NORFOLK, VA- The Wheeling Nailers delivered the ultimate spanking to the Norfolk Admirals on Friday night at Norfolk Scope Arena. Wheeling scored four times in the second period, then snagged another four tallies in the third period. Jordan Kwas was the only player with multiple goals in a 9-2 victory.
Two pucks found their way into the back of the net for the Nailers in the first period, with the first one counting and the second one coming back. The goal that counted was set up by Andrew Ammon, who came out from behind the net with a centering pass. The feed deflected off of a body and found its way to Christian Hilbrich, who lined up a wrist shot from the right dot, ripping it into the top-left corner. The attempt that was waved off was the result of Nick Sorkin kicking a Jarrett Burton shot into the cage.
Wheeling took control of the contest in period two, exploding for its fifth four-goal stanza of the season. Danny Fick cruised through the left side of center ice to help produce the team's second goal of the night, as Jordan Kwas fished a loose puck out of the slot, before lifting his shot over Brandon Anderson's left shoulder. 4:03 later, Nick Sorkin deposited a shot into the same location, carrying the puck in on the left side of a 2-on-1 rush. With 2:23 to go, the scoring continued. Hilbrich won a puck battle in neutral ice, feeding Gage Quinney, who found fellow Las Vegas native Ross McMullan open in the right circle. McMullan's wrister also flew into the top-right corner. 1:21 after that, Quinney netted a goal of his own, roofing the first penalty shot goal by a Nailer since October 30, 2010 for a 5-0 lead.
Norfolk attempted to make a game out of things in the third period, scoring twice to pull within three. Aaron Harstad spike in a one-timer from the middle of the blueline, before a shot from the left side of the slot was rang in by Joey Benik. However, the Nailers had more offense in the tank, denting the twine four more times to finish off the blowout. Cody Wydo nudged in a power play goal at the 4:21 mark, which was followed by another man advantage marker from Jarrett Burton, who banged in a feed from Quinney. Kwas was the only player to score twice, and his second came with 1:51 left, before Andrew Miller's buzzer beater created the 9-2 final score.
Sean Maguire was the winning goaltender for Wheeling, as he stopped 25 of the 27 shots he faced. Brandon Anderson got blasted for Norfolk, giving up all nine goals on 31 shots.
The Nailers will continue their road trip on Saturday night in Reading at 7:00. Wheeling will then have three home games will take place next week. The homestand will begin with a WesBanco Winning Wednesday on January 25th against Toledo at 7:05. The middle contest is a Flat Screen Friday and Frosty Friday against Quad City on January 27th. Finally, the highlight promotion of the week takes place on January 28th, when fans will get to meet two-time Stanley Cup Champion Pascal Dupuis on Pittsburgh Penguins Night, which features a 7:05 face-off against Brampton. To purchase tickets, or to get more information about season tickets, mini plans, group tickets, and more, call (304) 234-GOAL.