Nailers vs. Walleye Game Day Snap Shot
April 24, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release
WHEELING NAILERS
(2-1)
9 GF, 8 GA
PP: 9.1% (1-for-11), 9th
PK: 82.4% (14-for-17), 11th
12-F-David Gilbert (3 goals, 2 assists, 5 points in 3 games)
23-F-Riley Brace (2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points in 3 games)
21-F-Sahir Gill (2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points in 3 games)
11-F-Adam Krause (1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points in 3 games)
9-D-David Makowski (1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points in 3 games)
15-F-Zack Torquato (2 assists, 2 points in 2 games)
16-F-Derek Army (2 assists, 2 points in 3 games)
30-G-Eric Hartzell (1-0 record, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 Sv% in 1 game)
(37-33-1-1, 76 PTS, 4th North)
210 GF, 213 GA
PP: 16.2% (44-for-272), 18th
PK: 83.4% (247-for-296), 12th
23-F-Riley Brace (18 goals, 49 assists, 67 points in 61 games)
16-F-Derek Army (29 goals, 37 assists, 66 points in 72 games)
15-F-Zack Torquato (19 goals, 40 assists, 59 points in 57 games)
12-F-David Gilbert (19 goals, 21 assists, 40 points in 64 games)
98-F-Chaz Johnson (18 goals, 11 assists, 29 points in 64 games)
21-F-Sahir Gill (9 goals, 20 assists, 29 points in 26 games)
9-D-David Makowski (8 goals, 11 assists, 19 points in 44 games)
29-G-Franky Palazzese (20-19-1 record, 2.88 GAA, .911 Sv% in 41 games)
TOLEDO WALLEYE
(1-2)
8 GF, 9 GA
PP: 17.6% (3-for-17), 6th
PK: 90.9% (10-for-11), 8th
9-F-Troy Schwab (2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points in 3 games)
10-F-Shane Berschbach (2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points in 3 games)
32-D-Cody Lampl (2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points in 3 games)
7-F-Tyler Barnes (2 assists, 2 points in 3 games)
28-F-Kyle Bonis (2 assists, 2 points in 3 games)
27-F-AJ Jenks (1 goal, 1 point in 3 games)
16-F-Justin Mercier (1 goal, 1 point in 3 games)
1-G-Jeff Lerg (1-2 record, 3.03 GAA, .892 Sv% in 3 games)
(50-15-5-2, 107 PTS, 1st North)
281 GF, 182 GA
PP: 24.7% (64-for-259), 1st
PK: 87.1% (202-for-232), 2nd
7-F-Tyler Barnes (34 goals, 40 assists, 74 points in 71 games)
10-F-Shane Berschbach (15 goals, 48 assists, 63 points in 65 games)
9-F-Troy Schwab (19 goals, 41 assists, 60 points in 70 games)
28-F-Kyle Bonis (36 goals, 23 assists, 59 points in 65 games)
16-F-Justin Mercier (22 goals, 21 assists, 43 points in 46 games)
24-D-Shane Sims (7 goals, 24 assists, 31 points in 65 games)
32-D-Cody Lampl (8 goals, 22 assists, 30 points in 62 games)
1-G-Jeff Lerg (32-9-3 record, 2.37 GAA, .920 Sv% in 45 games)
Head-to-Head
Playoff Series: Nailers 2, Walleye 1
Playoff Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 1, Walleye 0
Season Series: Walleye 6, Nailers 1
Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Walleye 3, Nailers 1
All-Time Series (Regular Season + Playoff): Nailers 27, Walleye 26
All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena (Regular Season + Playoff): Nailers 19, Walleye 11
In the Lead Again
For the second time in the Best-of-Seven North Division Semi-Final Series, the Wheeling Nailers find themselves ahead of the Toledo Walleye, as they carry a 2-1 advantage into game four on Friday night. Game three on Wednesday followed a much different path than games one and two, as nine goals were scored, while two different two-goal leads were blown. Riley Brace's two goals in the opening stanza put Wheeling ahead 2-0, but Toledo came up with a strong rally in the second period, scoring four straight times to turn the two-goal lead in the opposite direction. A late goal before intermission by David Makowski brought the Nailers within one, giving Sahir Gill the opportunity to tie the tilt in the third period, before David Gilbert netted the winner with 10:37 remaining. Eric Hartzell and Franky Palazzese combined to stop 48 shots in the win, while Jeff Lerg made 19 saves in the defeat.
