WHEELING, WV- Wednesday night at WesBanco Arena was a challenging one for the Wheeling Nailers, who ran into a team that has been clicking on all cylinders away from home. Wheeling built a 2-0 lead in the first period, but the Fort Wayne Komets bounced back by scoring six of the game's final seven goals to earn at least a point in their 18th straight road game (12-0-6). William Dufour led the way offensively for the Komets with two goals and two assists in the 6-3 final. The loss was the first of the year for the Nailers when leading by multiple goals at any point (23-1-0).

The Nailers came out flying in the first period with a 12-6 shots advantage, and their efforts were rewarded with a 2-1 lead on the scoreboard. Both Wheeling markers came on the power play, starting with a Fort Wayne blunder. Komets goaltender Samuel Jonsson gave the puck away to Ryan McAllister, who immediately spotted Logan Pietila in the slot. Pietila had the whole net to shoot at and he didn't miss. The Nailers struck again 1:50 later. Connor Lockhart took advantage of traffic created by his teammates, as he tossed a wrist shot into the cage from high on the right side of the offensive zone. One minute after that, the Komets netted their first goal of the evening. Matt Copponi slipped a pass through the low slot to William Dufour, who waited, then lifted a shot over Taylor Gauthier's left leg pad.

The late strike gave Fort Wayne some momentum, as the visitors flipped the script with three straight goals in the middle frame to turn a two-goal deficit into a two-goal lead. Austin Magera picked up the equalizer 1:13 into the period, when he took a drop pass from Matt Brown, and put just enough power on his shot to squeeze it through Gauthier and in over the goal line. The Komets went ahead for the first time in the match with 6:16 remaining in the stanza. Brady Stonehouse's shot from the right circle was denied, but Trevor Janicke fished out the rebound and swept into the left side of the net. Blake Murray added to the lead with one minute left, when he tipped in Louka Henault's point shot, which came three seconds after a successful penalty kill by Wheeling.

Wheeling closed the gap to one at the 5:48 mark of the third period off of a beautiful play by Pietila, who gathered in McAllister's initial shot, turned to his forehand, and twirled home his second goal of the contest. However, the Nailers ran into penalty trouble, as they were whistled for each of the final six infractions of the night. One of those was a match penalty for slew-footing against Raivis Ansons, which gave Fort Wayne a five-minute power play. That turned into a five-on-three, which was converted by a Jayden Grubbe dribbling backhander. Dufour cashed in on power play number six with his second goal and fourth point, which was a rip of a wrist shot into the top-right corner of the cage to put the finishing touches on the 6-3 Komets win.

Samuel Jonsson improved to 12-1-1 on the road for Fort Wayne, as he made 23 saves on 26 shots. Taylor Gauthier allowed more than three goals for the first time all season in the Wheeling crease, as he was bested six times on 30 shots.

The Nailers will continue their busy week of hockey with another home game on Friday night at 7:10, when they face the Kalamazoo Wings for the only time this season. That game will be a Frosty Friday, featuring select $2 beers. Wheeling will also be home on Sunday at 4:10, when Fort Wayne makes its return to the Friendly City. That is the annual Faith & Family Day, which will feature a post game celebration of faith with player testimonials, live music, and more. The next Big-6 Promotional Game is Margaritaville Night on Saturday, March 14th. Individual tickets, group tickets, and more 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.