WHEELING NAILERS(9-4-1-0, 19 PTS, 3rd North, 5th East)48 GF, 38 GAPP: 21.9% (14-for-64), 6thPK: 82.1% (46-for-56), T-19th
25-F-Josh Shalla (9 goals, 6 assists, 15 points in 14 games)26-D-Kevin Schulze (2 goals, 12 assists, 14 points in 14 games)8-F-Nick Sorkin (5 goals, 8 assists, 13 points in 14 games)11-F-Cody Wydo (4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points in 14 games)17-F-Jordan Kwas (5 goals, 5 assists, 10 points in 14 games)23-F-Garrett Meurs (5 goals, 5 assists, 10 points in 14 games)30-G-JP Anderson (4-0-0 record, 1.50, .947 Sv% in 4 games)
GREENVILLE SWAMP RABBITS(5-5-2-0, 12 PTS, 6th South, 11th East)36 GF, 40 GAPP: 11.1% (5-for-45), 23rdPK: 84.1% (37-for-44), 11th
26-F-Angelo Miceli (3 goals, 6 assists, 9 points in 12 games)3-F-Ahti Oksanen (4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points in 9 games)14-F-Tommy Thompson (2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points in 11 games)13-D-Joe Houk (1 goal, 6 assists, 7 points in 12 games)19-F-Brandon Alderson (5 goals, 1 assist, 6 points in 9 games)18-F-Tyler Brown (1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points in 10 games)33-G-Jeff Malcolm (1-3-2 record, 3.94 GAA, .891 Sv% in 6 games)
Head to Head2015-16 Season Series: Nailers 1, Swamp Rabbits 02015-16 Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 1, Swamp Rabbits 0All-Time Series: Swamp Rabbits 13, Nailers 10All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Swamp Rabbits 7, Nailers 6
Same Score, Different NightThe Wheeling Nailers left the Quad City Mallards seeing double last weekend, as they picked up a pair of 3-2 victories at iWireless Center on Saturday and Sunday. Wheeling won the opening contest with 3:04 left in the third period, when Brett Stern's first goal of the season broke the 2-2 deadlock. In Sunday's game, Josh Shalla netted the first marker, but the Nailers then fell behind, as Quad City took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. The visitors turned the tilt around in the second period, starting with Michael Webster's first professional goal, which knotted the score at two. With ten seconds left in the stanza, Wheeling jumped ahead, as Cody Wydo gave his team at least one power play goal for the eighth game in a row. Neither team turned on the red light in the third period, clinching the victory for the Nailers. JP Anderson was the winning goaltender in both games, making 33 and 23 saves respectively.
Joly was Jolly in KalamazooThe Greenville Swamp Rabbits are playing the fifth of seven straight road games, as well as their third in four days, after splitting a pair of contests against the Toledo Walleye and Kalamazoo Wings. Prior to making their swing up north, the Swamp Rabbits received forward Michael Joly from the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack. After netting one goal on Wednesday in Toledo, Joly picked up a hat trick on Friday night, as Greenville disposed of Kalamazoo, 6-2 at Wings Event Center. Joly's three strikes helped the Swamp Rabbits build a 5-0 lead before the game was 25 minutes old, as they chased Wings starter Nick Riopel (a former Greenville Road Warrior) from the crease. Fellow Quebec native Angelo Miceli also had a big night, recording one goal and two assists, to leap into the team lead in points. Paul Zanette chipped in with a couple of goals as well, helping Jeff Malcolm earn his first win of the year with 19 saves.
Who Gets the Teddy Bear GoalThe annual Teddy Bear Toss takes place on Saturday night at WesBanco Arena, meaning one Nailers player will get to score the goal that is expected to send over 1,000 stuffed animals onto the ice. The collection of animals will be donated to the Salvation Army, brightening the holiday season for children around the Ohio Valley. Last season's teddy bear toss goal scorer was Zack Torquato, but the tally didn't come easy, as it took until the 19:41 mark of the third period to solve South Carolina's Vitek Vanecek. In 2014, Wheeling's offense was more than ready on Teddy Bear Toss Night, as the home team lit the lamp seven times against Utah, including a shorthanded goal by Morgan Ellis, which sent the stuffed animals flying. Ticking back a few more years on the calendar, Anton Zlobin was the teddy bear toss goal scorer in 2013 against Toledo, and Christian Minella tallied it against Florida in 2012. Each of the last three years have featured different types of goals, with an even strength strike in 2013, a shorthanded tally in 2014, and a power play goal in 2015.
We're Going InternationalForward Milos Bubela is expected to make his ECHL debut for the Nailers on Saturday night, and when he does, he will become the first player from outside of North America to wear a Wheeling uniform during the 2016-17 season. Bubela suited up in seven games with the Utica Comets last spring, after completing his college career at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Last season, the Nailers had one European player on their roster, as Russian Anton Zlobin posted 23 points during the regular season, then added another eight points in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Wheeling did not have any players from outside North America in 2014-15, but Zlobin was part of the 2013-14 squad, as well as Germany's Tom Kuhnhackl, who won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins this past spring. Greenville has one European on its roster, as forward Ahti Oksanen hails from Finland.
A Slowly Fading RivalrySaturday night marks the first of two head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Swamp Rabbits this season, with both battles set to take place at WesBanco Arena. Wheeling and Greenville faced off only once last year, with the Nailers taking a 5-1 decision in their own back yard on February 26th. Current Wheeling players Adam Krause and Brett Stern found the back of the net that evening, while Danny Fick, Cody Wydo, Jordan Kwas, and Andrew Ammon also made their way onto the scoresheet. This weekend will feature the seventh and eighth consecutive games played in Wheeling in the all-time series against Greenville, as the Nailers haven't traveled to Bon Secours Wellness Arena since the second round of the 2014 Kelly Cup Playoffs. Wheeling will not visit the Palmetto State at all during the regular season for the second year in a row. 2015-16 was Greenville's first season as the Swamp Rabbits, after being known as the Road Warriors from 2010-15.