Nailers at Icemen Game Day Snap Shot, Nov. 16

WHEELING NAILERS(2-6-1-0, 5 PTS, 6th Central, 13th West)21 GF, 31 GAPP: 16.3% (7-for-43), 16thPK: 83.3% (40-for-48), T-15th

NHL Affiliate: Pittsburgh PenguinsAHL Affiliate: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

27-F-Zac Lynch (3 goals, 6 assists, 9 points in 9 games)10-F-Troy Josephs (6 goals, 2 assists, 8 points in 7 games)21-F-Cam Brown (1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points in 9 games)13-F-Nick Saracino (2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points in 9 games)23-F-Michael Phillips (1 goal, 3 assists, 4 points in 9 games)22-D-Kevin Spinozzi (1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points in 8 games)1-G-John Muse (2-4-0 record, 2.83 GAA, .894 Sv% in 6 games)

JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN(9-4-0-0, 18 PTS, 1st South, 3rd East)45 GF, 37 GAPP: 20.4% (10-for-49), 5thPK: 83.9% (52-for-62), T-13th

NHL Affiliate: Winnipeg JetsAHL Affiliate: Manitoba Moose

20-F-Wacey Rabbit (8 goals, 6 assists, 14 points in 13 games)10-D-Dajon Mingo (3 goals, 8 assists, 11 points in 13 games)11-F-Kris Newbury (11 assists, 11 points in 12 games)17-F-Everett Clark (4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points in 13 games)8-F-Cam Maclise (5 goals, 3 assists, 8 points in 10 games)19-F-Cody Fowlie (5 goals, 3 assists, 8 points in 13 games)30-G-Mikhail Berdin (6-2-0 record, 2.79 GAA, .906 Sv% in 8 games)

Head-to-HeadAll-Time Series: First Meeting

Toledo Fishes One Out in the ThirdThe Wheeling Nailers played host to the Central Division leading Toledo Walleye on Tuesday morning in front of a sellout crowd of 5,167 on the first of two Education Day games in the 2018-19 season. Wheeling gave Toledo all it could handle in a very evenly matched tilt, which came down to the final stanza. After a scoreless opening frame, the teams exchanged goals in the second period, with Greg Wolfe scoring 4-on-4 for the Walleye, before Troy Josephs had an answer for the Nailers. At the 3:33 mark of the third, Toledo went ahead on a power play strike by Kevin Tansey, and despite a 33-23 shots advantage, Wheeling was unable to pull even, as the Walleye escaped with the 2-1 win. Kaden Fulcher made 32 saves in the victory for Toledo, while John Muse held his own in net for the Nailers, turning away 21 of the 23 shots he faced.

A Long Time Coming Against the 'BladesThe Jacksonville Icemen made a bit of history on Wednesday night, as they earned their first regulation win against the Florida Everblades in 19 all-time matches since Jacksonville joined the ECHL at the start of the 2017-18 season. The Icemen opened the scoring in Wednesday's clash, thanks to Cody Fowlie, who got his stick on Garrett Cockerill's point shot to send the puck pinballing into the net. At the 9:21 mark of the second period, Wacey Rabbit extended the advantage for the home team, roofing a shot from the right circle. Florida closed the gap to one on Josh Wesley's right side rip, but that was the only time the Everblades were able to solve rookie goaltender Mikhail Berdin, who improved to 6-2-0 with Jacksonville and 9-2-0 overall with 27 saves. Former Icemen backstop Jamie Phillips took the loss for Florida, making 20 saves on 22 shots.

Shutting Down the ShotsDefense is quickly becoming one of the strengths for the Nailers in the early part of the season, as they are doing a fantastic job of limiting the amounts of chances that their opponents are getting. Despite falling 2-1, Wheeling limited Toledo to 23 shots on goal in Tuesday's game - the third straight contest and fifth overall in which Wheeling has allowed 25 shots or fewer. With those performances, the Nailers rank first in the ECHL in average shots against, surrendering 26.44 per game to their opposition. Florida is second at 26.55 after holding Jacksonville to 22 shots in their matchup on Wednesday. Two of Wheeling's three opponents this weekend are in the bottom part of the league in taking shots on goal, as the Icemen are 24th with 29.54, while Greenville is in the basement at 27.00. The Nailers rank 12th, taking 32.22 shots per game, while Jacksonville allows the fifth fewest at 28.85.

Our First Test of 3-in-3One of the biggest tests for minor league hockey players is their ability to play three games in three days - a somewhat frequent occurrence in the ECHL. This weekend, the Nailers will play their first of 11 3-in-3's, when they play three games in three cities, visiting the Jacksonville Icemen, South Carolina Stingrays, and Greenville Swamp Rabbits. This is one of five sets of 3-in-3 for Wheeling that does not feature back-to-back games in one city. Despite not playing a 3-in-3 this weekend, Jacksonville will be playing its third game of the week, after collecting home wins over Norfolk on Monday and Florida on Wednesday. The Icemen have had a phenomenal start to the season at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, going 8-1-0 in front of their home fans, compared to a 1-3-0 mark on the road.

Checking off a New CityFriday night marks the first and only head-to-head meeting between the Nailers and Icemen this season, who play each other for the first time since the Icemen relocated from Evansville to Jacksonville. Wheeling has played a team from Jacksonville in the past, but both of those matches took place in West Virginia, as the Nailers recorded a pair of 2-1 victories against the Lizard Kings in 1997 and 2000. The Evansville IceMen joined the ECHL in 2012, after playing out of the All American Hockey Association, All American Hockey League, and Central Hockey League from 2008-12. Evansville earned a slight edge in the all-time series against Wheeling, winning seven of the 13 battles. The fact that the IceMen now play out of the Sunshine State could be welcome news for the Nailers, who are 6-3 in their last nine tilts in Florida, counting regular season and playoff games.