Nailers vs. Walleye Game Day Snap Shot

WHEELING NAILERS(16-12-2-0, 34 PTS, T-2nd North, T-5th East)106 GF, 97 GAPP: 22.0% (28-for-127), 1stPK: 80.3% (98-for-122), 22nd

21-F-Cam Brown (5 goals, 23 assists, 28 points in 30 games)23-F-Garrett Meurs (13 goals, 14 assists, 27 points in 27 games)18-F-Hunter Fejes (15 goals, 9 assists, 24 points in 30 games)8-F-Nick Sorkin (3 goals, 18 assists, 21 points in 28 games)14-F-Riley Bourbonnais (5 goals, 9 assists, 14 points in 27 games)26-D-Kevin Schulze (2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points in 17 games)1-G-Will King (4-2-1 record, 3.09 GAA, .915 Sv% in 7 games)

TOLEDO WALLEYE(19-8-2-1, 41 PTS, 1st Central, T-2nd West)102 GF, 80 GAPP: 18.9% (20-for-106), 12thPK: 88.3% (91-for-103), 2nd

8-F-Christian Hilbrich (13 goals, 12 assists, 25 points in 30 games)19-F-Erik Bradford (8 goals, 16 assists, 24 points in 25 games)7-F-Tyler Barnes (7 goals, 15 assists, 22 points in 27 games)20-F-Mike Borkowski (10 goals, 11 assists, 21 points in 21 games)28-F-Kyle Bonis (10 goals, 7 assists, 17 points in 24 games)4-D-Kevin Tansey (6 goals, 6 assists, 12 points in 30 games)30-G-Pat Nagle (15-2-2 record, 2.54 GAA, .910 Sv% in 20 games)

Head to HeadSeason Series: Nailers 2, Walleye 1Season Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 1, Walleye 0All-Time Series: Walleye 37, Nailers 33All-Time Series at WesBanco Arena: Nailers 24, Walleye 14

A Good Battle Falls ShortThe Wheeling Nailers fell behind the Fort Wayne Komets early on Friday night, but with a little less than five minutes left in the game, it looked as though they might be able to earn a point. However, a late surge by the Komets erased that notion, as Fort Wayne was victorious, 5-2 at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Dennis Kravchenko and Ryan Culkin put the Komets ahead 2-0 in the opening stanza, and the score stayed that way until the third period, when the Nailers pulled even with two goals in 2:18. The first tally came from Cam Brown on a rebound, and the second was off of the rush, as Reid Gardiner potted a pass from Cody Wydo. 1:54 after the tying goal, Fort Wayne regained the lead, as former Wheeling blueliner Bobby Shea drilled in a shot from the slot. The Komets added two late insurance markers for the 5-2 final, with Michael Houser defeating Will King between the pipes.

Last Minute WinnerThe Toledo Walleye were involved in a wild finish on Friday night, as they edged the Kalamazoo Wings, 3-2 at Huntington Center. Kalamazoo's Jimmy Mullin and Toledo's Kyle Bonis scored in the first period of what was a 1-1 game all the way until the final three minutes of play. Mike Borkowski put the Walleye ahead 2-1 with 2:30 to go, but a high sticking penalty to Christian Hilbrich opened the door for the Wings, and Josh Pitt capitalized on the power play with 42 seconds remaining. Hilbrich, the former Nailer, redeemed himself, as he got back on the ice and broke the deadlock with 17 seconds left, giving Toledo the thrilling triumph in front of the 11th sellout crowd of the season in its home building. Matej Machovsky got the win with 27 saves for the Walleye, while Joel Martin stopped 34 shots in the defeat.

Killers Get a Night offThe penalty kill was perfect for the Nailers on Friday night, and all they had to do was make sure they stayed out of the penalty box, which they did, aside from a pair of fighting majors. That was the first time this season that the opposing team had failed to earn a man advantage, and despite not having any numbers to build on, the penalty kill continued its climb up the ECHL rankings, currently sitting in 22nd. Wheeling has been very disciplined this season, especially in recent games, as Friday was the ninth time in 30 games in which the opposition had fewer than three power plays. Six of those nine tilts have taken place in the last month. The Nailers were 0-for-2 on the power play against the Komets, but remain first in the league in that category, clicking at a 22.0% clip. Wheeling has been on the man advantage five more times than it has been on the penalty kill.

Ross' Many RolesRoss McMullan first joined the Nailers at the start of the 2016-17 season, after completing his college career at St. Lawrence University, and went on to appear in 46 games on the Wheeling blueline. His rookie season featured some exciting moments, including three goals, as well as the squad's lone shootout winning tally. This season, McMullan has accepted some new responsibilities, which has seen him spend time playing forward. Prior to Friday, Ross had recorded a point in four straight games, giving him 13 points in 58 career contests. The Las Vegas, Nevada native also threw down the gloves for his first fighting major of the season on Friday night, as he challenged noted tough guy Cody Sol, who has 56 fighting majors in his professional career. McMullan duked it out against the Komets earlier in the year, but received four minutes for roughing along with Taylor Crunk.

A Chance to End Their RunSaturday night marks the fourth of six head-to-head meetings between the Nailers and Walleye this season, as well as the second of three battles at WesBanco Arena. Wheeling can clinch at least a tie in the season series with a win on Saturday, having skated away victorious in two of the three prior matches, including a 4-2 win at Huntington Center on December 9th. The Nailers are looking to end a three-year winning streak in the season sets for Toledo. Wheeling's other win over the Walleye came in the first tilt of the season, when Reid Gardiner netted an overtime tally on November 10th. Gardiner and Cody Wydo, who were both recalled by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton earlier in the day, have both accumulated four points against the Walleye this season, while Mike Borkowski leads the way with four points against the Nailers. After Saturday, the next clash between the rival clubs will take place on February 6th in Wheeling.