Royals Snap Skid, Thanks to Three-Goal Second
November 29, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release
READING, PA- For the second time in the week, the Wheeling Nailers and Reading Royals met in a game in which the goaltenders put some of their best work on the table. The two sides combined for 81 shots on goal, with only five pucks turning on the red light. Three of those attempts came from the Royals in the second period, as Reading held off a 19-shot attack by Wheeling in the third period, ending a five-game skid with a 3-2 victory at Santander Arena. The home team has now won 15 of the last 16 games between the two rivals.
Before the first goal of the game was scored, Patrick McGrath and Derek Mathers opted to give the fans a show, dropping the gloves against each other for the fourth time in as many head-to-head tilts. Shortly over two minutes later, the Nailers got on the board. Brett Stern batted a loose puck ahead to Matia Marcantuoni, leading the visitors on an odd man rush into the offensive zone. Marcantuoni curled in on the left side, before finding Adam Krause, whose shot from the slot flew into the left side of the cage.
The second period took a turn in the wrong direction for Wheeling, as the Royals connected for three consecutive goals. The first marker came on the power play at the 6:52 mark. Robbie Czarnik's initial shot was blocked by Franky Palazzese, however the rebound trickled free, leading to a final whack by Justin Crandall to tie the score. 2:10 later, Reading took the lead. Yannick Tifu stole the puck along the left wing wall, before crashing to the front of the net, and slipping in his fourth tally of the campaign. Then, with 1:31 left in the stanza, Matt Hatch potted the rebound of Kevin Young's right point shot, which came off of an offensive zone face-off win.
The Nailers attempted to rally back in the third period, peppering the net with 19 shots. One of those made its way through, as with 2:57 remaining, Brett Stern cranked a slap shot from the left point, beating Connor Knapp high over the glove. Marcantuoni and Connor Leen assisted on the goal, which unfortunately turned out to be the only marker in the final stanza, as the Royals hung on for the 3-2 win.
Connor Knapp returned from the AHL and backstopped the victory for Reading, swatting away 42 of the 44 shots he faced. Franky Palazzese saw his personal five-game winning streak come to an end, in addition to his shutout streak of 91:44. Despite that, Palazzese turned in a solid effort, making 36 saves on 39 shots.
The Nailers will return home for three games over the weekend. On Friday night, The Highlands and Bordas & Bordas present Flat Screen Friday, as Wheeling hosts South Carolina at 7:35 on a Frosty Friday. On Saturday, Star Wars takes center stage, with Star Wars characters in attendance, t-shirts to the first 2,000 fans, and specialty jerseys worn by the players, as the Nailers challenge the Stingrays at 7:35. Saturday is also Teddy Bear Toss Night. Finally, on Sunday, McDonald's $5 kids tickets will be available, and fans will be able to skate with the team following the 4:05 contest against Elmira.
Download the Nailers new smartphone app presented by Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration. Available in theiTunes and Google Play Store. Use promo code "Leader" to receive 100 Nailers points.
In addition to Nailers Rewards, the app also includes:
Notifications and Alerts
News Feed containing team news, photos & videos
Interact Feed containing Nailers posts on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
Team Summary
Roster
Team Stats and League Standings
View Schedule & Buy Tickets
Venue Information (Map, Directions, Parking, and Seating Chart) Individual tickets, mini plans, and group tickets are on sale now, with prices starting as low as $10 per seat. For tickets and more information, call the Nailers at (304) 234-GOAL or online at wheelingnailers.com.
• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...
ECHL Stories from November 29, 2015
- Guptill's Hat Trick Helps Evansville Dump Aces 5-3 - Alaska Aces
- Guptill's Hat-Trick Leads IceMen to Series Win in Alaska - Evansville IceMen
- Perfect: Mavericks Complete 12-0 November with 2-1 Win over Oilers - Kansas City Mavericks
- Mallards Steal Two Points in Fuel's Road Trip Finale - Indy Fuel
- Oilers Fall to the Still Streaking Mavericks - Tulsa Oilers
- Mallards Pull off Stunning Comeback, Overcome Fuel in Overtime 3-2 - Quad City Mallards
- Royals Close out Holiday Week with Win over Wheeling, 3-2 - Reading Royals
- Teddy Bears Fly in K-Wings Shootout Loss - Kalamazoo Wings
- Hohmann and Motte Lead Jackals over Beast, 5-2 - Elmira Jackals
- Royals Snap Skid, Thanks to Three-Goal Second - Wheeling Nailers
- Toledo Rebounds with a Big Comeback 4-3 over Kalamazoo - Toledo Walleye
- Fielding, Thunder Snap Swamp Rabbits Winning Streak - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
- Beast Outplay Jackals But Drop Game 5-2 - Brampton Beast
- Nailers at Royals Game Day Snap Shot - Wheeling Nailers
- Brittain Back as Fuel Face Mallards - Indy Fuel
- ECHL Transactions - November 29 - ECHL
- Komets Hook Walleye 1-0; Daniels, Nagle Return - Fort Wayne Komets
- Game Preview: Oilers Host Mavericks - Today at 4:05 p.m. - Tulsa Oilers
- Mallards Game Day - Quad City Mallards
- Elmira Heads North of the Border to Meet the Beast - Elmira Jackals
- Gameday: Adirondack vs. Greenville - Adirondack Thunder
- ECHL Today - November 29 - ECHL
- Aces Overpower IceMen to Even Weekend Series in Alaska - Evansville IceMen
- Fournier's Two Goals Lead Aces Past Evansville 4-1 - Alaska Aces
- Americans Fall Again to Grizzlies, 4-2 - Allen Americans
- Eagles Soar Past 'Blades in Fight-Filled Affair - Florida Everblades
- Jackals Win Wild Saturday Shootout over Thunder, 5-4 - Elmira Jackals
- Royals Pull out a Point in Shootout Loss to Greenville, 4-3 - Reading Royals
- Eagles Win Wild Game 5-1, Fans Raise over $57,000 - Colorado Eagles
- Oilers Slip Past Thunder 4-2 - Wichita Thunder
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.
