Wheeling Nailers Weekly Report, Jan. 9

Last Week

Fri. 1/6 Toledo Walleye 0 @ WHEELING NAILERS 6Sorkin (Miller, Stern)Segalla (Quinney, Hilbrich)Meurs (Currier, Kwas)Kwas (Stern, Currier)Sorkin (unassisted)Meurs (Kwas, Hilbrich)Maguire- 25/25

Sun. 1/8 Cincinnati Cyclones 3 @ WHEELING NAILERS 2 (overtime)Meurs (Schulze, Kwas)Quinney (Stern, Wydo)Maguire- 16/19

Last week, the Wheeling Nailers extended their point streak at home to six straight games, as they went 1-0-1 in two tilts against the clubs from the Buckeye State. On Friday night, Wheeling took its game to a new level, destroying the league-leading Toledo Walleye, 6-0. The one-sided affair started early, as Nick Sorkin, Ryan Segalla, and Garrett Meurs built a 3-0 lead for the home team in the opening stanza. In the second period, Jordan Kwas upped the lead to four, and nine seconds after that, Sorkin potted his second of the night for a 5-0 Nailers advantage. Meurs' second goal of the contest capped off the scoring in the third period, while Sean Maguire was perfect in goal, making 25 saves for the shutout. Wheeling's special teams were also flawless on Friday, as the power play was 2-for-2 and the penalty kill was 5-for-5. On Sunday afternoon, the Nailers were unable to collect a sixth straight victory, but did battle back to earn a point against the Cincinnati Cyclones. Cincinnati jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, before Wheeling began to claw back with Meurs' third tally of the weekend in period two. Gage Quinney deadlocked the contest at two in the third period, before the teams needed overtime to decide a winner. Jaynen Rissling took matters into his hands for the Cyclones, as his second goal of the afternoon put the visitors into the win column, 3-2.

The Nailers current six-game home point streak is the longest for the team since the 2013-14 season, when that group collected seven consecutive victories at WesBanco Arena from March 14th-April 4th. Friday's win was the first of the 2017 calendar year for Wheeling, who won its opening game of January for the sixth straight year. The 6-0 result on Friday featured the most goals scored at home by the Nailers in a game against the Walleye, the most lopsided Wheeling win over Toledo, and the eighth shutout by a Nailers goalie against the Walleye since the ECHL returned to Toledo in 2009. Wheeling's win in the special teams battle on Friday was its first since December 22nd, when it edged Cincinnati, 2-1. Sean Maguire's 25-save performance accounted for his first professional shutout, and he now possesses a 4-1-1 record on home ice. Garrett Meurs scored three goals in the two games over the weekend, lifting him into the team lead in that category with 13. Saturday's game was the first time this season that Wheeling scored the tying goal to force overtime, and the fourth time it has earned at least one point when trailing by two goals at any point during a match. All four games that have gone past regulation have ended with the identical final score of 3-2.

This Week

Wed. 1/11 Toledo Walleye @ WHEELING NAILERS, 7:05Fri. 1/13 WHEELING NAILERS @ Toledo Walleye, 7:15Sat. 1/14 Kalamazoo Wings @ WHEELING NAILERS, 7:35Sun. 1/15 WHEELING NAILERS @ Kalamazoo Wings, 3:00

This week, the Wheeling Nailers will have a busy stretch of games before the All-Star Break, as they will take the ice for four games in five days. However, there will only be two opponents on the slate, and they are both familiar faces from the Central Division. First up are two battles with the Toledo Walleye, starting at WesBanco Arena on Wednesday and concluding at Huntington Center on Friday. The Nailers and Walleye have split the first four tilts in their ten-game season series, with each team collecting one win on home ice. While that number is even, the games themselves haven't been, as there has been just one game decided by one goal, and the other three have all been decided by three or more. Toledo rebounded from Friday's loss with home wins against Brampton and Fort Wayne, as it continues to lead Florida by four points for the best record in the ECHL. On Saturday and Sunday, Wheeling will clash with the Kalamazoo Wings for the first time since early November. The Nailers won three games against the Wings over the course of ten days at the start of the year, including 8-1 and 3-0 triumphs at WesBanco Arena. Similar to the Toledo set, the first game will be played in Wheeling, with the second one taking place in Southwest Michigan. Kalamazoo is trying to fight its way back into the playoff picture in the Central Division, as it currently trails Quad City by seven points for the fourth and final spot.

Upcoming Home Games/PromotionsWed. 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)Wed. 1/25- McDonald's $6 Kids Tickets, WesBanco Winning WednesdayFri. 1/27- Flat Screen Friday Presented by The Highlands, Frosty FridaySat. 1/28- Pittsburgh Penguins Night Starring Pascal Dupuis Presented by Main Street Bank & Ogden Newspapers

Nailers LeadersGoals: 13, Garrett MeursAssists: 21, Kevin SchulzePoints: 27, Kevin SchulzePenalty Minutes: 54, Brett SternPlus/Minus: +18, Kevin SchulzeWins: 8, Doug CarrGoals Against Average: 2.97, Sean MaguireSave Percentage: .892, Sean MaguireShutouts: 1, JP Anderson

North Division Standings1. Manchester Monarchs 21-10-1-2, 45 pts.2. Brampton Beast 19-11-2-2, 42 pts.3. Reading Royals 19-12-1-1, 40 pts.4. Adirondack Thunder 16-10-2-3, 37 pts.5. WHEELING NAILERS 16-12-3-0, 35 pts.6. Elmira Jackals 7-19-5-0, 19 pts.