Wheeling Nailers Weekly Report, Jan. 2

Last Week

Tue. 12/27 WHEELING NAILERS 3 @ Toledo Walleye 4Meurs (Kwas)Army (Sorkin, Schulze)Hilbrich (Stern, Krause)Carr- 24/28

Fri. 12/30 WHEELING NAILERS 2 @ Reading Royals 4Army (Sorkin, Cutting)Webster (unassisted)Maguire- 24/28

Sat. 12/31 Elmira Jackals 2 @ WHEELING NAILERS 5Miller (Quinney, Webster)Kwas (Segalla, Meurs)Schulze (Stern, Quinney)Schulze (Currier, Kwas)Army (Quinney, Stern)Maguire- 34/36

Last week, the Wheeling Nailers wrapped up the 2016 calendar year, earning their 52nd victory in 12 months. The week began on Tuesday night in Toledo, where Wheeling ended up falling short, but gave quite a battle to the league-leading Walleye. The Nailers rallied back from a 1-0 hole with Garrett Meurs' equalizer, before erasing a 2-1 deficit and leaping ahead 3-2, when Derek Army and Christian Hilbrich lit the lamp. All three of Wheeling's goals that night came with a different man power situation - 5-on-5, 4-on-4, and 5-on-4. However, Toledo regained its advantage with two more goals of its own in the middle stanza, as it prevailed, 4-3. On Friday night, the Nailers traveled to Reading, where they found themselves having to play from behind on a few different occasions. Army and Michael Webster both erased one-goal leads for the Royals, but the third advantage of the night by Reading was too much to overcome, as Wheeling ended up falling, 4-2. On Saturday night, the Nailers turned their fortunes around on home ice, as they skated out in Thunderbirds jerseys on New Year's Eve. After surrendering the night's first goal, Wheeling surged forward, scoring four times in the second period to pull ahead by a large margin. Andrew Miller got things started, followed by Jordan Kwas, as well as a pair by Kevin Schulze. Army's third strike of the week provided insurance in the third period for the 5-2 triumph. Sean Maguire was magnificent in Saturday's win, turning away 34 of the 36 shots he faced.

One of the leading statistics from December games involving the Nailers was home ice dominance, as clubs were 11-1-0 during the month in front of their local fans. Part of that mark was a 6-1-0 record by Wheeling at WesBanco Arena. Derek Army turned on the red light in all three games last week, and has now scored one goal in four straight games. Nick Sorkin and Christian Hilbrich each had six-game point streaks come to an end during the week, matching the longest run by a Wheeling player this season. Keevin Cutting recorded his first professional point with an assist on Friday night, while Andrew Miller's first career goal put the Thunderbirds on the scoreboard in Saturday night's contest. Gage Quinney returned to the lineup on Friday after missing 20 straight games, and promptly dished out three assists on Saturday. Kevin Schulze scored twice in a 24-second span on Saturday, becoming the second Wheeling player this season to score two goals in less than 30 seconds. Saturday's win was the 14th in team history on New Year's Eve (most on a single date), but the first since 2010.

This Week

Fri. 1/6 Toledo Walleye @ WHEELING NAILERS, 7:05Sun. 1/8 Cincinnati Cyclones @ WHEELING NAILERS, 5:05

This week, the Wheeling Nailers will ease their way into 2017, as they will play two games over the weekend. On Friday night, Wheeling will play its second of four games in a three-week span against the Toledo Walleye, who return to WesBanco Arena for the first time since early November. After splitting a home-and-home series in which both teams were victorious on the road earlier in the season, the Walleye took a 2-1 lead in the set last Tuesday with a 4-3 win at Huntington Center. Toledo currently owns the best record in the ECHL, as it enters the week at 24-5-1, which is good for 49 points. The Walleye have a six-point cushion over the Florida Everblades and Tulsa Oilers for that top spot. On Sunday afternoon, the Nailers will play host to the Cincinnati Cyclones, who will make their second and final visit of the season to the Friendly City. Wheeling and Cincinnati have both one once against each other so far this year, and interestingly enough, both tilts had the same final score - 2-1 in favor of the home team. The most recent of those decisions went the way of the Nailers on December 22nd at WesBanco Arena. The Cyclones are currently in fifth place in the South Division with a 13-13-4 record, trailing the South Carolina Stingrays by four points for the fourth and final playoff spot. Wheeling has won five straight games when opening a new calendar year.

Upcoming Home Games/PromotionsFri. 1/6- Flat Screen Friday Presented by The Highlands, Frosty FridaySun. 1/8- Family Funday, McDonald's $6 Kids Tickets, Post Game Skate With the Team (Odd-Numbered Players)Wed. 1/11- McDonald's $6 Kids Tickets, WesBanco Winning WednesdaySat. 1/14- Star Wars Night, Nailers Wear Jedi Uniforms, Backpack Giveaway (First 1,000 Kids) Presented by Dick's Sporting Goods & Main Street Bank, Scout Night (Boys & Girls)Sat. 1/28- Pittsburgh Penguins Night Starring Pascal Dupuis

Nailers LeadersGoals: 12, Derek ArmyAssists: 20, Kevin SchulzePoints: 26, Kevin SchulzePenalty Minutes: 54, Brett SternPlus/Minus: +17, Kevin SchulzeWins: 8, Doug CarrGoals Against Average: 3.31, Doug CarrSave Percentage: .889, Doug CarrShutouts: 1, JP Anderson

North Division Standings1. Manchester Monarchs 20-8-1-1, 42 pts.2. Brampton Beast 19-9-1-2, 41 pts.3. Reading Royals 18-11-1-1, 38 pts.4. Adirondack Thunder 15-8-2-3, 35 pts.5. WHEELING NAILERS 15-12-2-0, 32 pts.6. Elmira Jackals 7-17-5-0, 19 pts.