Nailers at Fuel Game Day Snap Shot

WHEELING NAILERS(12-8-2-0, 26 PTS, T-1st North, T-3rd East)84 GF, 74 GAPP: 24.8% (25-for-101), 1stPK: 77.9% (81-for-104), 25th

11-F-Cody Wydo (12 goals, 15 assists, 27 points in 21 games)24-F-Reid Gardiner (11 goals, 13 assists, 24 points in 22 games)23-F-Garrett Meurs (12 goals, 11 assists, 23 points in 19 games)11-F-Cam Brown (3 goals, 18 assists, 21 points in 22 games)18-F-Hunter Fejes (12 goals, 6 assists, 18 points in 22 games)5-D-Danny Fick (7 assists, 7 points in 22 games)30-G-Colin Stevens (2-0-1 record, 3.27 GAA, .907 Sv% in 3 games)

INDY FUEL(5-10-2-1, 13 PTS, 7th Central, 14th West)48 GF, 61 GAPP: 18.4% (14-for-76), 10thPK: 84.8% (67-for-79), 9th

43-F-Cam Reid (4 goals, 10 assists, 14 points in 16 games)23-F-Nick Bligh (7 goals, 6 assists, 13 points in 18 games)10-F-Alex Wideman (6 goals, 6 assists, 12 points in 18 games)22-F-Ryan Rupert (5 goals, 5 assists, 10 points in 14 games)20-F-Matt Rupert (3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points in 18 games)3-D-Zach Miskovic (3 goals, 3 assists, 6 points in 18 games)1-G-Etienne Marcoux (3-3-1 record, 2.48 GAA, .935 Sv% in 8 games)

Head to HeadSeason Series: Nailers 1, Fuel 0Season Series at Indiana Farmers Coliseum: Nailers 1, Fuel 0All-Time Series: Nailers 5, Fuel 5All-Time Series at Indiana Farmers Coliseum: Nailers 4, Fuel 3

A Tight Game on DefenseThe Wheeling Nailers and Reading Royals played their third game against each other in six days on Wednesday night. After a pair of high-scoring tilts in Wheeling, resulting in a 4-3 win for Reading and a 5-4 victory for the Nailers, the defenses and goaltenders stole the show at Santander Arena. The Royals got the first goal of the night at the 2:44 mark of the first period, when defenseman Nolan Zajac stepped up from the blueline during 4-on-4 play, depositing a pass from Ryan Penny. Alex Krushelnyski added to the advantage later in the stanza, tapping in the rebound of Chris McCarthy's drive off of the post. Wheeling closed the gap to one at the 4:16 mark of the middle frame, when Hunter Fejes tossed in his 12th goal of the season. The Nailers mounted some late chances, including a shot off of the post with under five minutes left, but Reading hung on for the 2-1 win. Mark Dekanich made 27 saves for the Royals, edging Adam Morrison who stopped 29 shots for Wheeling.

Too Little Too Late in T-TownThe Indy Fuel faced a difficult task on Saturday night, as they traveled to Huntington Center, where at the time, the Walleye had yet to lose in 2017-18 (they lost their first home game on Wednesday). After a scoreless first period, Dylan Sadowy got the offense going for Toledo, lighting the lamp at the 4:19 mark of the middle frame. Sadowy also helped out in setting up the second marker, which was recorded by defenseman Patrick McCarron. Tyler Barnes snagged a goal against his former club to create a 3-0 advantage for the Walleye with 9:01 remaining in the third period, which appeared to put the game on ice. The Fuel mounted a late rally with strikes by Nolan Descoteaux and Ryan Rupert, but time ran out, and Toledo was victorious, 3-2. Pat Nagle made 22 saves for the win, while Etienne Marcoux took the loss with 32 stops.

Not Much SeparationTo start the month of December, all four games that the Nailers have played in have been decided by one goal, as final scores of 4-3, 5-4, 3-2, and 2-1 have all made their way into the books. Wheeling has been involved in a plethora of tight games during the early part of the season, as 13 of 22 tilts have been decided by one goal, while five others have been decided by two goals. The Nailers have posted a 6-5-2 record in the one-goal games and a 3-2-0 record in the two-goal games. Last season, Wheeling had 33 of its 72 games decided by one goal. On the other side of the ice, Indy hasn't been nearly as fortunate in close games, winning just three of 13 contests decided by two goals or less, for a 3-7-3 mark. South Carolina leads the ECHL in one-goal victories and one-goal games, going 8-2-4 in 14 matches.

A Key Home Stretch2017-18 hasn't gotten off to the best of starts for the Fuel, who are still in search of their first appearance in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, as they play their fourth season in the ECHL. Indy went 2-2-1 in the first five games of the season, but then fell into a slump, dropping seven consecutive contests to find its way into the basement of the Central Division. Prior to Saturday's setback in Toledo, the Fuel played six straight games at Indiana Farmers Coliseum, where they went 3-3-0, defeating Kalamazoo, Tulsa, and Quad City. Prior to the holidays, Indy will play six of its next eight games on home ice, only going on the road for quick trips to Wheeling and Fort Wayne. On the flip side, the Nailers are in the midst of a stretch in which they play five of six games on the road. Wheeling has already played in one-third of its away games for the year, but only nine of the remaining 24 tilts away from the Friendly City will be played in close proximity (less than 325 miles from home).

Final Trip to the FairgroundsFriday night marks the second of five head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Fuel this season, as well as the second of two battles at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Indy hasn't traveled to Wheeling since January 10, 2016, and has only played one road game against the Nailers since the start of the 2015-16 campaign. That will change on Tuesday, when the Fuel come to town for the first of two home clashes in December and three overall. Back on November 4th, Wheeling knotted the all-time series at five victories each, thanks to a 5-1 throttling in Indianapolis. Reid Gardiner led the way that night with two goals and one assist, Cody Wydo dished out three helpers, while Nick Sorkin, Kenny Ryan, and Kevin Schulze all found the back of the net. Sean Maguire beat Colin Delia in goal, and both of those netminders are currently in the AHL. The Nailers need two more wins to lock up their first ever win in a season set over Indy.