Wheeling Nailers Weekly Report, Oct. 30

Last Week

Fri. 10/27 WHEELING NAILERS 6 @ Brampton Beast 5Meurs (Brown, Reum)Bolton (Brown, Army)Beirnes (Bourbonnais, Ryan)Ryan (Sorkin, Wydo)Ryan (Fejes, Army)Gardiner (Sorkin, Tolkinen)Maguire- 39/44

Sun. 10/29 WHEELING NAILERS 4 @ Brampton Beast 5Ryan (Wydo, Sorkin)Ryan (Fick, Bolton)Gardiner (Wydo, Sorkin)Wydo (Fejes, Brown)Maguire- 39/44

Last week, the Wheeling Nailers closed out the month of October by splitting a pair of high-scoring road games against the Brampton Beast. On Friday night, Wheeling was either tied or in the lead from start to finish, beginning with Garrett Meurs' tally midway through the first period. Jake Bolton and Jeremy Beirnes added to the advantage in the opening frame, as both players scored their first goals as members of the Nailers. Kenny Ryan had a big weekend offensively - after an assist in the first period, he tacked on two goals in period two, while Reid Gardiner added what was thought to be more insurance. Instead, Gardiner's strike turned out to be the game winner in a 6-5 victory for Wheeling. On Sunday afternoon, things looked good for a while, as two goals by Ryan and one by Gardiner stoked the visitors to a 3-1 lead. A three-goal rally the other way gave the Beast a lead, before Cody Wydo netted the equalizer. Unfortunately, one more Brampton goal ended the season-opening point streak, as the Nailers fell 5-4 in regulation.

The Nailers finished October with a 4-1-1 record, which is good for nine points, and a first place position in the North Division. The nine points in October are the most since 2011-12, when that year's team shot out of the gates with five straight wins. Wheeling's offense has been electric in the first month of the season, lighting the lamp 27 times, which is the third highest total in the league. 11 of those goals have come on the power play, which concludes October with an ECHL-best 33.3% success rate - six percent higher than the next closest teams. Reid Gardiner is quickly making his mark on the league, as he has picked up at least one point in all six contests thus far this season, scoring a goal in five of the six. Kenny Ryan was the top producer over the weekend, accumulating four goals and five points. Cam Brown leads all ECHL rookies with nine points, while Gardiner's five goals are also tops among first year players in the league. 16 of the 19 skaters who have appeared in a game for the Nailers this season have recorded at least one point.

This Week

Fri. 11/3 Cincinnati Cyclones @ WHEELING NAILERS, 7:05Sat. 11/4 WHEELING NAILERS @ Indy Fuel, 7:35

This week, the Wheeling Nailers will start a bit of a break from North Division foes, as they will clash with a pair of clubs from the Central Division. First up is a Friday night home game against the Cincinnati Cyclones. Cincinnati was Wheeling's opponent in the home opener, when the Nailers fell behind 2-0, before storming back with four unanswered goals for a 4-2 triumph. Prior to that tilt, the last time Wheeling and Cincinnati had a result decided by more than one goal was February 3, 2016. The Cyclones have only played four games during the first three weeks of the campaign, going 1-2-1. Last weekend, Cincinnati won 3-2 in Fort Wayne on Friday, then lost 5-3 to Kalamazoo on Saturday. The Cyclones and Wings will meet again on Wednesday in Michigan. On Saturday night, the Nailers will play their first of five games against the Indy Fuel, when they travel to Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Last season, Wheeling and Indy split their two games, which were both played away from the Ohio Valley. The Fuel are off to a 2-3-1 start, following a 1-2-0 trip to Florida, where they skated with the Everblades. Indy is led in scoring by Cam Reid, who spent two seasons with the Reading Royals. Prior to facing off against Wheeling, the Fuel will play a road game against the Quad City Mallards on Friday.

Upcoming Home Games/PromotionsFri. 11/3- Frosty FridayFri. 11/10- Marvel Super Hero Night, Children's Cape Giveaway (first 1,000 kids), Frosty FridaySun. 11/12- Post Game Skate with the TeamTue. 11/14- Education Day #1, Thundersticks Giveaway (all)Wed. 11/22- Animal House Night, Glass Beer Stein Giveaway (first 1,500 adults), WesBanco Winning Wednesday

Nailers LeadersGoals: 5, Reid Gardiner, Garrett Meurs, Kenny RyanAssists: 8, Cam BrownPoints: 9, Cam Brown & Nick SorkinPenalty Minutes: 15, Garrett MeursPlus/Minus: +4, Garrett MeursWins: 2, Sean Maguire & Colin StevensGoals Against Average: 3.27, Colin StevensSave Percentage: .907, Colin StevensShutouts: 0

North Division Standings1. WHEELING NAILERS 4-1-1-0, 9 pts.2. Reading Royals 4-0-0-0, 8 pts.3. Worcester Railers 3-1-1-0, 7 pts.4. Manchester Monarchs 3-3-0-1, 7 pts.5. Adirondack Thunder 3-3-1-0, 7 pts.6. Brampton Beast 1-5-1-0, 3 pts.