WHEELING NAILERS

1st Place in North Division
Record: 46-20-3-3
Points: 98
Goals For: 231 (9th)
Goals Against: 175 (3rd)
Power Play: 46-for-214, 21.5% (7th)
Penalty Kill: 202-for-241, 83.8% (10th)
Round 1: Defeated Reading 4-1

MAINE MARINERS

2nd Place in North Division
Record: 42-21-6-3
Points: 93
Goals For: 223 (T-12th)
Goals Against: 177 (4th)
Power Play: 55-for-252, 21.8% (5th)
Penalty Kill: 217-for-255, 85.1% (5th)
Round 1: Defeated Adirondack 4-3

Head-to-Head
2025-26 Regular Season: Nailers 3, Mariners 2
2025-26 Regular Season at WHL: Nailers 2, Mariners 0
2025-26 Regular Season at MNE: Mariners 2, Nailers 1
All-Time Regular Season: Mariners 6, Nailers 4
All-Time Regular Season at WHL: Nailers 2, Mariners 2
All-Time Regular Season at MNE: Mariners 4, Nailers 2
All-Time Playoff Series: First Meeting

Goaltending
Wheeling: D'Aigle, Gauthier
Maine: Arvanitis, Cavallin
With five games in six days to start the series, including a three-in-three in Portland, there is a chance that all four goaltenders could see time in the crease. Taylor Gauthier has rewritten history practically every way possible for the Nailers this season, and in round one, he added another chapter. Gauthier set a Wheeling record with three shutouts (no other goaltender had more than two in a playoff career), after setting the regular season career records for wins, shutouts, and games played. Taylor also tied an ECHL record by allowing only four goals in a five-game series. Maine also has a right-handed catching goalie who wears number 33, as 2025 Kelly Cup Playoff MVP Luke Cavallin won game seven against Adirondack on Wednesday. Gauthier and Cavallin have both received regular season honors for their work, as Gauthier was the 2023-24 ECHL Goaltender of the Year, while Cavallin was named to the 2024-25 All-ECHL Second Team. Believe it or not, Cavallin's regular season numbers were bested by his teammate. Brad Arvanitis finished .0006 behind Gauthier for the top save percentage in the ECHL, fourth in the league with a 2.17 goals against average and tied for seventh with 22 wins. Wheeling's Gabriel D'Aigle is just starting his professional career after being selected in the third round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Defense
Wheeling: Breazeale, Budnick, Johnson, Kuqali, Laatsch, Pieniniemi, Sutter, Thompson
Maine: Anderson, Bellamy, Gallatin, Johansson, MacKinnon, Massicotte, Nielsen, Underwood
While the goaltenders will get lots of credit for helping Wheeling and Maine finish third and fourth in the ECHL in fewest goals against, the defensemen also deserve a tip of the cap. Maine's Jaxon Bellamy was as reliable as they come, as he had the top regular season +/- among defensemen in this series at +23, and he did so while playing 71 of his team's 72 games. David Breazeale was Wheeling's +/- leader among the blueliners with a +19 mark. However, the best defense can come from a great offense, and Brent Johnson provided that for the Nailers, as he ranked first among ECHL rookie defenders with 55 points on 12 goals and 43 assists. Johnson was the lone iron man for Wheeling, as he appeared in all 72 regular season matches. The top offensive defenseman for the Mariners was Andrew Nielsen, who racked up eight goals and 21 points in 37 games. Perhaps the most intriguing blueliner in the series is Tristan Thompson, who began the year by playing in 33 games for Maine, then got traded to Wheeling, where he played the final 31 games.

Offense
Wheeling: Andrew, Armstrong, Bennett, De St. Phalle, Edwards, Graham, Lockhart, McAllister, Pietila, Posma, