Nailers at Fuel Game Day Snap Shot

WHEELING NAILERS(7-3-1-0, 15 PTS, 3rd North, T-5th East)41 GF, 28 GAPP: 22.4% (11-for-49), 6thPK: 84.4% (38-for-45), 12th

25-F-Josh Shalla (8 goals, 5 assists, 13 points in 11 games)26-D-Kevin Schulze (2 goals, 11 assists, 13 points in 11 games)8-F-Nick Sorkin (5 goals, 7 assists, 12 points in 11 games)17-F-Jordan Kwas (5 goals, 5 assists, 10 points in 11 games)23-F-Garrett Meurs (4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points in 11 games)11-F-Cody Wydo (3 goals, 6 assists, 9 points in 11 games)31-G-Doug Carr (5-3-1 record, 2.85 GAA, .907 Sv% in 9 games)

INDY FUEL(4-6-1-0, 9 PTS, 7th Central, T-12th West)22 GF, 35 GAPP: 11.5% (3-for-26), T-20thPK: 88.9% (32-for-36), T-3rd

11-F-Kevin Lynch (3 goals, 4 assists, 7 points in 11 games)16-F-Tyler Currier (3 goals, 4 assists, 7 points in 11 games)10-F-Alex Wideman (3 goals, 3 assists, 6 points in 11 games)13-F-Marek Tvrdon (3 goals, 2 assists, 5 points in 10 games)21-F-Anthony Beauregard (3 goals, 1 assist, 4 points in 10 games)24-D-Matt Stanisz (2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points in 11 games)30-G-Jake Hildebrand (4-2-1 record, 2.82 GAA, .912 Sv% in 7 games)

Head to Head2015-16 Season Series: Fuel 2, Nailers 12015-16 Season Series at Indiana Farmers Coliseum: Nailers 1, Fuel 1All-Time Series: Fuel 4, Nailers 3All-Time Series at Indiana Farmers Coliseum: Nailers 2, Fuel 2

High Grades for High OffenseThe Wheeling Nailers put on an offensive show in front of a sellout crowd of 5,182 fans on Education Day at WesBanco Arena on Tuesday morning, as they extended their winning streak to five games. Wheeling's surge started right off of the opening face-off, as it lit the lamp three times during the first period. Garrett Meurs fished out a rebound for the first marker, then Nick Sorkin and Cody Wydo each scored off of the rush, as the home team built a 3-0 advantage. Ryan Segalla added his first career tally in the second period, making the score 4-0 for the Nailers. The Brampton Beast began to close the gap at 4-2, before Josh Shalla and Jordan Kwas tacked on two more goals for a 6-2 lead. Brampton made a goaltending change after Kwas' strike, which ended up leading to three unanswered goals, as the margin shrunk to 6-5. Wheeling made sure to maintain its victory in the last 11:07 of the contest, with Doug Carr making 30 saves for his fifth win of the campaign.

Returning to the Lower 48The Indy Fuel are back in the familiar territory of the midwest region of the United States, following a three-game road series against the Alaska Aces at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage. The first night of the trip didn't go as planned, as the Fuel took one on the chin, 5-1. Alaska outshot Indy, 47-29, and got four assists from Stephen Perfetto. Kevin Lynch had the lone goal for the Fuel. Two nights later, the Fuel rebounded to even the set. Indy erased 1-0 and 2-1 deficits with goals by Anthony Beauregard and Matt Stanisz, then turned in perfect 3-for-3 shooting performance in the shootout, as Alex Wideman, Lynch, and Beauregard all got the best of Kevin Carr. The story of the series finale was Jake Hildebrand, who took home ECHL Goaltender of the Week. Hildebrand backstopped his first professional shutout, blocking away all 37 shots Alaska sent his way. The goal support for Jake came from Beauregard in the second period and Matt Rupert in the third period, as the Fuel prevailed, 2-0.

Two Teams Making the TurnAfter starting the year with three straight defeats, the Nailers have taken off in a big way, winning seven of their last eight games, including each of the last five contests. Wheeling's offense has performed extremely well in the victories, as it has outscored the opposition, 34-13. The 34 goals in seven wins amounts to a 4.86 goals per game average, while the 13 against comes out to an average of 1.86 goals per game. The Nailers won their first four games of the campaign against Central Division clubs Kalamazoo and Toledo, before making a serious dent in the North Division, by knocking off three straight divisional foes. Wheeling is now two points out of first place in the division. On the other side of the ice, the Fuel won their first two games of the year against Cincinnati, before experiencing a swoon in which they dropped seven games in a row, going 0-6-1. Thanks to its two triumphs in Anchorage, Indy is looking to turn a corner, but remains in seventh place in the Central Division, three points back of the Wichita Thunder.

Let's Explore Some Other AreasThanks to their three wins in five days, the Nailers now own a 3-1-1 record against North Division opponents, as they have already played over 20% of their divisional slate for 2016-17. Over the course of the next three weeks, Wheeling will step outside of the North (with the exception of November 30th in Reading) and get a look at the three other divisions in the ECHL. The stretch starts this weekend, when the Nailers visit Indy on Friday, followed by Quad City on Saturday and Sunday - both of whom are members of the Central Division. Next week, the South Division crosses the Mason-Dixon Line, when the Greenville Swamp Rabbits visit WesBanco Arena for a pair of tilts. The following week, Wheeling will play the first of two opponents from the Mountain Division, when the Utah Grizzlies come to town. Indy is also in a long stretch of minimal division games. The Fuel are in the midst of playing 17 of 22 games outside of the Central Division, with the five remaining games being played against Fort Wayne, Kalamazoo, and Quad City.

Only Going to Their PlaceFriday night marks the first of two head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Fuel this season, with both battles scheduled to take place at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Despite being separated by only 301 miles of highway, Wheeling and Indy are rare opponents on each other schedules, as there will have been just nine games played over the course of three years. Both teams won once at home and once on the road in 2014-15, which was the first season in the ECHL for the Fuel. Last season, the Nailers won the opening match in Indianapolis, before the Fuel responded with one-goal victories in each building to steal away the season series, 2-1. Six of the seven games played all-time have been decided by one goal, with the lone exception being a 3-0 shutout win for Indy on January 11, 2015 at WesBanco Arena. The Chicago Blackhawks' ECHL affiliate will not make a visit to West Virginia during the 2016-17 campaign. The teams will close out the season set on March 3rd on the Fuel's home ice.