Walleye Win Big at Home

TOLEDO, OH- The three-game weekend was a difficult one for the Wheeling Nailers, and it came to a conclusion in a painful way on Sunday afternoon, as they suffered a 6-0 loss at the hands of the Toledo Walleye at Huntington Center. Billy Christopoulos earned his first professional shutout with 25 saves, while six different Toledo players lit the lamp.

The lone goal of the first period went to the Walleye. Kyle Bonis picked off a pass on the right side of his offensive blueline, then quickly rushed into the circle, where he zipped a wrist shot under the crossbar to put his team in the lead. Wheeling nearly pulled even, when Nick Saracino broke through the defense and around the goaltender, but his shot rang off the left post.

Toledo exploded in the middle frame, as it put four pucks into the back of the net. At the 1:27 mark, Nolan Gluchowski sent a dribbling pass to TJ Hensick, who turned in a shot from the bottom of the left circle. A little more than six minutes later, the Walleye scored just after a power play expired, when Troy Loggins wired in a shot from the top of the right circle. Moments later, Gregor MacLeod deposited a cross-ice feed from Loggins, then Shane Berschbach dunked in a loose puck on the right side of the crease in the final minute.

Josh Kestner's power play strike was the lone goal of the third period, as Toledo put the wraps on its 6-0 win.

Billy Christopoulos recorded his first career shutout for the Walleye with 25 saves. Emil Larmi allowed five goals on 30 shots in two periods for the Nailers, before Alex D'Orio went 6-for-7 in the third.

The Nailers will continue their four-game, four-city road trip on Wednesday, when they visit the Fort Wayne Komets at 7:35. Wheeling's next home game is Education Day on March 10th at 10:45 a.m. That week will feature a total of four home contests, highlighted by St. Hat Tricks Day on Saturday, March 14th at 7:05. St. Hat Tricks Day will feature specialty jerseys, as well as a hat giveaway to the first 2,000 fans, and Irish Drink Specials. Friends & Family Ticket Packages are available for all Saturday home games, which include four tickets, four Tito's Sloppy Doggs and a $10 voucher to the team shop for $52. The Wheeling Nailers, considered one of the top things to do in Wheeling, West Virginia, provide affordable family entertainment for fans throughout the Ohio Valley. For information on season tickets, group tickets, partial plans, and more, call (304) 234-GOAL.