WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers generated lots of opportunities on Friday night, but a large goaltender stood in their way. Marcus Hogberg made 44 saves in goal for the Brampton Beast, who got two goals from Nathan Todd and one from Brandon Marino in a 3-1 victory at WesBanco Arena. Garrett Meurs had the lone strike for the home squad.
The first three minutes of the game featured loads of excitement, starting with a fight off of the opening face-off between Jeremy Beirnes and Stefan Fournier. The Nailers fed off of that emotion, getting on the scoreboard at the 1:45 mark. Cam Brown centered a pass into the slot, where a shot was drilled into the right side of the net by Garrett Meurs. Brampton answered 29 seconds later, when Brandon MacLean feathered a pass to Nathan Todd for a redirection at the top of the crease. With 8:04 left in the stanza, the Beast went ahead. Brandon Marino slowly dangled his way into the slot, flipping a backhander into the left side of the cage.
One goal was scored in the seconds period, and it was a shorthanded strike for the visitors. Jordan Henry battled the puck away in his own zone, and ultimately sent his teammates down the ice on a 2-on-1 break. Todd kept the puck to himself on the left side, and proceeded to bury a wrist shot.
The Nailers poured 17 shots on goal in the third period to finish the game with 45, but neither team dented the twine, and the final score was 3-1 in favor of Brampton.
Marcus Hogberg turned in a 44-save performance to earn the win for the Beast, while Adam Morrison stopped 17 of the 20 shots he faced for Wheeling.
The Nailers and Beast will do battle again on Saturday at 7:05, and fans will have the chance to meet Santa. The next big promotional game takes place on January 13th, which is Bricks & Kids Night, featuring an OYO Sports Figurine Giveaway for the first 2,500 fans. To purchase tickets, or to get more information about season tickets, flex plans, group tickets, holiday packs, and more, call (304) 234-GOAL.
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