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Wheeling Nailers

Thunderbirds Fly Past Beast on Throwback Night

January 2, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL)
Wheeling Nailers News Release


WHEELING, WV - Saturday night's game at WesBanco Arena brought back lots of fun memories for the 3,846 in attendance, as the home team took the ice in Wheeling Thunderbirds jerseys, and proceeded to do what the Thunderbirds did frequently - win. Jarrett Burton had two goals and an assist, and Franky Palazzese turned away 26 of 27 shots, as Wheeling defeated the Brampton Beast, 5-1.

Wheeling scored the first goal of the 2016 calendar year, doing so at the 7:04 mark of the opening stanza with a slice of brotherly love. Tanner Burton grabbed a loose puck on the right side of his own zone, before darting a pass into center ice for his younger brother. Jarrett Burton caught the pass in stride, drove his way into the high slot, and roofed a wrist shot into the top-right corner of the cage. That marked the second time that both brothers had recorded points on a goal, but the first time that one of them scored the tally.

The Thunderbirds continued their strong play in the second period, building on their lead. At the 4:35 mark, Connor Leen won a hybrid icing race, winning a puck battle in the right corner. He then slipped a pass into the slot, where Cody Wydo connected with Jarrett Burton, who potted his second marker of the evening by sliding a shot through Edward Pasquale's pads. Later in the frame, Wheeling added another tally. Mickael Beauregard's left point shot was twisted on goal by Andrew Cerretani. Pasquale got enough of his stick on the attempt to keep it out of the net, but the puck sat in the crease, where it was forced in by Tim Hall for his first with the team.

Brampton took back-to-back penalties in the early stages of the third period, leading to a two-man advantage for the Thunderbirds. David Gove called a time-out, which paid off in a big way, as his club scored on both minors. A net mouth scramble led to a backhand goal by Anton Zlobin at 8:12, and 32 seconds later, Connor Leen redirected Tanner Burton's shot from the blueline for a 5-0 lead. Jeff Brown snapped Wheeling's shutout bid with 10:07 to go, as he tipped in Luke Pither's wrister from the right wing wall for a 5-1 final score.

Franky Palazzese earned his ninth win of the season for the Thunderbirds, making 26 saves on 27 shots. Edward Pasquale was the losing netminder for the Beast, as he allowed five goals on 29 shots, before Andy Iles went 4-for-4 in relief.

The Nailers will host the Norfolk Admirals on Sunday afternoon at 4:05 on a Family Funday. McDonald's presents $5 kids tickets, and odd-numbered players will take part in a post game skate with the fans. Wheeling will also have three home games next weekend, including Princesses & Pirates Night on Saturday, which features a pregame dinner with the princesses and pirates. In addition, the first 2,000 fans will receive a Winter Cheer Scarf, thanks to WesBanco Bank.

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