There was lots of anticipation and curiosity heading into the 2025-26 season for the Wheeling Nailers. With a pair of new coaches and only eight returning players, "change" was the most popular word utilized in the days leading up to the opening game. However, it was a familiar face who delivered the heroics, as Matthew Quercia, the longest active Nailer, snapped a 3-3 tie with 1:33 remaining. The Nailers defeated the Cincinnati Cyclones, 5-3, to earn their third straight win in a season opener. Wheeling will spend one more weekend on the road, before next Saturday's home opener. This weekend's opponent will be the Maine Mariners on Saturday at 6:00 and Sunday at 3:00, as the Nailers play the first of 50 games against North Division foes.

A NIGHT OF FIRSTS
Saturday's opener was filled with milestones, as many players and coaches began a new chapter in their careers. Starting behind the bench, Head Coach Ryan Papaioannou and Roving Development Coach Evan McFeeters made their professional coaching debuts, and thanks to the 5-3 result, they got a victory to show for it. One other person got a win next to his name, and that was goaltender Maxim Pavlenko, who made 27 saves in his first North American pro start. Five skaters played in their first professional games - Tommy Budnick, Brayden Edwards, Max Graham, Daniel Laatsch, and Zach Urdahl. Edwards and Urdahl both scored their first pro goals, while Budnick and Laatsch each dished out a pair of assists. Laatsch also finished with a +5 rating. One other player tallied for the first time as a professional, as Mike Posma netted the team's first goal just 3:54 into the season (fifth fastest in team history).

START CALLING HIM GORDIE
For the first time in 34 years, a Gordie Howe Hat Trick was recorded in the team's season opener. Forward Cole Tymkin started off his night by fighting Justin Portillo 3:31 into the match. Then, with 2:07 left in the first period, he scored to give Wheeling a 2-0 lead. The assist took the longest, but he freed the puck out of the corner to Logan Pietila, who set up Matthew Quercia for the game winner. Despite having played in just 25 games with the Nailers, that is already Tymkin's second Gordie Howe Hat Trick, as he previously accomplished the feat on March 8th at Adirondack. He is the fifth player in team history with multiple Gordie Howe Hat Tricks, and the first since Zack Torquato. However, in Wheeling the more appropriate name might be a "Darren Schwartz Hat Trick," since the Wheeling Hockey Hall of Famer did it more than a dozen times to lead that category.

MORE NOTES FROM THE OPENER
Here are a few additional notes from Saturday's 5-3 win in Cincinnati... Ryan Papaioannou became the seventh head coach in team history to win his debut, and the first since Clark Donatelli in 2011... Matthew Quercia's game winning goal was his eighth during regular season play, which puts him four away from reaching the top-ten in that category... Max Graham became the first native of the Yukon to play in a game for Wheeling, who has now had at least one player from 12 of 13 Canadian provinces/territories all-time... The Nailers have won 11 straight games against Cincinnati, which is four wins shy of their longest winning streak against one opponent all-time (15 vs. Dayton)... Wheeling is 16-16-2 all-time in season openers and 8-0-0 in season openers that take place on October 18th, which was also the date of the first game in team history.

THE MAIN(E) FOCUS
This weekend, the Nailers will travel to Portland, Maine, where they will face the Maine Mariners on Saturday and Sunday. Led by new head coach Rick Kowalsky, the Mariners were involved in two shutouts on opening weekend. 2025 Kelly Cup Playoff MVP Luke Cavallin stopped all 26 shots he faced for Maine on Saturday to blank Worcester, 5-0. The next day, the Mariners were held off the scoreboard in their home opener, thanks to 32 saves by Reading's Keith Petruzzelli. The ECHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins missed the playoffs by seven points last season, but returns leading scorer and former Nailer Brooklyn Kalmikov (2022-23), who already has a goal and an assist in his fourth pro campaign. Maine has one other Wheeling alum on its squad, and that is team captain Wyllum Deveaux (2022-23), who finished second behind Kalmikov a year ago with 19 goals. Last year, the Nailers and Mariners split an October weekend series at Cross Insurance Arena, while Maine took a shootout decision in the lone clash at WesBanco Arena.

WHAT"S NEW AROUND THE LEAGUE
The ECHL opened its 38th season last weekend, and as far as teams are concerned, the league looks very similar to the way it did in the spring. There is one new club this year in the Greensboro Gargoyles, who play out of the North Division, and will oppose the Nailers on eight occasions. That makes two divisions of eight teams (North & Mountain) and two divisions of seven teams (South & Central). Four teams from each division will qualify for the playoffs. Greensboro is has affiliated with Carolina. There was one affiliation swap, as the Allen Americans waved good-bye to the Utah Mammoth and welcomed back the Ottawa Senators. Every ECHL team has an NHL affiliate, while the Mammoth and the Columbus Blue Jackets are the only NHL teams without ECHL affiliates. The most notable change in the league is behind the bench, as 14 teams have new head coaches.

Tickets for the home opener on November 1st are available now. Grace Good from America's Got Talent will be the star of the night, there will be a circus theme, and magnetic schedules will be given away.
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