:05

Game 4 - Fri. May 20th AT WHEELING, 7:35

Game 5 - Sat. May 21st AT WHEELING, 7:35 (if necessary)

Game 6 - Mon. May 23rd at South Carolina, 7:05 (if necessary)

Game 7 - Tue. May 24th at South Carolina, 7:05 (if necessary)

Wheeling Nailers (37-26-5-4, 83 Pts.) vs. South Carolina Stingrays (44-18-7-3, 98 Pts.)

WHEELING NAILERS

2nd Place in North Division, 5th Place in Eastern Conference

Record: 37-26-5-4

Points: 83

Goals For: 214 (14th)

Goals Against: 211 (17th)

Power Play: 48-for-269 (17.8%), 9th

Penalty Kill: 225-for-269 (83.6%), 15th

SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS

1st Place in South Division, 2nd Place in Eastern Conference

Record: 44-18-7-3

Points: 98

Goals For: 224 (T-7th)

Goals Against: 162 (T-1st)

Power Play: 51-for-260 (19.6%), 4th

Penalty Kill: 251-for-287 (87.5%), 1st

Head-to-Head

2015-16 Regular Season: Nailers 1, Stingrays 1

2015-16 Regular Season at WHL: Nailers 1, Stingrays 1

2015-16 Regular Season at SC: Did Not Play

All-Time Regular Season: Stingrays 12, Nailers 11

All-Time Regular Season at WHL: Nailers 6, Stingrays 4

All-Time Regular Season at SC: Stingrays 8, Nailers 5

All-Time Playoff Series: Nailers 2, Stingrays 0

All-Time Playoff Games: Nailers 7, Stingrays 1

All-Time Playoff Games at WHL: Nailers 3, Stingrays 1

All-Time Playoff Games at SC: Nailers 4, Stingrays 0

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

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