ESTERO, FL- The Wheeling Nailers limited the Florida Everblades to just three goals in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final Series at Hertz Arena. However, the Nailers are leaving the Sunshine State empty-handed, as Florida earned a pair of one-goal wins to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set. Zach Berzolla scored the lone goal of Saturday's contest for the Everblades at the 29-second mark of the second period, as the hosts prevailed, 1-0. Cam Johnson recorded a 20-save shutout for Florida, while Taylor Gauthier made 29 saves for Wheeling.
The two squads played to a scoreless draw in the first period, which saw the Everblades outshoot Wheeling, 12-8.
For the 18th game in a row (dating back to the regular season), Florida potted the first goal of the contest. Riese Zmolek slipped a pass back to Zach Berzolla at the blueline. Berzolla had room to explore, as he skated in toward the left circle, where he wired a shot into the back of the cage. The tally came at the 29-second mark of the middle frame. The Nailers spent a good portion of the second period shorthanded, as penalties were 4-1 in the stanza to bring the game total to 5-2.
The animosity continued to rise, as the power play total climbed to 13 with more trips to the penalty box in the third period. Unfortunately, Wheeling was unable to cash in on any of its sixth man advantages, and came up short on the scoreboard, 1-0.
Cam Johnson earned his third shutout of these playoffs for the Everblades, as he stopped all 20 shots he faced. Taylor Gauthier was tremendous in goal for the Nailers, as he denied 29 of the 30 shots he faced in the defeat.
The Eastern Conference Final Series is coming to WesBanco Arena for games three, four, and five this week on Wednesday, May 27th, Friday, May 29th, and Saturday, May 30th. All of the home matches will begin at 7:10 p.m. If games six and seven are necessary, the series would return to Florida's Hertz Arena on Monday, June 1st and Wednesday, June 3rd, with both contests starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the Eastern Conference Final Series are available now by calling (304) 234-GOAL or visiting wheelingnailers.com. 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.
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