Last week, the Wheeling Nailers opened the 2012 calendar year with three exciting and emotional games at WesBanco Arena, as they took four of six possible points against the Cincinnati Cyclones, South Carolina Stingrays, and Greenville Road Warriors. The 2-1 week gave the Nailers an 18-12-1-1 record overall, which is good for 38 points, second place in the Atlantic Division, and sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
The week began on Friday night, when Wheeling played their first game of the season against nearby rival Cincinnati. The Nailers came out of the gates flying, as Chris Barton and Scooter Vaughan put the home team ahead 2-0 by the 6:19 mark of the opening stanza. Chris Cahill brought the Cyclones within one at the midway mark of the first, before Wheeling regained their two-goal edge on Barton’s second tally of the evening. Matt Pelech made the score 3-2 at the end of the first, and it remained that way until the 12:20 mark of the third period, when Cody Chupp added an insurance marker for the Nailers. Matt Lombardi iced the victory with an empty netter in the final minutes, while Peter Delmas made 29 saves in his first appearance in goal since December 16th.
On Saturday night, a solid crowd of 3,931 fans made their way to WesBanco Arena, and watched the Nailers take a 1-0 lead on Mickael Bedard’s goal at the 30-second mark of the second period. The first two frames of the contest featured a plethora of defense, as Bedard’s tally was the only one on the board at the end of 40 minutes of play. Unfortunately for Wheeling, the Stingrays turned it around in the third, scoring three unanswered goals for a 3-1 win. Philipp Grubauer stopped 28 shots for South Carolina, defeating Peter Delmas, who made 23 saves for the Nailers.
Less than one day later, the Nailers had an opportunity to bounce back, and they did just that, as the Greenville Road Warriors made their lone visit of the season to the Ohio Valley. For the second time on the weekend, Chris Barton opened the scoring, as part of a two-goal performance, as he also scored at the eight-second mark of the middle period. The score at that point was 2-1 in Wheeling’s favor, before Mickael Bedard made it 3-1 with 5:01 left in the second. Matt Lombardi’s goal at the 13-second mark of the third put the Nailers up by three, in what turned out to be a vital goal, as the Road Warriors responded with a pair of power play goals, making the score 4-3. With 1:09 left in the third period, Cody Chupp buried an empty netter, as well as Greenville’s hopes for a comeback, as Wheeling went on to the 5-3 triumph. Peter Delmas set a season-high with 40 saves, giving him 92 on the weekend.
Notable Statistics
– Chris Barton had a pair of three-point games last weekend, registering four goals and two assists, as he added to his goal total (19), which is the highest among rookies, and is tied for third overall in the ECHL.
– Kyle Bushee picked up six assists in three games last weekend, while posting a plus-7 rating, giving him nine points and a plus-10 rating in his last six contests.
– After missing seven games due to injury, Peter Delmas returned to the crease, stopping 92 of 100 shots in three games last weekend, including a season-high 40 saves on Sunday.
– Scooter Vaughan netted his first professional goal on Friday night, as part of a two-point effort.
– The Nailers have now completed three out of four season series against the South Division, winning two (Greenville, Gwinnett), and tying one (South Carolina).
– Three of Wheeling’s goals last weekend came during the first minute of a period, including two in Sunday’s contest.
– On Wednesday night, the Nailers will have played against every team in the Eastern Conference, when they welcome the Toledo Walleye to WesBanco Arena.
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