Maine Prevails in Shootout, 2-1

WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers got one of each result on the weekend, and they picked them up in order. Wheeling won Friday, lost Saturday, and fell in a shootout on Sunday afternoon by a 2-1 score against the Maine Mariners at WesBanco Arena. Louie Roehl scored to tie the game in the third period for Wheeling and Taylor Gauthier made 28 saves, but Maine scored on two of three shootout attempts to skate away with the bonus point.

Neither team got on the scoreboard in the first period, which saw Maine hold an 10-8 advantage in shots. The deadlock was finally snapped at the 12:56 mark of the middle frame, and unfortunately, it was the visitors who did so, as a pair of former Nailers connected for the goal. Brooklyn Kalmikov carried the puck deep on the left side, before banking a pass off of a Wheeling skate and into the slot. That's where Wyllum Deveaux slid a shot into the left side of the twine.

The Nailers were able to claw back with an equalizer at the 3:25 mark of the third period. Louie Roehl stepped into the top of the right circle and drove a shot into the left side of the cage.

Both teams had glorious chances to decide the match, as Wheeling received a power play with 3:49 left in regulation, and Maine went a man up at 3:48 of overtime. However, the score stayed 1-1, and a shootout was necessary.

The shootout belonged to the Mariners. Brooklyn Kalmikov lifted a backhander under the crossbar on the opening shot, and Sebastian Vidmar closed the contest with a chip up into the top-left corner. Logan Pietila and David Jankowski were unsuccessful on their attempts for the Nailers.

Brad Arvanitis backstopped the win for Maine, as he turned away 30 of 31 shots during the game, in addition to both shootout tries. Taylor Gauthier stopped 28 of 29 shots during the game, then went 1-for-3 in the shootout for Wheeling.

The Nailers will spend next weekend on the road in Glens Falls, New York, where they will face the Adirondack Thunder for three games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Wheeling will then return home the following week for four games, starting with Education Day against Trois-Rivières on March 12th at 10:45 a.m. That will be followed by a Frosty Friday against Fort Wayne on March 14th at 7:10, St. Patrick's Day on March 15th at 7:10 against Fort Wayne, and Faith & Family Day on March 16th at 4:10 against Cincinnati. 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.