Nailers at Admirals Game Day Snap Shot

WHEELING NAILERS(8-2-2-0, 18 PTS, T-1st North, T-2nd East)53 GF, 44 GAPP: 30.6% (19-for-62), 1stPK: 74.2% (46-for-62), 26th

11-F-Cody Wydo (7 goals, 12 assists, 19 points in 12 games)24-F-Reid Gardiner (10 goals, 8 assists, 18 points in 12 games)21-F-Cam Brown (2 goals, 14 assists, 16 points in 12 games)8-F-Nick Sorkin (3 goals, 11 assists, 14 points in 12 games)23-F-Garrett Meurs (7 goals, 6 assists, 13 points in 11 games)9-D-Jaynen Rissling (1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points in 8 games)31-G-Sean Maguire (5-2-0 record, 3.87 GAA, .900 Sv% in 8 games)

NORFOLK ADMIRALS(3-10-1-0, 7 PTS, 5th South, 11th East)42 GF, 63 GAPP: 16.4% (12-for-73), 14thPK: 80.0% (48-for-60), 18th

16-F-Thomas Frazee (5 goals, 11 assists, 16 points in 13 games)12-F-Grant Besse (7 goals, 7 assists, 14 points in 14 games)7-F-Brodie Dupont (4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points in 14 games)19-F-Chase Witala (3 goals, 7 assists, 10 points in 12 games)9-F-Trevor Mingoia (6 goals, 3 assists, 9 points in 11 games)4-D-Michael Young (2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points in 11 games)1-G-Jamie Murray (1-4-1 record, 4.29 GAA, .892 Sv% in 6 games)

Head to HeadSeason Series: Nailers 1, Admirals 02016-17 Season Series at Norfolk Scope Arena: Nailers 1, Admirals 0All-Time Series: Nailers 4, Admirals 3All-Time Series at Norfolk Scope Arena: Nailers 2, Admirals 2

Rising and ShiningThe Wheeling Nailers rose up early for their 10:45 game on Tuesday against the Adirondack Thunder, and their reward came in the form of two shiny points in a key North Division clash. Wheeling got the lone goal in the opening stanza, courtesy of Freddie Tiffels, who finished off a rush with Garrett Meurs. Adirondack struck twice in a span of 1:42 in the second period, but the game turned around with 4:55 left in that frame, when Sean Maguire denied Shane Conacher's penalty shot. Cody Wydo tied the score 50 seconds after the big save, then Dan Milan's first of the year gave the Nailers a 3-2 lead at the intermission. The first sellout crowd of the season (5,109) had even more to cheer about in the third period, when Wydo snapped home his second of the game, and Derek Army shoveled in a power play goal for a 5-2 advantage. The final score ended up 6-4 in Wheeling's favor, with Tiffels converting for his second of the day to wrap up the club's scoring.

They've Been ThunderstruckThe Norfolk Admirals came home on Thursday night, only to have to deal with facing the Adirondack Thunder, who were coming off of their morning setback just a few days earlier. After a scoreless first period, Kevin Lough put the Thunder on the board at the 1:17 mark of the middle frame, stepping up on the right side of the slot. Norfolk pulled even 3:02 later, when Michael Young's point shot was tipped in off of a Thunder player. Former Nailer Ty Loney put Adirondack back on top with a shorthanded goal with 4:20 remaining in the second period. The Admirals tied things up again in the third on Brodie Dupont's goal, but the Thunder regained the lead 44 seconds after that, and didn't relinquish it, taking a 3-2 final into the win column. Former Norfolk netminder Nick Riopel made 36 saves to defeat Jamie Murray, who finished the night with 34 stops.

The Game Changing SaveWith 4:55 remaining in the second period of Tuesday morning's win, Wheeling goaltender Sean Maguire stared down Adirondack's Shane Conacher, hoping to keep the deficit at one. Maguire was successful in making the save, and the Nailers promptly rewarded their netminder by not only coming back to tie the game, but take the lead and ultimately prevail with the win. The penalty shot was the first awarded to a Wheeling opponent since April 1, 2016, when Reading's Kevin Goumas was denied by Franky Palazzese. That season, three different goalies stopped penalty shots for the Nailers, as JP Anderson stuffed Shawn Szydlowski of Fort Wayne, and Brian Foster said "no" to Justin Taylor of Kalamazoo. Penalty shot goals have been difficult to come by in recent memory. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Wheeling and its opponents have combined to score on three of 15 attempts (20%). Gage Quinney was the last Nailer to take a penalty shot, as he scored in Norfolk on January 20, 2017.

Trading Swords for AnchorsAlthough it has only been five days since the Admirals took the ice at WesBanco Arena, they will take the ice with three new players in the lineup on Friday night, thanks to a five-player swap with the Atlanta Gladiators. Norfolk sent forwards Angelo Miceli and Brady Vail to its South Division foe, receiving three forwards in return. Thomas Frazee immediately takes over the team lead in scoring, as he brought five goals, ten assists, and 15 points to the Admirals, tacking on one more assist in Thursday night's contest. Chase Witala is playing for his third team in the South Division, and has ten points thus far this season, after collecting 19 points with the Orlando Solar Bears a year ago. Finally, Patrick D'Amico changes his address to Norfolk, Virginia, having posted ten points in 2017-18. The Admirals have already used 33 different players in their first 14 games of the season. The Nailers have had 26 players suit up in their first 13 contests.

A Weekend by the WaterFriday night marks the second of six head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Admirals this season, as well as the first of three battles at Norfolk Scope Arena. Wheeling and Norfolk clashed on Sunday at WesBanco Arena, and the Nailers led in the game from start to finish, sinking the Admirals, 5-3. The victory was Wheeling's third in a row against Norfolk, but strangely enough, each of those wins took place in a different season, as the two sides only faced off once during the 2016-17 campaign. That match took place in Virginia, and the Nailers lit up Admirals starting goaltender Brandon Anderson for nine goals in a 9-2 punishing. After this weekend's two-game series, the next set of games between the two squads will take place in January, starting with one in Norfolk, and ending up with two in Wheeling.