ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers Week in Review

Published on November 28, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Last Week

Thu. 11/24 - WHEELING NAILERS 5 @ Gwinnett Gladiators 1

Fri. 11/25 - WHEELING NAILERS 1 @ Gwinnett Gladiators 3

The Wheeling Nailers completed their three-game season series against the Gwinnett Gladiators on Thanksgiving weekend with a two-game set at The Arena at Gwinnett Center. Both teams picked up one victory, giving Wheeling a 2-1 edge in the season series, and a 4-3 road record against the South Division.

On Thursday night, the Nailers controlled the game, thanks to a dominant performance by their special teams. Ben Farrer's power play goal put the visitors ahead with 4:29 left in the first period, before Cody Chupp and Andrew Hotham scored on both ends of Spencer Bennett's double-minor early in the second. Tyler Murovich trimmed the Wheeling lead to two early in the third, but Chris Barton and Andrew Hotham didn't let that slow them down, icing the Nailers' 5-1 victory with a pair of goals. Barton's marker was his 12th of the year, and also extended his point streak to ten games. Meanwhile, Hotham had a career-high four points (two goals, two assists) in the contest. Peter Delmas earned his fifth win of the season, making 15 saves, defeating Billy Sauer, who stopped 24 in the loss.

Wheeling picked up right where they left off early in Friday's game, as Cody Chupp started the scoring just 54 seconds into the battle. Unfortunately, the Nailers failed to light the lamp after that. Pat Galivan evened the score with a power play goal in the first, and Colin Vock and Tyler Murovich tallied in the third, giving the host Gladiators a 3-1 win. Billy Sauer needed just 16 saves for the win, holding off Peter Delmas, who turned aside 29 shots. Friday's tilt was the first time in 15 games that Wheeling was outshot this season.

Notable Statistics

- Chris Barton leads all rookies with 12 goals.

- Andrew Hotham had a career-high four points in Thursday's win.

- Peter Delmas has had at least a .900 save percentage in seven of his eight appearances this season.

- The Nailers have allowed the fewest goals in the Eastern Conference (41).

- Wheeling has finished playing on the road against the South Division this season, going 4-3 in seven games.

- Each of the Nailers next eight games are against Reading and Trenton, and all but one game in the month of December is against the Atlantic Division.

This Week

Fri. 12/2 - WHEELING NAILERS @ Reading Royals 7:05 PM at Sovereign Center

Sat. 12/3 - Trenton Titans @ WHEELING NAILERS 7:35 PM at WesBanco Arena

For the next eight games, the opposition will look very familiar, as the Nailers will only see two teams - the Reading Royals and the Trenton Titans.

This weekend's slate begins on Friday night, when Wheeling will travel to Reading for the first time in the 2011-12 campaign. The Royals are currently in second place in the Atlantic Division, trailing the Nailers by three points, despite having played in four more games than Wheeling. Interestingly enough, Reading will play once more before seeing the Nailers this weekend, as they will play host to the Elmira Jackals on Wednesday night. The Royals are currently on a five-game losing streak, with their last win coming on November 13th. Olivier Labelle leads Reading's offensive attack with 11 goals and 18 points in 19 games, and is followed by Yannick Riendeau (6 goals, 9 assists) and Chad Painchaud (2 goals, 13 assists). Rookie Denny Urban leads their blueliners with three goals and nine assists. In goal, Joe Palmer has appeared in 12 games, going 4-4-2, with a 3.04 GAA, and a .917 Sv%.

Then, on Saturday, the Nailers will meet up with the Trenton Titans, who they will face for the fifth time this season. Wheeling picked up victories in each of the first three games in the season series, winning by scores of 6-4, 5-1, and 3-2 (OT), before dropping the most recent game, 3-2. After getting off to a slow start, the Titans have rebounded, winning three of their last four games. Two of those victories came this past weekend, when they knocked off Elmira and Chicago on Friday and Saturday, before falling to the Express on Sunday. Andy Bohmbach has 11 goals and 18 points to lead Trenton in scoring, while Rob Bordson follows closely behind with 11 assists and 17 points. Jordon Southorn is the Titans' leading defensive scorer with eight points. Dave Caruso has seen the majority of the action in goal, appearing in 12 games, going 5-6-1, with a 3.50 GAA, and an .888 Sv%.

Atlantic Division Standings

1- WHEELING NAILERS 10-5-0-0, 20 pts

2- Reading Royals 7-9-2-1, 17 pts

3- Elmira Jackals 8-9-0-0, 16 pts

4- Trenton Titans 7-10-1-0, 15 pts

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

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