Brown's Late Goal Lifts Nailers

WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers capped off a fantastic homestand in exciting fashion on Saturday night, as they improved to 5-0-0 at WesBanco Arena in January. J.C. Campagna tied the game at the 11:09 mark of third period, and Cam Brown scored the winning goal with two minutes left, as the Nailers knocked off the Norfolk Admirals, 4-2. Will King made 37 saves for his second straight win between the pipes.

The first period featured lots of opportunities, but Wheeling was the lone team to turn on the red light. The opening tally came at the 13:44 mark of the first period, as the puck was rushed into the zone by Reid Gardiner and Nick Sorkin. As the Nailers went hard to the net, Dan Milan stepped up into the left circle, and drove a shot into the top-right corner of the cage.

Norfolk tallied twice in a span of 1:15 during the middle frame to take a 2-1 lead. The tying goal came at the 5:25 mark. Domenic Alberga's pass deflected off of a skate to Alex Pompeo, who wound his way into the slot, where he slipped in a shot along the ice. Patrick D'Amico put the Admirals ahead, as he cut in from right-to-left, shoveling a shot into the left side of the net.

For the second night in a row, the Nailers put together a third period rally for their comeback win. The tying goal was scored at the 11:09 mark. Dylan Zink's shot from the blueline was gloved by J.C. Campagna, who backhanded the equalizer out of the air. With two minutes left, Wheeling took back the lead. Garrett Meurs cruised low on the right side of the zone, tossing a shot on goal that was knocked aside. However, the rebound kicked out to Cam Brown, who scored for the fifth game in a row, beating Ty Reichenbach through the legs. Campagna chased down a flip by Zach Tolkinen 47 seconds later, putting the icing on the cake with an empty netter for the 4-2 win.

Will King was stellar in goal for the second night in a row, backstopping the victory for the Nailers with 37 saves on 39 shots. Ty Reichenbach also played well, but was the losing netminder for Norfolk, as he stopped 44 of the 47 shots he faced.

The Nailers will play three games on the road next weekend, as they visit the Manchester Monarchs on Friday at 7:00, then the Worcester Railers on Saturday at 7:05 and Sunday at 3:05. Wheeling will then return to WesBanco Arena for a seven-game homestand, starting on January 24th with a WesBanco Winning Wednesday against the Kalamazoo Wings. Highlight games during the homestand include Princesses & Pirates Night on January 27th, Faith & Family Night on January 28th, and 90's Night on February 2nd, starring Alfonso Ribeiro. To purchase tickets, or to get more information about season tickets, flex plans, group tickets, and more, call (304) 234-GOAL.