Nailers vs. Wings Game Day Snap Shot

WHEELING NAILERS(17-13-3-0, 37 PTS, 5th North, 10th East)111 GF, 100 GAPP: 17.1% (25-for-146), 11thPK: 76.2% (109-for-143), 27th

26-D-Kevin Schulze (6 goals, 23 assists, 29 points in 33 games)23-F-Garrett Meurs (13 goals, 11 assists, 24 points in 32 games)17-F-Jordan Kwas (11 goals, 13 assists, 24 points in 33 games)8-F-Nick Sorkin (9 goals, 14 assists, 23 points in 28 games)11-F-Cody Wydo (9 goals, 13 assists, 22 points in 32 games)14-F-Tyler Currier (6 goals, 12 assists, 18 points in 34 games)31-G-Doug Carr (8-7-1 record, 3.31 GAA, .889 Sv% in 17 games)

KALAMAZOO WINGS(15-17-1-3, 34 PTS, 5th Central, 9th West)94 GF, 124 GAPP: 10.8% (17-for-158), 25thPK: 82.1% (110-for-134), 20th

93-F-Justin Taylor (16 goals, 13 assists, 29 points in 36 games)21-F-Lane Scheidl (10 goals, 11 assists, 21 points in 36 games)16-F-Tyler Shattock (7 goals, 13 assists, 20 points in 35 games)15-D-Eric Kattelus (5 goals, 14 assists, 19 points in 33 games)9-F-Tanner Sorenson (9 goals, 9 assists, 18 points in 36 games)26-F-Tyler Biggs (5 goals, 11 assists, 16 points in 29 games)49-G-Joel Martin (11-9-3 record, 3.12 GAA, .902 Sv% in 24 games)

Head to HeadSeason Series: Nailers 3, Wings 0Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 2, Wings 0All-Time Series: Nailers 22, Wings 21All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 12, Wings 11

Third One the Charm for ToledoThe Wheeling Nailers nearly came away with three consecutive victories against the league-leading Toledo Walleye, but ended up falling one goal short at Huntington Center on Friday night. Wheeling took a 2-1 lead in the first period, as Andrew Ammon opened the scoring at the 2:29 mark from the right side of the crease, before Brett Stern rebuilt the advantage with a seeing eye wrist shot from the left point. The contest turned in the opposite direction during the middle frame, as the Walleye netted a pair of power play goals to go ahead for the first time. Tyson Spink was responsible for the equalizer, followed by Evan Rankin, who made the score 3-2 at the intermission. Spink's second of the night doubled the lead, but with 6:59 remaining, Christian Hilbrich trimmed the margin back down to one. Unfortunately, the Nailers were unable to get a tying goal, as they fell, 4-3. Jake Paterson made 23 saves, defeating Sean Maguire, who stood tall with 38 stops of his own, despite the loss.

Two Leads DisappearedThe Kalamazoo Wings looked like they were in good position to help the Nailers on Friday night, as they clashed with the North Division's Brampton Beast at Wings Event Center. Kalamazoo stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the first period on one goal by Justin Taylor and two from Lane Scheidl. Before the buzzer could sound, Brampton had battled back to within a goal, as the score stood at 3-2 after 20 minutes. Neither squad lit the lamp in the second period, but more offense was on tap for the third period. Mitch Zion pulled the Beast even at three at the 4:55 mark. Kyle Blaney then put the Wings back on top with 8:07. However, that got evened up with 5:16, when David Ling snatched his first tally of 2016-17. The game progressed to overtime, and that's when Brampton took the only lead it needed, as Willie Corrin potted the game winner at 1:23. Zachary Fucale got the better of Joel Martin between the pipes.

The Theme of the WeekFor the second time this week, the Nailers are getting ready to play a home-and-home series, as they will face Kalamazoo on Saturday at WesBanco Arena, before both teams travel to Wings Event Center for a Sunday matinee. Wheeling split its most recent home-and-home set, knocking off the Toledo Walleye in West Virginia, before coming up short in T-Town. This will be the sixth of seven home-and-home series for the Nailers this season. Wheeling swept the groupings against Kalamazoo and Brampton, while splitting both sets against Toledo, in addition to one against Fort Wayne. The seventh back-to-back in different buildings will occur during the last weekend of the season, when the opponent will also be the Wings. Kalamazoo will be playing in its fourth home-and-home series, having split two with the Komets and losing one to the Nailers. The Wings will have two additional sets in the second half of the season, as they will face divisional foes Quad City and Indy.

Joel Every Game Playing Extra MinutesAt the start of the 2016-17 season, the Kalamazoo crease was shared between Joel Martin and Nick Riopel, with both netminders getting a pretty even share of the load. That was a somewhat unique experience for Martin, who eclipsed 55 appearances in three of the last four seasons with the Wings. Riopel has recently spent some time with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch, meaning that Martin has been handed the duties of carrying Kalamazoo as far as he can. The 34-year old has gotten the starting nod in ten consecutive games for the Wings, compiling a 6-2-2 record during that stretch. However, 60 minutes hasn't been enough to decide a good portion of those tilts, as overtime or a shootout has been required to determine a winner in six of the ten, including each of the last three. Kalamazoo has played extra hockey ten times this season, which is tied for the second most in the ECHL, and Martin has been the man behind the mask for nine of them. Sean Maguire has made six straight starts in goal for the Nailers, going 3-2-1. He is now rejoined in the Wheeling net by Doug Carr, who returned after getting a win with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

We'll Race You AfterSaturday night marks the fourth of ten head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Wings this season, as well as the third of five battles at WesBanco Arena. The first three contests in the season set all took place in a span of ten days in the early portion of the campaign, and all three were won by Wheeling. The opening clash was a goaltending exhibition, as both teams peppered over 40 shots on net, but a 2-2 deadlock led to a shootout, which was decided by Ross McMullan in round six. One night later, the Nailers destroyed the Wings, 8-1, led by a hat trick and five-point game from Josh Shalla. The following week, the defenses shined the brightest, as Nick Sorkin's power play goal and a pair of empty netters were all that came out of a 3-0 shutout win for Wheeling and JP Anderson. January will be the busiest month in terms of games between the clubs, as three will be played, with two each on the docket down the road in February and April.