WHEELING, WV- The theme of the night was a perfect fit on Saturday night at WesBanco Arena, as the Wheeling Nailers were every bit of fantastic in their 5-0 triumph over the Trois-Rivières Lions. Connor Lockhart led the offensive attack by opening the scoring and adding two assists in his 100th professional goal. Emil Pieniniemi netted his first North American pro marker, and Maxim Pavlenko earned his third shutout of the campaign with 26 saves. 3,580 fans had plenty to cheer about, as the Nailers won their fourth straight home game to improve to 24-7-1 on the season.

The Nailers got the exact start they were looking for, as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. The first goal came off of a rush into the offensive zone, as Logan Pietila led Connor Lockhart into the left circle. Lockhart picked his spot perfectly, as he rang a wrist shot off of the right post and in. Later in the stanza, Lockhart set up Wheeling's second marker, as he delivered a beautiful pass across the high slot to Brent Johnson at the top of the left circle. Johnson clobbered a one-timer, which rocketed into the top-left corner of the cage.

The middle frame was more of a defensive period for the Nailers, who maintained their 2-0 advantage, despite being outshot, 12-4. Wheeling followed that up by blowing the game open in the third. At the 1:45 mark, Cole Tymkin picked off a pass and wound up for a humongous slap shot. The shot got partially blocked, but threw Lions goaltender Vincent Duplessis for a loop, as the puck trickled through his legs. 47 seconds later, Randy Hernández centered the puck to the top of the crease, where Pietila chipped a shot into the top-right corner of the net. With 6:19 left, Maxim Pavlenko faced his biggest test of the night, as Egor Goriunov was awarded a penalty shot. Pavlenko forced the shot wide to the left, preserving his shutout. Emil Pieniniemi applied the final exclamation point to the 5-0 win with his first North American professional goal, as he dangled into the slot and slipped a backhander through Duplessis' legs.

Maxim Pavlenko tied for the league lead with his third shutout of the season, as the Wheeling netminder was perfect on 26 shots. Vincent Duplessis gave up five goals on 19 shots in the loss for Trois-Rivières.

The Nailers and Lions will wrap up their weekend series in Wheeling on Sunday afternoon at 4:10. Following the game, fans will have the opportunity to skate with the even-numbered players. A couple of other exciting upcoming promotions include Nailers Fight Cancer on January 24th and Pittsburgh Penguins Night on February 7th. 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.