ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Nailers Week in Review

January 31, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


Wheeling Nailers (23-16-2-1, 49 pts) 2nd in the Atlantic Division

Last week, the Nailers were in action four times in five days, as they picked up two wins, securing their fourth consecutive month of .500 hockey or better this season. In doing so, they also maintained their positions in second place in the Atlantic Division, as well as sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

The week began with a bang on Wednesday, as the lineup was injected with the additions of Peter Merth, Cody Chupp, and Nick Petersen from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. A flawless effort by the defense, as well as goaltender Patrick Killeen helped to lead Wheeling to its second shutout of the season, and the second in a row for Killeen, who knocked aside all 28 shots he faced. On the offensive side, Chupp and Petersen both had an immediate impact, as they both lit the lamp, while Petersen also dished out a pair of assists. Denver Manderson netted two goals for the offense as well, as the Nailers spanked the Royals, 5-0.

On Friday night, the Nailers and Royals collided again, with the second game taking place at WesBanco Arena. The two sides went back-and-forth through the first two periods of the contest, with Wheeling answering an opposition goal on two occasions, as Chris Barton and Peter Lenes helped to send the game into the third period kotted at two. Unfortunately, a goal at the midway mark of the third gave the Royals a 3-2 lead, and a late empty netter helped to secure a 4-2 win for the visitors, despite a 42-19 shots advantage for the Nailers.

Saturday night's game was also decided in the third period, and unfortunately for Wheeling, that game went the other way as well. Nick Petersen gave the Nailers a 1-0 lead with a first period power play goal. That lead stood up all the way until the final eight minutes of regulation, when visiting Kalamazoo tied the score with a power play goal of their own, before taking the lead on an even strength tally. Wheeling received a power play with less than two minutes to go in regulation, but couldn't tie the score on 32 shots.

On Sunday night, the scene shifted to Johnstown, where the Nailers concluded the weekend on a positive note aagainst Toledo. After falling behind 1-0 on a power play goal, the Wheeling power play came alive, scoring twice in the second and once in the third, as they quickly turned that deficit into a 3-1 advantage. Peter Lenes' eighth and ninth goals as a Nailer helped to salt away the Walleye, in a game that was ultimately decided by a 5-2 final score. Cody Chupp, Jordon Southorn, and Nick Petersen all scored in the game as well for Wheeling, who received a four-assist performance from Andrew Hotham. Patrick Killeen made 27 saves for his second win in three starts during the week, and is now 4-1 in his last five games.

Notable Statistics

- Patrick Killeen earned his second consecutive shutout in Wednesday's game, and ended up with a shutout streak of 209:54 from January 15-28.

- Nick Petersen had at least one point in all four games last week, after being assigned from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (total: 3g, 3a, 6 pts).

- Andrew Hotham dished out four assists on Sunday - the second time he has picked up four points in a game this season.

- Former Titans Peter Lenes and Jordon Southorn scored three of Wheeling's five goals on Sunday, with Lenes earning his second multi-goal game as a Nailer.

- The Nailers' power play picked up a goal in all four games last week, going 6-for-18, as they are now fifth in the league (19.7%) in that category.

- The road team has won seven of eight games between the Nailers and Royals, while the home team has won all seven games between Wheeling and the two Ohio teams.

- Wheeling concluded the month of January with seven wins (their most for a single month this season), and have been .500 or better in each of the four months this season.

This Week

Wed. 2/1 - WHEELING NAILERS @ Elmira Jackals 7:05 at First Arena

Fri. 2/3 - Elmira Jackals @ WHEELING NAILERS 7:35 PM at WesBanco Arena

Sat. 2/4 - WHEELING NAILERS @ Trenton Titans 7:00 PM at Sun National Bank Center

Last Week

Wed. 1/25 - WHEELING NAILERS 5 @ Reading Royals 0

Fri. 1/27 - Reading Royals 4 @ WHEELING NAILERS 2

Sat. 1/28 - Kalamazoo Wings 2 @ WHEELING NAILERS 1

Sun. 1/29 - Toledo Walleye 2 @ WHEELING NAILERS 5

This week, the Nailers will take the ice three times, with all three contests taking place against the Atlantic Division. This coming Sunday will also be the final time this season that Wheeling will have a weekend day off until April 1st, as they will play three games in three days for seven straight weeks.

The week begins with a home-and-home series on Wednesday and Friday against the Elmira Jackals, with Wednesday's game taking place at First Arena, and Friday's game at WesBanco Arena. The Nailers and Jackals have met six times thus far this season, with Wheeling winning the first two, before Elmira rattled off four consecutive victories to take the season series lead. There are still a total of eight games remaining between the two clubs that are currently separated by five points for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Last week, the Jackals dropped all three of their games, falling twice to Gwinnett, and once in a shootout to South Carolina (their first shootout loss in nine tries). With Brian Stewart currently on recall to the AHL's Binghamton Senators, Timo Pielmeier is currently the club's top goaltender, having gone 9-7-2 in 20 appearances. Offensively, Dustin Gazley has opened up a respectable lead on the rest of his teammates, as his 44 points are ten better than Mike Radja's 34. Radja's 17 goals are the most for Elmira, while defenseman Mario Larocque is in third on the team, posting 28 points in 39 games.

On Saturday night, the Nailers will battle the Trenton Titans for the first time in over a month, after the two clubs clashed eight times during the first three months of the season. Wheeling currently owns a 6-2 lead in the season series, while winning all three games played at Sun National Bank Center thus far. Since the last meeting on December 28th, the Nailers have acquired two players from the Titans, as Peter Lenes and Jordon Southorn will both be making their first trips back to the Garden State. Last weekend, Trenton went 1-2, splitting a pair of games with South Carolina, before losing to Gwinnett, with all three games taking place on the road. Rob Bordson is the Titans' leading scorer, as he has 13 goals, 18 assists, and 31 points in 28 games. Andy Bohmbach also has 13 goals, while Eric Baier's 11 points are now good for the lead from the blueline, with Southorn no longer in Trenton. Dave Caruso has appeared in 30 games between the pipes for the Titans, going 11-13-5, with a 3.21 GAA, and a .906 Sv%.

Atlantic Division Standings

1- Elmira Jackals 26-14-1-1, 54 pts

2- WHEELING NAILERS 23-16-2-1, 49 pts

3- Reading Royals 18-19-3-3, 42 pts

4- Trenton Titans 15-21-3-3, 36 pts

The Nailers will be back in action on Wednesday night, when they visit the Elmira Jackals at 7:05. Wheeling and Elmira will then head to WesBanco Arena for the second half of the home-and-home series on Friday night at 7:35. 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



ECHL Stories from January 31, 2012


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