Martel, Nailers Rip Apart Royals, 6-2

WHEELING, WV- Jordan Martel has been a prolific goal scorer during his time with the Wheeling Nailers, and when the Reading Royals are the opponent, he takes it to another level. Martel netted his third career hat trick against the Royals on Sunday afternoon, becoming just the second player in team history to record three against the same opponent (Tim Tisdale vs. Erie). That was half of the team's goal total, as the Nailers filled up the net with six in a 6-2 triumph at WesBanco Arena. Head Coach Derek Army also got to add to the history books on Sunday, as he earned his 125th career win, which puts him ahead of Doug Sauter for second place on the club's all-time list. The victory was Wheeling's 11th in a row, and the Nailers have points in 14 straight contests, which matches the team's all-time record set in 1997-98.

The Nailers notched the lone goal of the first period, which came at the 8:34 mark. Jack Beck sent the puck toward the front of the net, where multiple bodies were ready to put in the work. Matty De St. Phalle ultimately tipped a pass over to David Jankowski, who bounced in his shot from the left side of the crease.

Wheeling expanded its lead in the middle frame. Jordan Martel netted the team's second goal of the day at the 3:53 mark, when he raced out of the penalty box, accepted a pass from Gabe Klassen, and proceeded to lift a breakaway goal in off of goaltender Keith Petruzzelli's left arm. Reading temporarily pulled within one on Gianfranco Cassaro's wrist shot from the top of the left circle. However, the Nailers added two key insurance tallies with less than three minutes remaining. Logan Pietila navigated his way to the top of the crease to tap in a centering feed from Bennett MacArthur, then Martel potted his second of the period off of an offensive zone face-off win in the right circle.

Putting the game away in the third period was far from an issue for the home team. Matty De St. Phalle sifted a shot through Petruzzelli's legs at the 1:37 mark, then Martel completed his hat trick by roofing a wrist shot from the right circle for the 6-2 final score. Tyler Gratton recorded the other Royals goal in the middle of those two.

Sergei Murashov snatched his eighth straight win in goal for the Nailers, as he thwarted 27 of the 29 shots he faced. Keith Petruzzelli allowed six goals on 30 shots in the loss for Reading.

The Nailers and Royals will meet up again in Reading on Friday and Saturday, with each game starting at 7:00. Wheeling's next home game is a Frosty Friday on December 20th at 7:10 against Toledo. The next Big-6 Promotional Game is Star Wars Night on January 11th. Season memberships and other terrific ticket plans for the 2024-25 season are available now by calling (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.