ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Walleye Game Day Snap Shot

December 10, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Wheeling Nailers (11-7-0-0, 22 PTS) vs. Toledo Walleye (14-3-1-1, 30 PTS)

WHEELING NAILERS

(11-7-0-0, 22 PTS, 3rd North, T-8th East)

59 GF, 57 GA

PP: 23.9% (16-for-67), 3rd

PK: 83.1% (69-for-83), 13th

23-F-Riley Brace (9 goals, 16 assists, 25 points in 18 games)

15-F-Zack Torquato (5 goals, 8 assists, 13 points in 13 games)

12-F-David Gilbert (6 goals, 6 assists, 12 points in 18 games)

16-F-Derek Army (6 goals, 5 assists, 11 points in 18 games)

8-D-Zach Yuen (3 goals, 4 assists, 7 points in 14 games)

3-D-Morgan Ellis (2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points in 10 games)

98-F-Chaz Johnson (2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points in 17 games)

30-G-Eric Hartzell (4-2-0 record, 2.47 GAA, .923 Sv% in 6 games)

TOLEDO WALLEYE

(14-3-1-1, 30 PTS, 2nd North, 2nd East)

88 GF, 60 GA

PP: 32.0% (24-for-75), 1st

PK: 86.6% (58-for-67), 4th

11-F-Anthony Luciani (11 goals, 13 assists, 24 points in 18 games)

7-F-Tyler Barnes (9 goals, 14 assists, 23 points in 19 games)

15-F-Marek Tvrdon (5 goals, 15 assists, 20 points in 19 games)

9-F-Troy Schwab (5 goals, 11 assists, 16 points in 18 games)

16-F-Justin Mercier (5 goals, 11 assists, 16 points in 19 games)

28-F-Kyle Bonis (11 goals, 4 assists, 15 points in 15 games)

20-D-Scott Czarnowczan (1 goal, 13 assists, 14 points in 14 games)

1-G-Jeff Lerg (10-1-2 record, 2.71 GAA, .907 Sv% in 13 games)

Head-to-Head

2013-14 Season Series: Nailers 7, Walleye 3

2013-14 Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 5, Walleye 1

All-Time Series: Nailers 24, Walleye 19

All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 17, Walleye 8

One More for the Homestand

The Wheeling Nailers thought they had played the finale of a five-game homestand on Saturday night, but thanks to a postponement in Brampton on Sunday, they will play a sixth straight home game on Wednesday. Wheeling has gone 4-1-0 on the homestand thus far, raising its record at WesBanco Arena to 8-2-0 on the season. On Saturday, the offense posted its best performance of the campaign, as six different players were responsible for seven goals in a 7-3 triumph over the Utah Grizzlies. With the score deadlocked at two late in the second, Patrick McGrath added more fun to his bobblefist night, launching a string of five straight goals for the Nailers. Morgan Ellis was the lone player with multiple tallies, including the teddy bear goal, while Eric Hartzell made 32 saves.

High Flying Fish

The Toledo Walleye had the Eastern Conference's worst record in 2013-14, but have bounced back with a remarkable start to 2014-15, currently holding the second best mark in the conference. After beginning the season 2-2-0, Toledo has compiled a 12-1-2 record in its last 15 games, which includes an active six-game point streak. On Tuesday night, the Walleye saw their five-game winning streak end, despite rallying to earn a point in the third period. With Gwinnett leading 3-1, Kyle Bonis' 11th goal of the season and Dane Walters' eighth forced overtime, which was quickly decided in just 24 seconds. Bobby Hughes gave the Gladiators the 4-3 victory on their 17th shot of the evening. The setback ended a personal six-game winning streak for Jeff Lerg, who is 10-0-2 in his last 12 starts.

Penalties are not Recommended

One of the keys to the two teams getting off to such stellar starts has been the performance on the power play. The Nailers have scored at least one power play goal in all five games on their current homestand, totaling nine, including a three-goal effort on Saturday night against the Grizzlies. Despite an 0-for-2 showing on Tuesday night against Gwinnett, the Walleye still boast the ECHL's top power play by a large margin, converting on 24 of 75 opportunities (32.0%). Toledo's 6.4% lead over Indy for second place marks the largest gap between two consecutive clubs in either special teams category. The Walleye own the fourth best penalty kill in the league, while Wheeling ranks third on the power play and 13th on the penalty kill.

Who Will Get the First One

Another area of success for both the Nailers and Walleye in 2014-15 has been scoring the game's first goal. Wheeling has broken the scorless deadlock in five of its last six contests, with each scenario leading to a victory by that particular squad. On the season, the Nailers are 9-2-0 when they jump out to the 1-0 advantage. If that number wasn't impressive enough, Toledo has scored first on 13 of 19 occasions, coming out on top in all 13 contests. On the flip side, the Walleye are just 1-3-2 when surrendering the first goal, while Wheeling is 2-5-0 when playing from behind at the start. Toledo has also yet to lose a game when leading after the first (10-0-0) or second periods (12-0-0).

More Games in the Wheel

Wednesday night marks the first of seven head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Walleye this season, as well as the first of four battles between the two teams at WesBanco Arena. In the five previous seasons since Toledo rejoined the ECHL, the two sides have frequently seen more of their clashes take place in Wheeling, as the Nailers have been the home team on 25 occasions, to just 18 home games for the Walleye. That will be the case again in 2014-15, as four of the seven tilts will take place in West Virginia. After a frustrating 2012-13, which saw Toledo win seven of nine games, Wheeling rebounded by taking seven of the ten contests in the 2013-14 season series. Six of this year's seven meetings will take place in the second half of the season.

The December 10th game between Wheeling and Toledo is a WesBanco Winning Wednesday. If the Nailers win, fans can exchange their ticket for the game on January 11th against the Indy Fuel. The December 14th contest against the Reading Royals is a Family Funday, with a post game skate with the team and a visit by the Good Zoo at Oglebay.

Holiday packs are also available. For $49, fans can purchase the Elf Package, receiving four ticket vouchers, a t-shirt, and an autographed puck. For $99, fans can purchase the Reindeer Package, receiving ten ticket vouchers. For $129, fans can purchase the Santa Package, receiving four ticket vouchers, a replica jersey, and a Reebok hat.

Wheeling Nailers 2014-15 season tickets, flex tickets, group tickets and single-game tickets are on sale now. For more information, call 304-234-GOAL or visit wheelingnailers.com.

Listen to all Nailers regular season and post-season games live on the Valley's rock station EAGLE 107.5 FM, on www.iheartradio.com or watch live on www.echl.tv. Catch every road game live on WLUTV on Comcast Cable 14.

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics



ECHL Stories from December 10, 2014


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