INDIANAPOLIS, IN- The Wheeling Nailers had lots of great energy coming off of a big weekend at home, but on Wednesday night, they ran into one of the biggest thorns in their sides, the Indy Fuel. Indy scored once in the late stages of the first period, then rattled off three goals in a span of less than four minutes in the middle frame, en route to a 6-0 decision at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
The teams played a tight first period, which resulted in one goal in the closing two minutes of the stanza. Hayden Hodgson had his stick whacked out of his hands, giving Indy possession of the puck. Michael Pelech dished a pass across the top of the offensive zone to Mike Lee, who zipped in a wrist shot from the right circle.
The middle frame was all Fuel, as the home team lit the lamp four times for a 5-0 lead. At the 4:16 mark, Willie Raskob took advantage of a Pelech screen, as he sifted in a shot from the left point. 1:54 later, Matt Marcinew deposited a centering pass from Pelech in the slot, then two minutes after that, Spencer Watson converted on the rush, which chased François Brassard from the Wheeling net. Indy tacked on one more before the period concluded, as Nic Pierog rang a shot in off the right post with 31 seconds on the clock.
Pelech added one final goal onto the total for the Fuel in the final second of play, as he dribbled in the rebound of Marcinew's initial shot for the 6-0 score.
Dan Bakala recorded his second shutout of the season for Indy, as he stopped all 20 shots he faced. François Brassard allowed four goals on 15 shots for the Nailers in the defeat, before giving way to Alex D'Orio, who made seven saves on nine shots in relief.
The Nailers will head north in Indiana for the other two games of their road trip, as they will face the Fort Wayne Komets on Friday at 8:00 and Saturday at 7:30. Wheeling will then return home for three games next week, starting on Tuesday, March 9th at 7:10 against the Fuel, and continuing on Friday, March 12th and Saturday, March 13th at 7:10 against the Komets. A limited number of tickets are available for Wheeling Nailers home games, and season memberships and flex packs are also available. To purchase yours or to get more information, visit wheelingnailers.com or call (304) 234-GOAL. 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.
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