Wheeling Nailers Weekly Report, Nov. 20

Last Week

Tue. 11/14 Adirondack Thunder 4 @ WHEELING NAILERS 6Tiffels (Meurs)Wydo (Sorkin)Milan (Bourbonnais, Fejes)Wydo (Gardiner)Army (Brown, Tiffels)Tiffels (Meurs, Brown)Maguire- 34/38

Fri. 11/17 WHEELING NAILERS 6 @ Norfolk Admirals 2Gardiner (Sorkin, Fick)Wydo (Sorkin, Meurs)Taylor (Fejes, Army)Zink (Tiffels, Army)Army (Meurs, Zink)Meurs (Bourbonnais, Army)Maguire- 36/38

Sat. 11/18 WHEELING NAILERS 1 @ Norfolk Admirals 4Meurs (Tolkinen, King)King- 30/34

Last week, the Wheeling Nailers won two of their three games, as they remain tied for the top spot in the North Division. On Tuesday morning, the Nailers trailed the Adirondack Thunder, 2-1, before a penalty shot save by Sean Maguire turned the contest completely around. Cody Wydo and Dan Milan scored moments after the penalty shot to give Wheeling a 3-2 lead. Then, in the third period, Wydo and Derek Army upped the advantage, before one final insurance tally by Freddie Tiffels (his second of the day) made for a 6-4 final score in favor of the home team. On Friday night, the Nailers gave up the first goal to the Norfolk Admirals, then stormed back with six consecutive strikes. Reid Gardiner, Wydo, and Jeff Taylor lit the lamp in the first period, while Dylan Zink, Army, and Garrett Meurs found the back of the net in the third period in the 6-2 Wheeling victory. Sean Maguire earned both wins between the pipes, making 34 saves on Tuesday and 36 on Friday. On Saturday night, Norfolk goaltender Ty Reichenbach had the hot hand, stopping 35 of 36 stops, with the lone Wheeling goal coming from Meurs in a 4-1 defeat at Norfolk Scope Arena.

The Nailers are one of nine teams in the ECHL that have reached the 20-point plateau, as the season nears the quarter mark. Sean Maguire's penalty shot save against Adirondack's Shane Conacher on Tuesday morning was the team's fourth successful penalty shot stop in a row, dating back to the 2015-16 season. Tuesday was also Wheeling's fourth consecutive victory in a morning game and sixth straight win in a morning game at WesBanco Arena. Education Day drew a sellout crowd for the third year in a row, as 5,109 fans attended the 6-4 triumph. Cody Wydo made his mark on the scoresheet during the games on Tuesday and Friday, as his point streak reached ten games, matching Reid Gardiner for the longest streak by a Nailer this season. Friday's match featured the first professional goals for defensemen Jeff Taylor and Dylan Zink, while Will King notched his first career point with an assist on Garrett Meurs' tally in Saturday's tilt. Wheeling has scored at least five goals in seven of its nine wins this season, and ranks second in the ECHL with 4.29 goals per game.

This Week

Wed. 11/22 Worcester Railers @ WHEELING NAILERS, 7:05Fri. 11/24 WHEELING NAILERS @ Cincinnati Cyclones, 2:35Sat. 11/25 Worcester Railers @ WHEELING NAILERS, 7:05Sun. 11/26 WHEELING NAILERS @ Reading Royals, 4:00

This week, the Wheeling Nailers won't be able to fill up too much on Thanksgiving Dinner, as they'll take the ice for four games in five days. On Wednesday and Saturday, the Nailers will host the Worcester Railers for the first time ever, as the expansion team from Massachusetts travels to the friendly city. All six teams in the North Division have a record that is .500 or better, and Worcester is tied with the Reading Royals in fifth place, as both clubs have 15 points. The Railers are led in scoring by defenseman Patrick McNally, who has six goals and 13 points in 14 contests. The two other contests during the week will take place on the road, beginning with the first trip to Cincinnati for a Black Friday afternoon game at 2:35. The Nailers and Cyclones have split their first two games of the year, with Wheeling winning its home opener 4-2, and Cincinnati taking a 4-3 overtime decision on November 3rd. The Cyclones also have 15 points, but that's good enough for a third place position in the Central Division. Finally, the week will conclude in Reading on Sunday, as the Nailers and Royals will both be coming off of a Saturday game with travel. Last weekend, Reading dropped a pair of games in Brampton, as the Beast climbed into fourth place in the division. Wheeling has a chance to achieve three historical milestones this week. The Nailers need one home win for their 500th win at WesBanco Arena, they need two wins for their 900th victory overall, and they need 11 assists to reach 10,000 in that category.

Upcoming Home Games/PromotionsWed. 11/22- Animal House Night, Glass Beer Stein Giveaway (first 1,500 adults), WesBanco Winning WednesdaySat. 11/25- Teddy Bear Toss NightFri. Dec. 1- Frosty FridaySat. Dec. 2- Star Wars Night, Light Saber Giveaway (first 2,500 fans), Nailers Wear Special JerseysSun. Dec. 3- Pups & Pucks - Bring Your Dog to the Game, Post Game Skate with the Team (Even-Numbered Players)

Nailers LeadersGoals: 11, Reid GardinerAssists: 14, Cam BrownPoints: 20, Cody WydoPenalty Minutes: 44, Garrett MeursPlus/Minus: +8, Dan MilanWins: 6, Sean MaguireGoals Against Average: 3.64, Sean MaguireSave Percentage: .906, Sean MaguireShutouts: 0

North Division Standings1. WHEELING NAILERS 9-3-2-0, 20 pts.2. Adirondack Thunder 9-5-1-1, 20 pts.3. Manchester Monarchs 8-7-1-1, 18 pts.4. Brampton Beast 7-7-1-1, 16 pts.5. Reading Royals 7-5-1-0, 15 pts.6. Worcester Railers 7-6-1-0, 15 pts.