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ECHL Wheeling Nailers

Ratchuk Rockets Nailers to Third Straight Win

November 16, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


WHEELING, WV- For the second night in a row, the Wheeling Nailers turned to a former Elmira Jackal to take care of business against his former team. On Saturday night, the hero was Mike Ratchuk, whose rebound goal with 2:23 remaining lifted the Nailers to a 5-4 victory at WesBanco Arena. The win was Wheeling's third in a row, with all three taking place against Elmira, over the course of a three-day span.

After a defensive showdown took place in Wheeling on Thursday, both teams exploded out of the gates in Saturday's first period, leading to a 2-2 tie. Elmira struck first at the 13:29 mark, when Matt Carter picked up the rebound of Marvin Degon's shot off of the end boards, jamming it into the right side of the net. The Nailers evened the score with 2:36 to go, as Denver Manderson led Zack Torquato up the left side of the ice. Torquato backhanded the puck toward the middle, banking it off of a defender and in. The Jackals retook the lead 1:29 later on a shorthanded breakaway goal by Jordan Pietrus, before Cody Sylvester knotted the game at two with a power play goal, roofing a shot from the slot.

At the 2:22 mark of the second period, Wheeling snared its first lead of the contest. Chaz Johnson broke up an Elmira passing play in neutral ice, leading Max MacKay into the offensive zone. MacKay sped past the defense, then snuck a shot inside of the right post. Later in the frame, the visitors drew even, as Rob Bellamy and Artem Demkov went on a 2-on-1 break, with Bellamy keeping the puck to himself, scoring with a backhander for the equalizer.

With less than three minutes gone in the third, the seesaw battle continued, as the Jackals took the lead with a power play goal. Keven Veilleux swung a pass to Demkov, who squeezed a one-timer through Eric Hartzell for a 4-3 advantage. However, the Nailers came up with an answer a little more than four minutes later, when Denver Manderson rung a shot in off of the left post, tying the game at four, off of an assist from Carter Rowney. Then, with 2:23 remaining, former Jackal Mike Ratchuk gave Wheeling the lead for good, when he rocketed home the rebound of Torquato's initial shot, as the Nailers finished off Elmira, 5-4.

Eric Hartzell grabbed his second straight win in goal for Wheeling, stopping 29 of the 33 shots he faced. Maxime Clermont took the loss for Elmira, making 26 saves on 31 shots.

The Nailers will start a five-game road trip on Wednesday in Reading, with their next home game taking place on November 30th against the Toledo Walleye.

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