Hartzell Answers the Call
An unfortunate moment occurred during the third period of Wednesday's game, when Franky Palazzese lunged out to make a fantastic left pad save on Justin Mercier's shot. While registering his 35th stop of the night, Palazzese suffered an injury, which forced him to come out of the game, and will also have him out of the lineup for game four on Friday. With his team trailing 4-3, Eric Hartzell was called into action for his first professional playoff game. The Nailers quickly tied the game, and then took the lead, turning Hartzell into the goaltender of record. After their four-goal second period, the Walleye peppered the net with 20 shots during the third period, but seven saves by Palazzese and 13 by Hartzell kept Toledo off of the scoreboard, giving Hartzell the win in the 5-4 triumph.
Brace Breaks Through
Although he had nine assists in his final eleven games to snatch the team's regular season scoring title, Riley Brace experienced a bit of a skid, when it came to scoring goals down the stretch. At the three-minute mark of Wednesday's game, Brace rose to the occasion, receiving a breakaway pass from Jarrett Burton, which he cashed in on, beating Jeff Lerg over the blocker. The tally was Riley's first since March 17th, which was also against the Walleye, and it was also the third time he lit the lamp shorthanded as a Nailer. The shorthanded marker was only the second allowed by Toledo all year, with the first one coming all the way back in the team's second game of the campaign on October 24th at Brampton. Brace added a second goal 2:23 after his first, before tacking on an assist later in the contest, giving him a three-point night.
Ruopp Fills up the Roster
For the second game in a row, the Nailers made an addition to their roster from the American Hockey League, as defenseman Harrison Ruopp joined the club from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Ruopp was previously assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins during the last week of March, which is where he ended up staying through the final week of the regular season. During his time with Wheeling in 2014-15, Harrison appeared in 30 games, dishing out one assist, while accumulating 58 penalty minutes. The Zehner, SK native becomes the 23rd ECHL/AHL/NHL contracted player to be added to the Nailers' roster during the 2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs, meaning that from this point forward, the only players who will be eligible to join the club are those who sign ATOs (Amateur Tryouts). Toledo still has three open slots available for its AHL eligible players.
Keep the Advantage at Home
Similar to the statistic in game three, the Nailers have had good historical success playing in game four's, particularly when they take place in the Ohio Valley. Friday will be the 19th time in team history that Wheeling will play the fourth game of a series, entering play with an 11-7 mark in those scenarios. The Nailers/Thunderbirds had a 2-1 lead going into eleven of the 18 series, with five of the series (best-of-five at the time) being decided in Wheeling's favor that night. The Nailers have only had a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven series once in their history, as they ended up defeating Greenville in seven games during the 2011 postseason. On the contrary, Wheeling has been tied 2-2 after four games on nine occasions, winning only two of those series. The Walleye are 1-1 historically in game four's, with both contests being decided in overtime. Current Toledo forward Kyle Rogers had the deciding goal in the win back in 2013 against Cincinnati.
The Nailers will play two more home games during their opening round playoff series against Toledo. McDonald's Friends & Family Tickets will be available for games four and five (if necessary) on April 24th and 25th, giving fans the opportunity to receive four tickets, four hats, and four McDonald's Value Meal coupons for $39.99. April 24th will also be a Frosty Friday.
Wheeling Nailers 2015-16 season tickets, as well as flex tickets, group tickets and single-game tickets for 2014-15 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.
ECHL Stories from April 24, 2015
- Bobkov steals one as Utah evens the series - Idaho Steelheads
- Reign Pushed to Brink in 4-1 Loss to Eagles - Ontario Reign
- Eagles Soar over Reign, 4-1 - Colorado Eagles
- Grizzlies Even Series at 2 with 4-1 Win in Idaho - Utah Grizzlies
- Blomstrand scores twice as K-Wings force game five of divisional series - Kalamazoo Wings
- Rush Fall in Game 4 - Rapid City Rush
- Toledo Tops Wheeling, Tying Series, 2-2 - Wheeling Nailers
- Neal, Mallards Edge Rush, Even Series - Quad City Mallards
- Walleye Even Series with 4-1 Win - Toledo Walleye
- ECHL Transactions - April 24 - ECHL
- Countdown to Face-Off: Kalamazoo Wings vs Fort Wayne Komets (Game Four) - Kalamazoo Wings
- Nailers vs. Walleye Game Day Snap Shot - Wheeling Nailers
- Playoff Preview - Ontario Reign at Colorado Eagles - Game 5 - Ontario Reign
- Take Your Shot at Pro Hockey with the Brampton Beast - Brampton Beast
- ECHL Today - April 24 - ECHL
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