Wheeling Nailers Weekly Report

Last Week Fri. 2/12 WHEELING NAILERS 5 @ Adirondack Thunder 2 Cerretani (Ammon, Nagy) Brace (Kwas, Wydo) Krause (Brace, Wydo) Belisle (Tabrum) Ciotti (Maione, Cianfrini) Palazzese- 37/39 Sun. 2/14 WHEELING NAILERS 2 @ Manchester Monarchs 6 Maione (Wydo, Cianfrini) Leen (unassisted) Foster- 3/7 (L) DeSmith- 24/26 Last week, the Wheeling Nailers embarked on their season-long six-game road trip, starting with tilts against the top two teams in the East Division. Wheeling split the two contests, which ended up rather one-sided on the scoreboard. On Friday night, the Nailers surrendered 17 shots in the first period, but strong goaltending and timely scoring helped them take a 2-0 lead against the Adirondack Thunder. Andrew Cerretani and Riley Brace were the goal scorers, as Brace returned from the AHL for his first game with Wheeling since late December. After Adirondack trimmed the lead to one, Adam Krause and Louis Belisle put the visitors up by three, with Belisle tallying his first career ECHL goal. Chris Ciotti tacked on one more marker in the third, as the Nailers cruised to a 5-2 win, backstopped by Franky Palazzese’s 37 saves. On Sunday afternoon, Wheeling fell behind the eight ball early, as the Manchester Monarchs stormed out to a 3-0 lead before the game was 12 minutes old. Mathew Maione and Connor Leen lit the lamp in the second period for the Nailers, ultimately cutting the deficit to 4-2, but Manchester added two insurance tallies in the third period for a 6-2 final score. Wheeling set a season-high with 46 shots on goal, but Colin Stevens made 44 saves in net for the Monarchs. The Nailers have gone 1-1-0 in the first two games of their six-game road trip, running their road record on the year to 10-10-2, and their overall record to 21-21-5. Wheeling is currently six points out of playoff spot, but has three games in hand and 25 games remaining in the regular season. Riley Brace returned from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and posted a two-point game on Friday, giving him 12 points in his last nine contests with the Nailers. Andrew Ammon had an assist on Friday night at Adirondack, becoming the seventh member of this year’s team to record a point in his first game with the club. Mathew Maione’s assist on Sunday put him into a tie for the league lead in points among defensemen, with 34. Sunday’s loss in Manchester ended Wheeling’s three-game road winning streak and five-game road point streak, both of which were season-highs. This Week Tue. 2/16 WHEELING NAILERS @ Adirondack Thunder, 7:00 Wed. 2/17 WHEELING NAILERS @ Elmira Jackals, 7:05 Fri. 2/19 WHEELING NAILERS @ Brampton Beast, 7:15 Sat. 2/20 WHEELING NAILERS @ Brampton Beast, 7:15 This week, the Wheeling Nailers will rack up a lot of mileage in a short amount of time, as they will play four games in five days in three cities. On Tuesday night, the Nailers will return to Glens Falls Civic Center, where they will conclude their season series against the Adirondack Thunder. Wheeling and Adirondack have both picked up three-goal victories against each other on the road, with the Nailers taking their decision, 5-2 last Friday. The Thunder are currently tied with South Carolina for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 60 points. On Wednesday night, Wheeling will travel west in the State of New York, where it will clash with the Elmira Jackals at First Arena. The Nailers and Jackals split a pair of games in Elmira during the month of January, with Wheeling taking the opener, 4-1, before the Jackals responded with a 4-3 shootout triumph the following night. Elmira also collected a shootout win at WesBanco Arena in early January. The Jackals currently hold the eighth position in the Eastern Conference with 53 points.On Friday and Saturday, the Nailers will conclude their season-long six game road trip with two clashes against the Brampton Beast at Powerade. Wheeling has won both of its contests in Brampton thus far this season, including a 3-2 comeback win in overtime on January 31st. The Nailers have a 4-2 lead in the season series against the Beast, who currently occupy 14th place in the Eastern Conference with 40 points. Upcoming Home Games/Promotions Fri. 2/26 vs. Greenville- Flat Screen Friday Presented by The Highlands and Bordas & Bordas, Frosty Friday Sat. 2/27 vs. Elmira- Disney Night Featuring Corey Fogelmanis (Farkle from Girl Meets World), Pink in the Rink Sun. 2/28 vs. Elmira- Family Funday, McDonald’s $5 Kids Tickets, Post Game Skate with the Team (Odd Numbered Players) Tue. 3/8 vs. Brampton- Makeup Game From Jan. 24, McDonald’s $5 Kids Tickets Fri. 3/11 vs. Toledo- Flat Screen Friday Presented by The Highlands and Bordas & Bordas, Frosty Friday Nailers Leaders Goals: 15, Jarrett Burton Assists: 28, Mathew Maione Points: 38, Jarrett Burton Penalty Minutes: 105, Patrick McGrath Plus/Minus: +10, Mike Gunn Wins: 13, Franky Palazzese Goals Against Average: 2.97, Franky Palazzese Save Percentage: .902, Franky Palazzese Shutouts: 2, Franky Palazzese North Division Standings 1. Toledo Walleye 63 2. WHEELING NAILERS 47 3. Kalamazoo Wings 45 4. Brampton Beast 40