Last week was all about history for the Wheeling Nailers. First, Taylor Gauthier rewrote history by becoming the winningest goaltender in Wheeling Hockey History. Then, the team saw history, thanks to a visit to Mount Rushmore. Finally, Rapid City's hopes of winning a game were history, as the Nailers swept the three-game road series against the Rush in the Black Hills. This week, the Nailers will go from Mountain Time to Island Time, with a quick stop in the classroom along the way. Wheeling holds a three-point lead atop the North Division, as it begins a key nine-game stretch against divisional foes. The Nailers will host the Reading Royals on Wednesday morning at 10:45, then welcome the Adirondack Thunder to town for a pair of 7:10 face-offs on Friday and Saturday.

WASTIN' AWAY IN MARGARITAVILLE
WesBanco Arena will become a tropical paradise on Saturday night, and while the game may begin at 7:10, one could argue it'll be five o'clock somewhere. Wear your favorite Hawaiian shirt, enjoy an island-themed beverage, watch the Nailers in their specialty jerseys, and stick around for a postgame concert, as Island Troy performs some of Jimmy Buffet's most popular songs. While a refreshing beverage in the shade feels cool, the temperature on the ice could be boiling, as Wheeling and Adirondack do battle for the second straight night. Friday's series opener between the Nailers and Thunder will be a Frosty Friday with select $2 beers. But before you think this week is all about fun and games, there will be time for learning, as Wheeling and Reading clash for the annual Education Day Game on Wednesday at 10:45 a.m. in front of a sellout crowd of local students.

HOW IT GOT HERE, I HAVEN'T A CLUE
Thanks to their three wins last week in Rapid City, the Nailers find themselves back in sole possession of first place in the North Division, as they lead the Maine Mariners by three points and the Adirondack Thunder by four points. Wheeling's departure from the top spot lasted for all of two days, meaning the team has spent 115 of the last 117 days either tied or alone in first place. It's been a while since the Nailers were atop the standings this late into a season. The last time Wheeling was in first place this far into March was during the 2008-09 season, when the Nailers, Cincinnati Cyclones, and Elmira Jackals were locked in a three-way tie on March 19th. All three had 73 points with nine games remaining. Wheeling has already reached 74 points in 55 games this season, which clinches a winning record for the 24th time in 34 seasons. The Nailers' magic number to qualify for the Kelly Cup Playoffs is 20 points.

HEY GOOD LOOKIN' RECORD
The highlight of Wheeling's three wins over the Rush came in the third round of Wednesday night's shootout, when Taylor Gauthier denied Ryan Wagner to secure his 61st win as a Nailer, setting the record for most victories by a goaltender in team history. The previous record holder was Andy Franck, whose 60th and final win in a Wheeling uniform came on April 7, 2007. Gauthier will have another chance to bump Franck down in the record books very soon, as his 111 games played with the Nailers trail Franck's all-time mark of 114 by three. Rapid City became the 16th different team that Taylor defeated in his four seasons with the club. That list is topped by Cincinnati and Reading, as he has bested those clubs 11 times each.

PAID BY THE HOUR, AND OLDER BY THE MINUTE
Even though they had a nine-day stretch without any games, the Nailers have played a lot of hockey over the last seven weeks, as seven of their last 18 games have gone past regulation to bring their season total up to 12. What sets this season's number apart from recent years is that five of the 12 contests have gone all the way to a shootout. Since the ECHL switched to a seven-minute overtime period in 2019, the highest number of shootouts in a season for Wheeling was three, and the team even had two seasons without going to a single shootout. Matthew Quercia was the hero in Wednesday's shootout win, as he scored on his first career attempt in his 200th professional game. The shootout triumph was Taylor Gauthier's first since his rookie season, when he defeated the Toledo Walleye on November 9, 2022.

MY HEAD IN THE COOL BLUE NORTH
12 of Wheeling's final 17 regular season games will be played against North Division opponents, including a stretch of nine in a row, which begins this week at WesBanco Arena.

First up is Education Day on Wednesday morning against the Reading Royals. The last time Wheeling and Reading collided was a memorable day, as the teams needed a 14-round shootout to decide a winner. Unfortunately for the Nailers, that game went to the Royals, and because of that, they currently lead the season series, 6-5, with four games left. This will be the second time the two squads go head-to-head in the morning this season, as Wheeling won 2-0 at Reading on November 18th. If the playoffs began today, this would be an opening round match-up, as the Royals are in fourth place in the North Division - six points ahead of Worcester and seven points up on Trois-Rivières. Leading scorers in the season series are Logan Pietila and Brayden Edwards with seven points each for the Nailers, and Kyle Haskins and Brandon Saigeon with six points each for Reading.

Over the weekend, the Nailers and Adirondack Thunder will wrap up their four-game season series. The two clubs split a pair of emotional games in Glens Falls in December. Wheeling won the opener, 3-0, thanks to three goals in the third period and a 29-save shutout by Taylor Gauthier. The Thunder came back to win 3-1 the following night, as Shane Harper snapped a 1-1 tie on a breakaway with 6:28 remaining. Brannon McManus leads Adirondack in all three major offensive categories with 22 goals, 30 assists, and 52 points, while Jeremy Brodeur's 19 wins rank tied for second in the ECHL. The Thunder won ten straight games from February 1st-25th, but have dropped each of their last five decisions since then to fall from first to third place in the North Division. The last three Adirondack losses all came in overtime.

Buy Tickets for Upcoming Games
Fri. Mar. 13 - Frosty Friday
Sat. Mar. 14 - Margaritaville Night