Nailers vs. Steelheads Game Day Snap Shot

WHEELING NAILERS(31-25-8-0, 70 PTS, 5th North, 9th East)219 GF, 211 GAPP: 20.3% (61-for-300), 8thPK: 75.8% (188-for-248), 27th

26-D-Kevin Schulze (12 goals, 44 assists, 56 points in 60 games)11-F-Cody Wydo (28 goals, 24 assists, 52 points in 63 games)8-F-Nick Sorkin (13 goals, 36 assists, 49 points in 51 games)23-F-Garrett Meurs (22 goals, 25 assists, 47 points in 63 games)17-F-Jordan Kwas (20 goals, 24 assists, 44 points in 58 games)14-F-Tyler Currier (16 goals, 27 assists, 43 points in 65 games)29-G-Sean Maguire (11-13-4 record, 3.24 GAA, .896 Sv% in 29 games)

IDAHO STEELHEADS(36-20-5-2, 79 PTS, 3rd Mountain, 5th West)213 GF, 193 GAPP: 21.3% (51-for-239), 6thPK: 84.8% (206-for-243), 4th

21-F-Jefferson Dahl (19 goals, 39 assists, 58 points in 61 games)11-F-Anthony Luciani (27 goals, 30 assists, 57 points in 62 games)26-F-Rob Linsmayer (16 goals, 31 assists, 47 points in 56 games)17-F-Joe Basaraba (19 goals, 25 assists, 44 points in 63 games)28-F-Will Merchant (18 goals, 25 assists, 43 points in 61 games)6-D-Joe Faust (13 goals, 24 assists, 37 points in 61 games)1-G-Branden Komm (16-12-3 record, 2.88 GAA, .911 Sv% in 32 games)

Head to HeadSeason Series: Steelheads 2, Nailers 1Season Series at WesBanco Arena: First GameAll-Time Series: Steelheads 2, Nailers 1All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: First Game

Ran Out of ComebacksThe Wheeling Nailers had one of their most resilient performances of the season on Sunday afternoon, as they made their final visit ever to First Arena in Elmira. Wheeling fell behind the Elmira Jackals on five different occasions, but managed to rally back all five times, earning a point, as the contest needed overtime to be decided. Unfortunately, the Nailers were unable to secure the bonus point, as Ian Young netted the overtime winner by finishing off a 2-on-1 break. Kale Kerbashian scored the first of his two goals in the first period, as part of an eight-point week, which saw him finish as a runner-up for ECHL Player of the Week. His second tally knotted the game 5-5, forcing the extra session. Wheeling's highest scoring period was the second, when it lit the lamp three times. The markers came from Garrett Meurs, Kevin Schulze, and Gage Quinney. Former Nailer Kenton Miller had two goals and three assists for the Jackals, while Sebastien Sylvestre dented the twine a couple of times as well.

Steelheads Take Rubber MatchThe Idaho Steelheads played a three-game home series last week against the Rapid City Rush, which saw one game go each way, leading to a decisive third game on Saturday night. Idaho put loads of pressure on in the first period, peppering the Rapid City net with 20 shots. One of those shots went in, courtesy of Andre Bouvet-Morrissette. The game got opened up in the middle frame, as Rob Linsmayer scored two goals in a span of 35 seconds, and Jefferson Dahl upped the advantage to 4-0 later in the stanza. Dahl's tally turned out to be an important one, as the Rush scored three straight goals to trim the margin to 4-3. However, Dahl iced the match for the Steelheads, tossing in an empty net marker for a 5-3 final score. Branden Komm made 28 saves in the victory, as he was between the pipes for all three contests.

Keeping up with the KerbashianOnly one player in the ECHL was able to keep up with Kale Kerbashian last week, as Elmira's Kenton Miller's eight-point week matched the Wheeling forward's output. Miller had five goals and three assists, compared to Kerbashian's two goals and six assists, giving him a slight edge for ECHL Player of the Week. Kale dished out one assist each on Wednesday and Friday, then recorded three helpers on Saturday, before notching two goals and an assist on Sunday. Last week featured the first four games in Kerbashian's second tour of duty with the Nailers, as he was a member of the organization for four games at the end of the 2009-10 campaign. His eight points in four contests nearly beat his performance prior to the trade with Allen, where he had nine points in 24 games. Kale was one of four players to make his season debut with Wheeling last week, and three of the four put the puck in the net, with the other two being Matias Cleland and Riley Bourbonnais. Daniel Leavens could become the 42nd player to appear in a game this year on Wednesday.

Defense Deciding OvertimeOvertime has not been friendly to the Nailers in 2016-17, as they dropped back-to-back games over the weekend in the extra session, making their overtime record 2-8 on the season. The main culprits for those numbers have been defensemen. On Saturday, blueliner Alex Wall punched in a rebound with under a minute to go for Adirondack, stepping up from the blueline. Then, on Sunday, defender Ian Young joined Kyle Rankin for a 2-on-1, as he drilled home a one-timer from the right side of the slot. Six of the eight overtime goals scored by the opposition have been netted by defensemen - Joe Houk of Greenville, Jaynen Rissling of Cincinnati, Jesper Pettersson of Reading, and Beau Schmitz of Toledo, in addition to last weekend's two. Wheeling has gotten both of its strikes in extra time from forwards - Christian Hilbrich against the Walleye, and Cody Wydo against the Fuel. The Nailers have still only played in one shootout this year, and that took place 60 games ago, when they knocked off Kalamazoo, 3-2. Rapid City is the only other team in the ECHL that has gone to a shootout once all season.

Three at Our PlaceWednesday night marks the fourth of six head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Steelheads this season, as well as the first of three battles at WesBanco Arena. This is the first ever trip to West Virginia for the Steelheads, after the Nailers made their first ever visit to Idaho for a three-game series in February. The Steelheads came away with two wins in those three contests, taking the opening match 4-1 and the finale 5-1, while Wheeling was victorious in the middle game, 3-0. Doug Carr recorded the shutout in the Nailers triumph, and Landon Bow got the two wins for Idaho. The last game featured a hat trick by Anthony Luciani, who has four goals and five points in the season series, and has been a thorn in Wheeling's side throughout his career, especially with the Cincinnati Cyclones. Tyler Currier and Garrett Meurs both lit the lamp twice for the Nailers, with Currier's three points leading the way.