Wheeling Nailers Weekly Report, Dec. 26

Last Week

Fri. 12/22 Brampton Beast 3 @ WHEELING NAILERS 1Meurs (Brown, McMullan)Morrison- 17/20

Sat. 12/23 Brampton Beast 2 @ WHEELING NAILERS 6Bourbonnais (unassisted)Fejes (McMullan, Brown)Rissling (Brown, Fejes)Bourbonnais (Meurs)Fejes (Schulze, King)Gardiner (Sorkin)King- 37/39

Last week, the Wheeling Nailers split a two-game weekend series against a divisional opponent for the second week in a row. Friday night's game started with a fight, as Jeremy Beirnes squared off with Stefan Fournier one second after the opening face-off. Shortly after, the Nailers got on the scoreboard, courtesy of Garrett Meurs. The Brampton Beast answered 29 seconds later, then went ahead later in the first period. Brampton's Nathan Todd collected his second tally of the night in the second period, while his squad was playing shorthanded, as the Beast prevailed, 3-1. Marcus Hogberg turned in a 44-save performance in the win. Wheeling also scored early on Saturday, as Riley Bourbonnais connected for a shorthanded strike just 1:40 into the tilt. Hunter Fejes added to the lead later in the opening stanza, then Jaynen Rissling potted his first goal as a Nailer in the middle frame. The home side put the finishing touches on a 6-2 triumph with markers by Bourbonnais, Fejes, and Reid Gardiner in the third. Will King made 37 saves for his third victory in a row.

The Nailers are 7-6-1 against the North Division, and 16-11-2 overall, putting them in second place in the group. Wheeling has split each of its last seven sets of two games against the same team during the same week, following the season opening sweep in Greenville. In Saturday's win, the Nailers scored two even strength goals, two power play goals, and two shorthanded goals. Three of the six markers came during the third period - the 12th three-goal period for the team this season. Danny Fick appeared in his 150th professional game on Friday. Brampton's 20-shot output on Friday was the fewest by a Wheeling opponent this season. Will King dished out his second assist in six games. Eight goaltenders have had three or more assists in a season in team history. King has made at least 37 saves in each of his four victories. Ross McMullan has points in each of his last four contests. Riley Bourbonnais' goal 1:40 into Saturday's match was the fastest for the Nailers this season.

This Week

Fri. 12/29 WHEELING NAILERS @ Fort Wayne Komets, 8:00Sat. 12/30 Toledo Walleye @ WHEELING NAILERS, 7:05Sun. 12/31 Indy Fuel @ WHEELING NAILERS, 6:05

This week, the Wheeling Nailers will begin their busiest stretch of the season, as they will play 17 games in 31 days, starting on Friday night. 11 of the 17 contests will take place at WesBanco Arena, including seven of the next ten. The first tilt of this week will be played on the road, when the Nailers make their first visit of the year to Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, where they will clash with the Fort Wayne Komets. Fort Wayne took the opening match of the season series, 3-2 in Wheeling on December 3rd, and is currently one point behind Toledo for first place in the Central Division, having won nine of its last ten games. Speaking of the Walleye, that's the team that Wheeling will see Saturday night, when it returns home to the Friendly City. The Nailers have a 2-1 edge over Toledo this season, thanks to a 4-2 triumph at Huntington Center on December 9th. Finally, the weekend and the 2017 calendar year will end on New Year's Eve with an appearance by the Indy Fuel. The Nailers have won two of three games against Indy, with the most recent victory taking place on December 12th. Wheeling has played on December 31st in all but one season, posting a 14-6-4 record.

Upcoming Home Games/PromotionsSat. Dec. 30- Youth Hockey NightSun. Dec. 31- New Year's Eve, Pack the House - $10 TicketsFri. Jan. 5- Frosty FridaySun. Jan. 7- Faith & Family Day, Post Game Skate with the Team (Odd-Numbered Players)Sat. Jan. 13- Bricks & Kids Night, OYO Sports Figurine Giveaway (first 2,500 fans)

Nailers LeadersGoals: 15, Hunter FejesAssists: 23, Cam BrownPoints: 30, Cody WydoPenalty Minutes: 58, Garrett MeursPlus/Minus: +11, Garrett MeursWins: 8, Sean MaguireGoals Against Average: 2.93, Will KingSave Percentage: .922, Will KingShutouts: 0

North Division Standings1. Manchester Monarchs 19-9-1-1, 40 pts.2. WHEELING NAILERS 16-11-2-0, 34 pts.3. Adirondack Thunder 15-13-1-1, 32 pts.4. Reading Royals 14-13-2-0, 30 pts.5. Brampton Beast 13-11-1-2, 29 pts.6. Worcester Railers 12-10-2-2, 28 pts.