Nailers vs. Grizzlies Game Day Snap Shot

WHEELING NAILERS(9-6-2-0, 20 PTS, 4th North, 7th East)55 GF, 50 GAPP: 19.2% (14-for-73), 10thPK: 82.4% (56-for-68), 18th

25-F-Josh Shalla (10 goals, 6 assists, 16 points in 17 games)26-D-Kevin Schulze (2 goals, 13 assists, 15 points in 17 games)8-F-Nick Sorkin (5 goals, 9 assists, 14 points in 17 games)17-F-Jordan Kwas (7 goals, 6 assists, 13 points in 17 games)11-F-Cody Wydo (6 goals, 7 assists, 13 points in 17 games)23-F-Garrett Meurs (6 goals, 6 assists, 12 points in 17 games)31-G-Doug Carr (5-5-1 record, 3.33 GAA, .890 Sv% in 11 games)

UTAH GRIZZLIES(7-10-1-1, 16 PTS, 7th Mountain, T-12th West)51 GF, 66 GAPP: 16.2% (11-for-68), 17thPK: 83.1% (54-for-65), 15th

23-F-Jon Puskar (6 goals, 6 assists, 12 points in 14 games)9-F-Mathieu Aubin (4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points in 19 games)8-D-Tim Daly (2 goals, 9 assists, 11 points in 18 games)71-F-Kenton Helgesen (2 goals, 7 assists, 9 points in 16 games)22-F-Carlos Amestoy (1 goal, 6 assists, 7 points in 14 games)62-F-Erik Higby (5 goals, 1 assist, 6 points in 17 games)79-G-Ryan McKay (First Start of the Season)

Head to Head2015-16 Season Series: Did Not Play2015-16 Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Did Not PlayAll-Time Series: Nailers 2, Grizzlies 0All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 2, Grizzlies 0

That One Slipped AwayThe Wheeling Nailers thought they had the Reading Royals right where they wanted them on Wednesday night, as they carried a 2-1 lead into the third period. Wheeling entered the contest with a 6-0-1 mark when leading after two periods, but the Royals managed to add a blemish to that number. After surrendering an early goal, the Nailers tied the score with less than three minutes to go in the first period, when Cody Wydo tapped in a centering pass from Milos Bubela, who recorded his first point in a Wheeling uniform. Wydo turned on the red light again in the second period, firing in a shot from the top of the right circle. Reading's comeback began at the 5:29 mark of the third period, when Nick Luukko placed a shot in the top-left corner of the net. A little more than four minutes later, Luukko set up Ian Watters for what turned out to be the winning goal. Matt Wilkins added an insurance tally for a 4-2 final score, as Mark Dekanich defeated JP Anderson in the goaltending match-up.

Offense Nearly Frozen in AnchorageThe Utah Grizzlies spent last weekend on the road in Anchorage, as they played three games against the Alaska Aces at Sullivan Arena. Despite Thanksgiving taking place one day before, the Grizzlies weren't very thankful for that particular road series, as they dropped all three games to their divisional opponent. Alaska won the opener on Friday, 5-1, then received a 42-save shutout from Kevin Carr on Saturday for a 2-0 triumph. On Sunday, Utah put forth a better offensive effort, led by a couple of goals from Erik Higby and one by Erik Bradford. However, the Aces proved to be too much. Peter Sivak had two goals and two assists on Sunday, giving him at least one goal in all three games against the Grizzlies. Alaska prevailed in the finale, 5-3. The netminders of record were identical in all three clashes, as Carr was victorious three times, while Ryan Faragher struggled, allowing 11 goals on 69 shots.

What are the Odds of More CarrLast weekend, the Grizzlies faced the tall task of trying to best Alaska goaltender Kevin Carr, who ended up earning three straight victories to improve to 5-3-1 on the season, while running his career win total in the ECHL to 56 over the course of three seasons. This weekend in Wheeling, Utah may get a chance to see a goaltender with the exact same last name, as Doug Carr shares the workload with JP Anderson in the crease for the Nailers. Carr started each of Wheeling's first seven contests in 2016-17, but Anderson has got the nod in six of ten games since making his season debut on November 6th. Doug is one of five current Nailers who has played against the Grizzlies in his career, as he appeared in seven games against them with the Colorado Eagles. The other four are Derek Army, Jordan Kwas, Darryl Lloyd, and Josh Shalla. Ryan Faragher has been the starting goalie in three straight games for Utah and 13 of 19 games on the season. Ryan McKay has yet to make his professional debut out of Miami University (Ohio).

Not So Far Away AnymoreAs recently as three seasons ago, it was extremely rare for teams in the Eastern Conference to see clubs from the Western Conference, as there was a significant geographical gap between the Evansville IceMen and Colorado Eagles. In the summer of 2014, the ECHL adopted seven new cities from the central region of the country, which helped draw the league closer together. Thanks to that, as well as some new scheduling rules, the Nailers will now get the opportunity to play eight games against teams from the Mountain Division, starting with the weekend series against the Grizzlies. Meanwhile, Wheeling serves as Utah's second Eastern Conference opponent, as the Grizzlies played a three-game series on home ice against the Adirondack Thunder in November. Utah still has two more Eastern Conference stretches on its schedule, as the Toledo Walleye will visit Maverik Center for three games in December, before the Grizzlies travel to the Sunshine State for games against the Florida Everblades and Orlando Solar Bears in March. The Nailers will play three home games and three road games against the Idaho Steelheads.

We Saw You Two Years AgoFriday night marks the first of two head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Grizzlies this season, as well as the first of two battles at WesBanco Arena. Wheeling will already be playing its ninth game of the season against a Western Conference opponent, but first against a squad from the Mountain Division. Prior to this season, the Nailers had only played regular season games against two of the seven teams in that grouping, as they took a trip to Alaska in 2005, while hosting Utah in 2014. The last trip to the Ohio Valley for the Grizzlies resulted in a two-game sweep in favor of Wheeling on December 5th and 6th of that year. David Gilbert scored a goal in the opening minute of the first clash, and Derek Army netted the last goal of that evening in a 5-2 Nailers victory. Army found the back of the cage again the following night, which also featured a Teddy Bear Toss goal by Morgan Ellis, as well as a Patrick McGrath tally on his bobblefist giveaway night. The final score of game two was 7-3 in favor of the home side. The Nailers have never played a road game in the Mountain Time Zone.