Nailers Rally Past Komets, 4-2

WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers put forth a resilient effort on Sunday afternoon, and they were rewarded with their tenth home victory of the season. Wheeling fell behind 2-0 in the first six minutes of play, but rallied back with four unanswered goals to defeat the Fort Wayne Komets, 4-2 at WesBanco Arena. Kevin Schulze, Chris Francis, Cam Brown, and Ross McMullan were the goal scorers, while Adam Morrison made 39 saves for the victory.

The Komets opened the scoring in the blink of an eye, turning on the red light just 17 seconds into the contest. Louick Marcotte did the damage with a wrist shot from the left circle. A little more than five minutes later, Fort Wayne extended its advantage. Ryan Culkin set up Daniel Maggio, whose left circle one-timer was tipped into the cage by Mason Baptista. The Nailers started to gain some momentum later in the frame, starting with a fight between Michael Turner and Cody Sol. Wheeling got on the scoreboard 2:33 after that. Garrett Meurs led Kevin Schulze into the slot, who broke in and wired a shot in the top-right corner of the net. The final two goals of the period were both scored with the teams playing 4-on-4.

The lone goal of the second period went Wheeling's way, as the home squad pulled even. Chris Francis patiently dragged the puck around the right side of the net, finding his way into the trapezoid. A lane opened up, and Francis got creative banking a shot off of a Komets defender for the equalizer.

The Nailers continued their offensive run, taking their first lead of the day at the 6:45 mark of the third period. Francis entered the offensive zone, and delivered a pass to Nick Sorkin on his right. Sorkin barely had the puck on his tape for more than a second, before snapping a feed to Cam Brown, who tapped in the go-ahead goal. With less than one minute remaining, Ross McMullan tacked on an insurance marker, as Wheeling was victorious, 4-2.

Adam Morrison was the winning goaltender for the Nailers, as he stopped 39 of the 41 shots he faced. Former Wheeling netminder Sean Maguire took the loss for the Komets, making 36 saves on 40 shots.

The Nailers will play three more home games in the upcoming week. First up is a WesBanco Winning Wednesday against the Adirondack Thunder at 7:05. Then, it's a Frosty Friday against the Norfolk Admirals, also starting at 7:05. Finally, the highlight promotion of the weekend is Bricks & Kids Night on Saturday, when the first 2,500 fans in attendance receive an OYO Sports Figurine. That is also a 7:05 tilt against Norfolk. To purchase tickets, or to get more information about season tickets, flex plans, group tickets, and more, call (304) 234-GOAL.