Wheeling Nailers Weekly Report, Nov. 28

Last Week

Sat. 11/26 Greenville Swamp Rabbits 3 @ WHEELING NAILERS 2 (overtime)Kwas (Meurs, Fick)Shalla (Sorkin, Army)Anderson- 32/35

Sun. 11/27 Greenville Swamp Rabbits 5 @ WHEELING NAILERS 3Meurs (Schulze, Hilbrich)Kwas (Ammon, Fick)Army (Kwas)Carr- 20/25

Last week, the Wheeling Nailers ran into a tough South Division opponent, as the Greenville Swamp Rabbits posted a 3-1-0 record on a four-game northern swing, which included back-to-back triumphs to end the week at WesBanco Arena. On Saturday night, Greenville got the first goal of the mini series 18 seconds into the contest, as Angelo Miceli squeezed in a shot from the bottom of the right circle. The Nailers battled back to tie the game, then took the lead, as Jordan Kwas and Josh Shalla scored 1:17 apart from each other. However, the Swamp Rabbits didn't go away easily, as Paul Zanette knotted the match in the third period, and Joe Houk picked up his second game winning tally of the season, when he scored off of a rush in overtime for a 3-2 final score. On Sunday afternoon, Wheeling found itself in three separate deficits, and despite being able to draw even from the first two, the last one ended up being too tough to overcome. Kwas netted his second marker in as many nights, and was joined in the goal department by Garrett Meurs and Derek Army. Bretton Cameron and Matt Johnson each scored twice for Greenville, who prevailed, 5-3. JP Anderson made 32 saves on Saturday for the Nailers, and has helped his team earn at least one point in all five of his starts, while Doug Carr suffered the loss with 20 stops on Sunday.

Jordan Kwas was the man responsible for the goal that set off the Teddy Bear Toss in 2016. Oddly enough, Kwas also scored in last season's Teddy Bear Toss game, but did so as a member of the visiting South Carolina Stingrays. Josh Shalla's goal on Saturday was his team-leading tenth of the season. Kwas' two-game goal streak is Wheeling's seventh of the season - the team is still in search of its first player with a three-game goal streak. The Nailers were held scoreless on the power play in both games over the weekend, ending a prior eight-game run which featured at least one tally on the man advantage. Greenville's power play goal on Sunday ensured at least one power play goal by either side in 13 of 16 games this season. Despite coming up on the short end of the scoreboard on Saturday, Wheeling is 6-0-1 when leading after two periods. The Nailers and Swamp Rabbits/Road Warriors have alternated season series wins in four consecutive campaigns.

This Week

Wed. 11/30 WHEELING NAILERS @ Reading Royals, 7:00Fri. 12/2 Utah Grizzlies @ WHEELING NAILERS, 7:35Sat. 12/3 Utah Grizzlies @ WHEELING NAILERS, 7:05

This week, the Wheeling Nailers will play one team from close by and one team from far away, as they take the ice for three games over a four-day span. On Wednesday night, Wheeling will make its first trip to Reading since the 2016 Kelly Cup Playoffs to battle the Royals. This will be the third of seven meetings in the season series, as the two 16-year rivals split a pair of tilts at WesBanco Arena in October and November. Reading stumbled at the end of its lengthy road trip, but rebounded last weekend, defeating the Elmira Jackals on Friday, before sweeping the Cincinnati Cyclones on Saturday and Sunday. The Nailers and Royals are currently tied for third place in the North Division with 20 points each, although Wheeling has played three fewer games. On Friday and Saturday, the Nailers will receive a rare visit from the Mountain Division's Utah Grizzlies. This will be Utah's second ever trip to WesBanco Arena, after Wheeling swept the Grizzlies in a weekend series during the 2014-15 campaign. Utah has landed in some rough waters as of late, going winless in six straight games, including a three-game sweep at the hands of the Alaska Aces in Anchorage last weekend. The Nailers will reach the quarter pole of the regular season on Friday night, when they play game 18 of 72.

Upcoming Home Games/PromotionsFri. 12/2- Flat Screen Friday Presented by The Highlands, Frosty FridaySat. 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 1400Wed. 12/14- $6 Kids TicketsFri. 12/16- Flat Screen Friday Presented by The Highlands, Frosty FridayTue. 12/20- $6 Kids Tickets

Nailers LeadersGoals: 10, Josh ShallaAssists: 13, Kevin SchulzePoints: 16, Josh ShallaPenalty Minutes: 26, Brett SternPlus/Minus: +8, Jordan KwasWins: 5, Doug CarrGoals Against Average: 1.79, JP AndersonSave Percentage: .939, JP AndersonShutouts: 1, JP Anderson

North Division Standings1. Manchester Monarchs 11-6-1-1, 24 pts.2. Adirondack Thunder 10-3-1-3, 24 pts.3. WHEELING NAILERS 9-5-2-0, 20 pts.4. Reading Royals 9-8-1-1, 20 pts.5. Brampton Beast 7-5-1-2, 17 pts.6. Elmira Jackals 4-10-2-0, 10 pts.