Nailers vs. Cyclones Game Day Snap Shot

WHEELING NAILERS(13-10-2-0, 28 PTS, 5th North, T-8th East)83 GF, 80 GAPP: 16.1% (18-for-112), 15thPK: 75.5% (80-for-106), 27th

26-D-Kevin Schulze (4 goals, 19 assists, 23 points in 25 games)11-F-Cody Wydo (9 goals, 11 assists, 20 points in 25 games)23-F-Garrett Meurs (9 goals, 10 assists, 19 points in 25 games)22-F-Adam Krause (7 goals, 12 assists, 19 points in 17 games)8-F-Nick Sorkin (7 goals, 10 assists, 17 points in 20 games)17-F-Jordan Kwas (8 goals, 8 assists, 16 points in 25 games)29-G-Sean Maguire (1-3-0 record, 4.28 GAA, .862 Sv% in 4 games)

CINCINNATI CYCLONES(11-10-4-0, 26 PTS, T-5th South, T-10th East)71 GF, 76 GAPP: 12.6% (11-for-87), 22ndPK: 83.6% (56-for-67), 14th

12-F-Andrew Yogan (12 goals, 15 assists, 27 points in 22 games)32-F-Peter Leblanc (6 goals, 13 assists, 19 points in 25 games)10-F-Shane Walsh (6 goals, 9 assists, 15 points in 24 games)5-D-Eric Knodel (4 goals, 9 assists, 13 points in 25 games)16-F-Shawn O'Donnell (5 goals, 7 assists, 12 points in 14 games)40-F-Nick Huard (4 goals, 8 assists, 12 points in 25 games)1-G-Michael Houser (6-5-1 record, 2.38 GAA, .924 Sv% in 13 games)

Head to HeadSeason Series: Cyclones 1, Nailers 02015-16 Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 1, Cyclones 0All-Time Series: Nailers 59, Cyclones 57All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 31, Cyclones 25

A Comeback to Take Down the LeadersThe Wheeling Nailers welcomed the Manchester Monarchs to town on Tuesday night, and they made a statement against the North Division leaders. For the second home game in a row, Wheeling had to wear its rally caps, erasing three separate one-goal deficits. All three of Manchester's leads were erased within five minutes of the go-ahead goal being scored, starting with Christian Hilbrich's breakaway, which came 2:10 after Gasper Kopitar's opening strike. With less than one minute left in the first period, Nick Sorkin brought the Nailers even, after Rick Pinkston had put the Monarchs ahead. Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman and Danny Fick exchanged goals in the middle frame, sending the contest into the final stanza tied at three. With 13:48 left in the game, Jordan Kwas slipped in a shot from the left circle, lifting Wheeling to the 4-3 triumph. Sean Maguire made 23 saves for his first career win, as he defeated Sam Brittain, who fell to 12-4-1.

Fuel Running on Almost EmptyThe Cincinnati Cyclones last took the ice against a team on the opposite end of the standings, as the slumping Indy Fuel made their way to US Bank Arena for a two-game series last week. Cincinnati goaltender Michael Houser limited the Fuel goal to just one goal in each of the two games, turning away 27 shots on Thursday and 31 attempts on Friday. The Cyclones never trailed in the set, as team leader Andrew Yogan put them on the scoreboard first with his 12th goal of the season. Justin Kirkland's first of the year extended Thursday's lead, before Brandon McNally iced the 3-1 victory with an empty netter. Friday's game had a similar start, as Jordan Sims and Peter Leblanc helped the home team race out to a 2-0 advantage. Indy closed the gap to one, before Shane Walsh and Dominic Zombo applied the final two daggers for a 4-1 final score in favor of Cincinnati. The Cyclones are 2-0-2 in their last four tilts.

Put a One on the Stat SheetSean Maguire had plenty of reason to celebrate Wheeling's 4-3 victory on Tuesday night, as he earned the first win of his professional career. Maguire was originally selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fourth round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, and made his pro debut in a relief appearance with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last spring. After missing most of the first two months of the season, Sean made his first start on December 11th, when the Nailers visited Brampton. The Powell River, British Columbia native ended up on the short end in his first three starts, before his 23-save performance on Tuesday put him into the win column. Defenseman Danny Fick also erased a zero on Tuesday, as he scored his first goal since February 27th of last season against Elmira. Fick became the 20th different player to score a goal for Wheeling this season. Recent acquisition Tyler Currier is not included in that list, although he had five goals as a member of the Indy Fuel.

A Man Above the RestOne player in Thursday's game has reached double digits in goals in 2016-17, as Cincinnati's Andrew Yogan has lit the lamp 12 times in 22 games with the club. A fifth year pro, Yogan is a familiar name around the ECHL and for fans in Wheeling, as he was a member of the 2013-14 Greenville Road Warriors, who were the opposition in the second round of that year's Kelly Cup Playoffs. Andrew first broke into the professional ranks at the end of the 2011-12 season with the AHL's Connecticut Whale, and saw AHL time during each of the next four campaigns. This year, he posted seven points in ten games while playing in Austria, before returning to the Cyclones. His 27 points are also the most among the two teams, followed by Kevin Schulze of the Nailers, whose 23 points rank him tied for third among defensemen, as well as fifth among rookies. Cody Wydo reached the 20-point plateau with a goal on Saturday in Fort Wayne.

First Visit Since School DayThursday night marks the second of four head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Cyclones this season, as well as the first of two battles at WesBanco Arena. This will be Cincinnati's first trip to West Virginia since the infamous Education Day Comeback Game last November. That morning, Wheeling trailed 5-2 with less than five minutes remaining, before rattling off five consecutive goals for a thrilling 7-5 triumph. Brett Stern scored the first two goals of his pro career, including the game winner in the last minute. So far this season, the two nearby rivals have played once, with the Cyclones taking a 2-1 decision on October 22nd at US Bank Arena, in the first road contest of the year for the Nailers. Michael Houser was stellar with 39 saves, while Dominic Zombo scored the winning goal with 2:09 left in the third period. Cincinnati will make a return trip to Wheeling in just over two weeks, before the season series concludes in early February in the Queen City.