Wheeling Nailers Weekly Report, Dec. 12

Last Week

Fri. 12/9 WHEELING NAILERS 2 @ Brampton Beast 4Meurs (unassisted)Bubela (Army, Webster)Carr- 21/24 (1 en)

Sun. 12/11 WHEELING NAILERS 2 @ Brampton Beast 4Army (Wydo, Bubela)Stern (Krause, Meurs)Maguire- 28/32

Last week, the Wheeling Nailers didn't get the results they were looking for, as they suffered back-to-back losses at the hands of the Brampton Beast, dropping into fifth place in the North Division. On Friday night, the Nailers battled back from a pair of one-goal deficits, as Garrett Meurs knotted the score at one, and Milos Bubela's early third period strike made for a 2-2 deadlock. However, Wheeling was never able to pull ahead, and a power play goal with 9:46 left in the third period gave the Beast their third and final lead of the contest. An empty net goal put the final touches on a 4-2 Brampton win. On Sunday afternoon, things looked significantly better early for the Nailers, who jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, thanks to goals by Derek Army and Brett Stern. Unfortunately, the advantage was gone by the time the first period buzzer sounded, as the Beast netted two goals in a row to tie the tilt. The match continued to go in the wrong direction in the middle frame, as Brampton potted its third and fourth unanswered goals to snag a 4-2 lead, and ultimately go on to the victory by that same score for the second straight game. Zachary Fucale won both games in goal for the Beast, making 34 and 36 saves respectively, defeating Doug Carr and Sean Maguire once each.

Despite the defeats, Wheeling remains three games over the .500 mark on the season, with that differential taking place at home, as the team's road record now sits at 5-5-0. Milos Bubela scored his first professional goal in Friday's game, marking the third straight tilt in which a Nailers player accomplished that feat (Flemington - 12/2, McMullan- 12/3). Sean Maguire made his first professional start and second career appearance on Sunday, turning away 28 of the 32 shots he faced. Only five of the 12 goals scored over the weekend were done with both teams having five skaters on the ice. Brampton's power play goal converted on four of 12 chances, Wheeling registered a power play goal, the Beast had a shorthanded empty net tally, and Brampton also dented the twine while playing 4-on-4. 18 of 21 games involving the Nailers this season have featured at least one power play marker, including 14 of 21 games by the opposition. Prior to the weekend, Wheeling had an 8-1-0 record at Powerade Centre, where it is now 1-2-0 this season.

This Week

Wed. 12/14 Orlando Solar Bears @ WHEELING NAILERS, 7:05Fri. 12/16 Fort Wayne Komets @ WHEELING NAILERS, 7:35Sat. 12/17 WHEELING NAILERS @ Fort Wayne Komets, 7:30

This week, the Wheeling Nailers will return to WesBanco Arena, looking to continue their success on home ice, while getting back on the winning track overall. Wheeling will play three games against two non-divisional opponents. On Wednesday, the Nailers will face the Orlando Solar Bears for the only time in 2016-17. In doing so, Wheeling will attempt to solve a four-year mystery, which has seen the Solar Bears win all seven head-to-head clashes. Orlando made noise in the middle of November, when it fired head coach Anthony Noreen and brought back inaugural bench boss Drake Berehowsky. So far, the move has paid off, as Orlando has posted a 9-2-1 record under his guidance to climb within three points of the South Division leading Florida Everblades. Former Nailer Denver Manderson is one of the leading scorers for the Solar Bears with 25 points in 23 games. On Friday and Saturday, Wheeling will play a home-and-home series against the Fort Wayne Komets, starting at WesBanco Arena. That will be Fort Wayne's lone visit to West Virginia, while the Nailers will play a total of four games at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. The Komets are coming off of an incredibly busy week, which saw them play five games in seven days, going 3-1-1 to earn seven points. Fort Wayne is currently in third place in the Central Division, but has three games in hand on second place Tulsa, which it trails by five points. Former Nailers Bobby Shea and Eric Hartzell are members of the Komets, with Hartzell owning a 7-6-2 mark in 16 appearances.

Upcoming Home Games/PromotionsWed. 12/14- McDonald's $6 Kids TicketsFri. 12/16- Flat Screen Friday Presented by The Highlands, Frosty FridayTue. 12/20- McDonald's $6 Kids TicketsThu. 12/22- Ugly Sweater Holiday Party - Wear Your Ugly Sweater to the Game, McDonald's $6 Kids Tickets, Appearance by SantaSat. 12/31- New Year's Eve Presented by Wheeling Island Hotel, Casino, Racetrack, Throwback Night, Nailers Wear Thunderbirds Jerseys, All Tickets are $10, Bam Bam Sticks Giveaway (all), Wine Tasting

Nailers LeadersGoals: 10, Josh ShallaAssists: 14, Kevin SchulzePoints: 18, Kevin SchulzePenalty Minutes: 35, Garrett MeursPlus/Minus: +10, Kevin SchulzeWins: 7, Doug CarrGoals Against Average: 3.19, Doug CarrSave Percentage: .894, Doug CarrShutouts: 1, JP Anderson

North Division Standings1. Manchester Monarchs 15-7-1-1, 32 pts.2. Adirondack Thunder 13-4-2-3, 31 pts.3. Reading Royals 14-8-1-1, 30 pts.4. Brampton Beast 12-7-1-2, 27 pts.5. WHEELING NAILERS 11-8-2-0, 24 pts.6. Elmira Jackals 6-12-4-0, 16 pts.