ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers vs. Wings Game Day Snap Shot

January 22, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


One Goal the Difference Again

The Wheeling Nailers were involved in their third consecutive one-goal game on Sunday afternoon, as they concluded their season series against the Indy Fuel at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Wheeling surrendered the first tally for the third straight game, as Peter Schneider converted a first period breakaway. The Nailers rallied back for the equalizer, thanks to Cody Wydo's redirection at 6:59 of the middle frame. The score nearly remained tied into the intermission, but a four-minute power play allowed the Fuel to go ahead in the dying seconds of the second period, before adding to the lead early in the third. Wydo's second of the afternoon pulled Wheeling within one at the 14:33 mark of the third, but the tying goal never came, and the visitors fell, 3-2, despite a 33-save performance in goal from Franky Palazzese.

A Clutch Day Off

The Kalamazoo Wings couldn't have asked for a better schedule last weekend, as they played a Friday, Sunday set against the Quad City Mallards at iWireless Center. What made that slate so perfect was Saturday - while the Wings cooled their heels in Moline, the Mallards were forced to drive 361 miles each way for a Saturday game in Evansville. Although Kalamazoo fell one goal short in a 3-2 overtime setback in the Friday game, the Sunday tilt was controlled by the visitors from start to finish. The Wings flew out of the gates with four goals in the first period, and never looked back, clobbering Quad City, 7-2. Dane Fox had three goals in the two contests, including two in the Sunday stomping. Six other players had multiple points, including Brett Ponich, who dished out three assists, to go along with a +4 rating. Joel Martin was 69-of-74 in goal, posting a 1-0-1 record in the weekend series.

Winner Takes Second Place

The last time the Nailers and Wings clashed, the game began with an eight-point difference in the standings, with Wheeling's 31 points getting the upper hand on Kalamazoo's 23. The Wings picked up the victory that afternoon, and since then, the Nailers have fallen on hard times, accumulating just three of 16 possible points. Kalamazoo has posted a 4-3-1 record during that time, drawing even with Wheeling for second place in the North Division. This is a crucial weekend of games for the Nailers, who will also face the Brampton Beast on Sunday afternoon. Brampton trails Wheeling and Kalamazoo by two points, while the Nailers have played one fewer game than both of those clubs. All three teams will have a significant amount of work to do during the second half of the year in order to chase down the Toledo Walleye, who sit comfortably in the top spot with 48 points in 36 games. Wheeling is 4-5-2 in 11 games against divisional opponents, with 13 remaining.

Hoping for New Results from the New Title

David Gove received the news he was hoping for, when the players returned from the All-Star Break for practice on Thursday afternoon, as he shed the "interim" tag, and was named head coach of the Nailers for the remainder of the 2015-16 season. While the first ten games of his head coaching career didn't go as planned, Gove and his club will attempt to turn things around, and return to the form which saw them start the year with a 14-9-3 record. David is the 15th head coach in team history. His coaching opposition for Friday and Saturday will be Nick Bootland, who has become a fixture in Kalamazoo. Bootland played for the Wings from 2003-08, before taking over as the team's head coach - a role which he is holding for the eighth year in a row. Seven of those seasons have come in the ECHL, following one campaign in the newer version of the IHL.

We Need One Here

Friday night marks the third of eight head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Wings this season, as well as the third of five battles at WesBanco Arena. Kalamazoo has already gotten the upper hand in both of the first two contests, picking up a 4-3 win on November 6th and a 7-4 victory on December 27th. In the November game, the Wings erased a 3-2 deficit with two goals in the third period, while the December tilt saw Kalamazoo net five goals in the second period, to build a 6-1 advantage. Dane Fox leads all players with six points in the two games, while Adam Phillips has three goals to top the two squads. Joel Martin has gotten the win in both affairs, and is expected to start again on Friday, while Casey DeSmith looks to make his first start against the Wings. Former Nailer David Gilbert could also play his first game against his former club, after missing the first two contests due to injury and sickness. The season series will heat up in March, when four of the eight games take place.

Wheeling Nailers (15-18-2-2, 34 Pts.) vs. Kalamazoo Wings (15-19-3-1, 34 Pts.)

WHEELING NAILERS

(15-18-2-2, 34 PTS, T-2nd North, T-12th East)

110 GF, 121 GA

PP: 17.0% (26-for-153), 15th

PK: 82.4% (122-for-148), 19th

20-F-Jarrett Burton (14 goals, 19 assists, 33 points in 37 games)

18-D-Mathew Maione (5 goals, 21 assists, 26 points in 35 games)

25-F-John McCarron (8 goals, 12 assists, 20 points in 32 games)

17-F-Anton Zlobin (7 goals, 11 assists, 18 points in 21 games)

27-D-Brett Stern (5 goals, 9 assists, 14 points in 37 games)

11-F-Cody Wydo (8 goals, 5 assists, 13 points in 24 games)

30-G-Casey DeSmith (0-1-1 record, 2.83 GAA, .904 Sv% in 3 games)

KALAMAZOO WINGS

(15-19-3-1, 34 PTS, T-2nd North, T-12th East)

106 GF, 130 GA

PP: 14.8% (23-for-155), 22nd

PK: 84.1% (122-for-145), 12th

74-F-Dane Fox (15 goals, 16 assists, 31 points in 36 games)

23-F-Ludwig Blomstrand (10 goals, 16 assists, 26 points in 37 games)

19-F-Alex Mallet (12 goals, 13 assists, 25 points in 38 games)

21-F-Lane Scheidl (6 goals, 14 assists, 20 points in 38 games)

7-D-Cory Pritz (2 goals, 18 assists, 20 points in 30 games)

93-F-Justin Taylor (10 goals, 6 assists, 16 points in 38 games)

49-G-Joel Martin (15-14-4 record, 2.95 GAA, .919 Sv% in 34 games)

Head to Head

Season Series: Wings 2, Nailers 0

Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Wings 2, Nailers 0

All-Time Series: Wings 18, Nailers 16

All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Wings 10, Nailers 8

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics



ECHL Stories from January 22, 2016


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