GREENSBORO, NC- The Wheeling Nailers did a lot of things well on Friday night, as they outshot the Greensboro Gargoyles, 34-15 at First Horizon Coliseum. However, there was one thing missing from Wheeling's effort and that was a goal. Greensboro's Ruslan Khazheyev denied all 34 shots he faced, while the Gargoyles scored twice in a span of 30 seconds in the first period of what turned out to be a 3-0 win for the home side.

Wheeling controlled the majority of the play during the first period with a 12-6 shots advantage. However, the visitors found themselves trailing on the scoreboard, as the Gargoyles struck twice in a span of 30 seconds. The first marker came at the 17:27 mark. Ethan Leyh intercepted a pass at Greensboro's offensive blueline, and tossed the puck to Patrick Newell, who had escaped behind the Nailers defense. Newell made a quick deke, then shoveled a shot into the top-left corner of the net. The Gargoyles forced another turnover on the very next shift, and the end result was a Ryan Richardson backhander that floated into the right side of the twine.

The Nailers thought they had pulled within one during the early stages of the middle frame. Bogdans Hodass let a shot go from the left point, which was tipped in by Connor Lockhart. However, the puck was ruled to be hit by Lockhart with a high stick, so the possible goal was wiped off of the board. Wheeling outshot Greensboro 9-3 in the period, but one of those shots for the Gargoyles went in with 1:04 left on the clock. Braden Doyle's shot rocketed wide off of the end boards, but produced a rebound for Tyler Weiss, who jammed the puck inside of the right post.

The score didn't change in the third period, as Greensboro prevailed, 3-0.

Ruslan Khazheyev earned his first career shutout for the Gargoyles, as he was perfect against 34 Wheeling shots. Taylor Gauthier made 12 saves on 15 shots in goal for the Nailers.

The Nailers and Gargoyles will wrap up the pre-holiday portion of their schedules in Greensboro on Saturday night at 7:00. Wheeling's next home game is 80's Night on Saturday, December 27th, which features a post game concert by Tongue 'n Cheek. That will be the first of eight straight home games. Some other highlights during that homestand include Kid's New Year's Eve on Wednesday, December 31st, Women in Sports Night on Saturday, January 3rd, and Marvel Night on Saturday, January 10th. The Kid's New Year's Eve Game will feature a post game toast with sparkling grape juice, and the first 2,500 fans will receive free light sticks. Season memberships and other terrific ticket plans for the 2025-26 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.