Wheeling Nailers Weekly Report, Nov. 7

Last Week

Fri. 11/4 Toledo Walleye 6 @ WHEELING NAILERS 1Wydo (Quinney, Sorkin)Carr- 27/33

Sat. 11/5 WHEELING NAILERS 5 @ Toledo Walleye 2Quinney (Stern, Meurs)Kwas (Schulze, Webster)Sorkin (Shalla, Webster)Shalla (Sorkin)Kwas (unassisted)Carr- 23/25

Sun. 11/6 Kalamazoo Wings 0 @ WHEELING NAILERS 3Sorkin (Wydo, Shalla)Ammon (Kwas, Meurs)Sorkin (Fick)Anderson- 24/24

Last week, the Wheeling Nailers rose above the .500 mark for the first time in 2016-17, as they came away with two wins during their three-game weekend. The lone setback took place in the opening contest on Friday night, when the Nailers played host to the Toledo Walleye. Cody Wydo opened the scoring for Wheeling in the early stages of the second period, but Toledo went on to score each of the next six goals, running out of West Virginia with a 6-1 triumph. On Saturday night, the Nailers got their revenge, and in doing so, ended a seven-game winning streak for the Walleye. Toledo got off to a fast start, jumping out to a 2-0 lead before the tilt was five minutes old. However, Wheeling battled back in the middle frame, starting with Gage Quinney's 5-on-3 strike. Jordan Kwas knotted the score a few minutes later, and then, with 41 seconds left in the stanza, Nick Sorkin put the Nailers on top. Josh Shalla added a key insurance marker in the third period, and Kwas' second of the game iced a 5-2 Wheeling victory. Doug Carr was the goaltender for both games against the Walleye. On Sunday afternoon, Wheeling returned home, and turned to JP Anderson between the pipes. With under seven minutes left in the second period, Sorkin broke a scoreless deadlock, giving the Nailers the only goal they needed. Andrew Ammon and Sorkin added empty netters, and Anderson was perfect on 24 shots, as Wheeling blanked Kalamazoo 3-0 for its third straight win against the Wings.

Saturday's win was Wheeling's first in the regular season at Huntington Center since March 19, 2014, ending a seven-game skid. That game also featured the first comeback victory of the year for the Nailers, as they erased an early two-goal deficit. Josh Shalla returned to Toledo for the first time since being traded by the Walleye to the Nailers, assisting on the winning goal, then scoring the club's fourth goal of the night. Nick Sorkin climbed into second place on the team in scoring with eight points on the campaign, performing at key times over the weekend, as he netted the game winning goals on Saturday and Sunday. JP Anderson made his season debut on Sunday afternoon, turning in a 24-save shutout against Kalamazoo. That was Wheeling's first ever shutout win over the Wings in 43 all-time clashes. The weekend completed a five-game stretch for the Nailers against Central Division opponents in which they posted a 4-1-0 record. Wheeling is now 4-3-1 on the season.

This Week

Fri. 11/11 Reading Royals @ WHEELING NAILERS, 7:35Sun. 11/13 WHEELING NAILERS @ Brampton Beast, 2:00

This week, the Wheeling Nailers will play two games against divisional foes, hoping to continue their climb up the standings. On Friday night, the Nailers will play host to the Reading Royals, who will be playing their final tilt on an eight-game road trip, which started on October 26th. Reading has fared very well on its journey, posting a 4-1-1 record, with another contest coming up in Cincinnati on Wednesday night. That success has lifted the Royals into second place in the North Division with an overall mark of 6-2-1, which is good for 13 points. Wheeling has faced off against Reading once so far this season, with the Royals taking a 4-3 decision on October 20th. Friday will be the 156th all-time meeting in the regular season between the two rivals, which will become the second highest number of games against a single opponent for the Nailers/Thunderbirds. On Sunday, Wheeling will face a newer opponent to the ECHL, but one who is quickly becoming popular on the schedule. The Nailers head north of the border for the first time in 2016-17, where they will do battle with the Brampton Beast. The Beast are the kings of extra time in the early goings of the year, having gone past regulation in six of their first seven games. With that, Brampton has posted a 3-1-3 record, good for nine points, and a fourth place tie with Wheeling. One of those overtime tilts came in the season opener at WesBanco Arena, when former Nailer Luke Pither lit the lamp in the extra session for a 3-2 Beast win. Wheeling is 7-1-0 all-time at Powerade Centre in two seasons.

Upcoming Home Games/PromotionsFri. 11/11- Veteran's Day, Military Appreciation Night Presented by Main Street Bank, Nailers Wear Camouflage Jerseys, Flat Screen Friday Presented by The Highlands, Frosty FridayTue. 11/15- Education Day Game, 11:05 a.m. Start TimeSat. 11/26- Spike Eastern Conference Champions Bobblehead Giveaway (first 2,500 fans) Presented by WesBanco, Teddy Bear Toss Presented by 98.7 Country WOVK, Craft Beer Tasting, XTO Blades for Grades Night 1Sun. 11/27- Family Funday, McDonald's $6 Kids Tickets, Post Game Skate With the Team (Even-Numbered Players)Sat. 12/3- Pittsburgh Pirates Night, Starring Clint Hurdle, the Pirate Parrot, the Cannonball Crew, and Nailers Wear Pirates Jerseys - Presented by Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration, Main Street Bank, WTOV-News9, Fox Sports Radio 1400

Nailers LeadersGoals: 6, Josh ShallaAssists: 5, Josh Shalla & Cody WydoPoints: 11, Josh ShallaPenalty Minutes: 18, Brett SternPlus/Minus: +5, Jordan KwasWins: 3, Doug CarrGoals Against Average: 2.81, Doug CarrSave Percentage: .909, Doug CarrShutouts: 1, JP Anderson

North Division Standings1. Adirondack Thunder 6-1-1-1, 14 pts.2. Reading Royals 6-2-0-1, 13 pts.3. Manchester Monarchs 5-4-0-1, 11 pts.4. WHEELING NAILERS 4-3-1-0, 9 pts.5. Brampton Beast 3-1-1-2, 9 pts.6. Elmira Jackals 2-5-2-0, 6 pts.