Luck of the Irish Runs Out in Third Period

WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers had the luck of the Irish going their way for two periods against the Fort Wayne Komets on Saturday night at WesBanco Arena. Unfortunately, the third period went in the other direction. The Komets scored four unanswered goals to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 decision in their favor. Jordan Martel, Matthew Quercia, and Logan Pietila scored for Wheeling, while Zach Gallant and Jack Works picked up their first points with their new club.

The Nailers had the exact start they were looking for in the first period, as they outshot Fort Wayne, 10-5, and jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The first goal needed just 2:47 to materialize. Zach Gallant won a puck battle along the end wall, which allowed Kyle Jackson to set up Jordan Martel for a one-time blast from the high slot. Matthew Quercia put the second marker on the board with 5:11 remaining, when he gloved down a clearing attempt, put the puck on his backhand, and sifted a shot through Connor Ungar's legs.

Both teams found the back of the net once in the middle frame. The Komets temporarily pulled within one at the 5:27 mark, as Wheeling got pinned in its own end. Dustyn McFaul maneuvered his way into the slot, then delivered a pass into the left circle, where Alex Aleardi crushed in a one-timer. The Nailers regained their two-goal advantage with 6:18 left. David Jankowski won a right circle face-off to Jack Works, who immediately swept a shot on goal. Ungar made the save, but the rebound went directly to Logan Pietila, who deposited a shot into the right side of the cage. Works' assist was the first point of his professional career. The second period ended with a massive moment for Wheeling, as a 1:58 two-man disadvantage was killed successfully.

Despite that potential swing in momentum, the third period took a wrong turn for the Nailers. The spiral began at the 7:07 mark, when a Wheeling glove pass went to Kyle Crnkovic, who set up Jack Dugan for a one-timer from the slot. The Nailers then went to the penalty kill, and got one of the most epic saves of the year from Jaxon Castor, who robbed Kirill Tyutyayev with the glove. With 5:23 remaining, Fort Wayne drew even off of a face-off. Dugan sent Noah Ganske in alone on the right side, where he shoveled a shot into the open side of the goal. 38 seconds later, the Komets took their first lead of the night. Wheeling lost the puck behind its net, and Zach Jordan proceeded to set up Brannon McManus for a slam dunk from the right side of the crease. Jack Gorniak added an empty netter to close out the 5-3 Fort Wayne win.

Connor Ungar picked up the victory for the Komets, as he made 26 saves on 29 shots. Jaxon Castor stopped 28 of the 32 shots he faced, but suffered the defeat for the Nailers.

The Nailers will close out the weekend on Sunday at 4:10, when they welcome the Cincinnati Cyclones to WesBanco Arena. The promotion is Faith & Family Day, which will feature a pregame presentation with players and coaches. There will also be an opportunity for fans to skate with the even-numbered players following the game. A couple of other exciting upcoming promotions include Black & Gold Night starring former Pittsburgh Steeler Ryan Shazier on March 29th, as well as the third annual Wizards & Wands Game on April 5th. 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.