Sports stats



ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers Week in Review

December 26, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Last Week

Wed. 12/21 - Elmira Jackals 3 @ WHEELING NAILERS 2 (OT)

Last week, the Wheeling Nailers took the ice once, as they concluded the pre-Christmas portion of their schedule. The game took place on Wednesday night, and although the Nailers did secure one point, they came up short of a second point, falling 3-2 in overtime against the Elmira Jackals.

Elmira opened the scoring on Louie Caporusso's goal in the first period, but that was quickly answered by Zack Torquato's power play tally less than three minutes later. Olivier Dame-Malka rocketed home a goal on the man advantage midway through the second period, but the Jackals pulled even on Mike Radja's goal at the 14:32 mark of the middle frame. After a scoreless third period, Riley Armstrong broke the deadlock at 3:12 of overtime, giving the visitors the win. Nick Niedert earned the win in his first career start, making 24 saves, defeating Patrick Killeen, who made 20 saves in the overtime defeat.

Notable Statistics

- Zack Torquato has at least one point in eight of ten games this month, while Mickael Bedard has at least one point in seven of ten games this month.

- Patrick Killeen has appeared in five straight games, as well as eight of ten games in December, going 4-3-1 in those appearances.

- Wheeling's power play went 2-for-5 in Wednesday night's game, and has now scored at least one goal in four straight contests, moving up to 12th place in the league, at 17.4%.

- Wednesday night's tilt was the third time in 25 games that the Nailers have gone to overtime, and they have yet to go to a shootout.

This Week

Mon. 12/26 - WHEELING NAILERS @ Elmira Jackals 7:05 PM at First Arena

Wed. 12/28 - WHEELING NAILERS @ Trenton Titans 7:00 PM at Sun National Bank Center

Fri. 12/30 - WHEELING NAILERS @ Elmira Jackals 7:35 PM at First Arena

Sat. 12/31 - Reading Royals @ WHEELING NAILERS 7:35 PM at WesBanco Arena

While last week's workload was a light one for the Nailers, this coming week will feature lots of games in a short period of time, as Wheeling will take the ice four times in six days, with all four games taking place against teams in the Atlantic Division.

The week begins on Monday night, when Wheeling makes its first visit of the season to First Arena in Elmira. The Nailers and Jackals have met up three times thus far this season, with all three games having been played at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling. The hometown Nailers earned at least one point in all three games, going 2-0-1. Since a Black Friday loss that left them two games under .500, the Jackals have gone through a major turnaround, having won nine of their last eleven games, running their record to 16-11-0-0, which is good for 32 points, and sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division. Mike Radja leads Elmira with 15 goals and 28 points, while Dustin Gazley leads the way with 17 assists. Mario Larocque has 15 points, leading all Jackals defensemen. After making his first ECHL start on Wednesday night, Nick Niedert could be in goal once again, currently holding a 1-0-0 record, a 2.99 GAA, and an .862 Sv%. Wheeling and Elmira will also meet up on Friday night at First Arena.

On Wednesday night, the road journey continues in Trenton, as the Nailers and Titans will collide for the eighth time this season. Wheeling has won five of the previous seven head-to-head meetings, including both tilts at Sun National Bank Center. Trenton began to turn a corner with a solid month of November, but three wins in December has left the Titans with the fewest points (24) in the Eastern Conference. Last week, the Titans made their lone trip of the season to Florida, falling 3-2 in overtime on Thursday, before a 6-3 setback in an emotional contest on Friday. With Andy Bohmbach and Rob Bordson both on recall to the AHL, Randy Rowe and Ryan Hayes share the scoring lead for Trenton, with 20 points each. Jordon Southorn is the team's top defensive scorer, with 15 points in 23 games. Dave Caruso has seen the majority of the action between the pipes for the Titans, making 19 appearances, going 7-9-3, with a 3.41 GAA, and an .899 Sv%. After this game, the two frequent foes will not meet again until February 4th.

Finally, on Saturday night, the week concludes, when the Nailers play host to the Reading Royals for the sixth time this month. Reading has won three of the previous five battles between the two clubs, including back-to-back victories on December 16th and 17th. The Royals have been one of the streakiest teams in the ECHL in the early part of the season, as they suffered through a nine-game winless streak, but have now won four in a row, and have picked up at least one point in seven of their last ten games. The recent success has given Reading a 12-12-3-2 record, which is good for 29 points - two points out of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The Royals' most recent wins came on Thursday and Friday, when they swept a pair of tilts at BI-LO Center against the Greenville Road Warriors. Olivier Labelle's 16 goals and 27 points are the most on the Reading roster, while Denny Urban leads their blueline with 15 assists and 18 points. Joe Palmer and Mark Owuya have been sharing the goaltending duties as of late, with Palmer going 5-5-3 in 15 games, and Owuya going 5-1-2 in nine appearances. After this, the Nailers and Royals will clash next at the end of January for two games in three days.

Atlantic Division Standings

1- Elmira Jackals 16-11-0-0, 32 pts

2- WHEELING NAILERS 15-9-1-0, 31 pts

3- Reading Royals 12-12-3-2, 29 pts

4- Trenton Titans 10-14-2-2, 24 pts

The Nailers' next home game is on Saturday night, December 31st, when they play host to the Reading Royals at 7:35 PM. For ticket information or to purchase tickets call 304-234-GOAL (4625) or online at shop.wheelingnailers.com. You can now purchase Nailers game tickets on your smartphone by visiting m.wheelingnailers.com.

Check out the Wheeling Nailers Statistics

• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...

ECHL Stories from December 26, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Wheeling Nailers Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central