Wheeling Comeback Falls Short, 3-2

WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers threw everything they had at the net during the second and third periods of Sunday's weekend finale against the Reading Royals. Unfortunately, they were unable to recover from a slow start, and Reading held on for a 3-2 road win at WesBanco Arena. Matthew Quercia and David Jankowski scored Wheeling's goals against Vinnie Purpura, who made 34 saves for the Royals.

The first period belonged to Reading, who outshot the Nailers 11-3 and scored twice. The goals came 1:21 apart from each other, starting at the 8:52 mark. The Royals won an offensive zone face-off, and maneuvered the puck over to Connor Walters at the right point. Walters skated all the way in to the right face-off dot, where he drove a shot into the bottom-left corner of the cage. The second strike came off of a turnover, as Joseph Nardi scooped up a loose puck, and set up Matt Brown for a one-timer from the left circle.

Wheeling started to turn things around in the middle frame. The Nailers appeared to close the gap to one, when David Drake's wrist shot flew into the top-right corner of the net. However, the play was reviewed, and the tally came off the board. That seemed to fire up the home squad, who proceeded to pour 18 shots on goal, with one of them turning on the red light. Matthew Quercia wrapped the puck around the cage and attempted to stuff it in on the right side. His first attempt was stopped, but he succeeded on his second try.

The momentum from the second period was temporarily quelled in the early stages of the third, when Reading scored its third goal of the contest. Wheeling turned the puck over in neutral ice, and Austin Master took advantage by snapping in a wrist shot from the left circle on a 2-on-1 break. Wheeling did pull back within one on the power play, as David Jankowski tipped a Jordan Martel feed up and into the top-right corner of the net. The Nailers continued to pressure with 15 shots in the final stanza, but were unable to find a tying tally, and the Royals prevailed, 3-2.

Vinnie Purpura shined in goal for Reading, as he turned away 33 of the 35 shots he faced. Taylor Gauthier made 19 saves on 22 shots in the defeat for the Nailers.

The Nailers will play three more home games next weekend. The weekend will begin with a Frosty Friday against the Adirondack Thunder at 7:10. Adirondack will stay in town for another 7:10 match-up on Saturday, which is also the first ever Battle Royale. There will be a commemorative hockey puck giveaway, a video game arcade in the main lobby, and themed activities throughout the night. Finally, on Sunday at 4:10, the Maine Mariners will be the opponent, and following the game, fans will be able to skate with the odd-numbered players. Individual tickets for 2024-25 home games are available by calling (304) 234-GOAL or visiting wheelingnailers.com. 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.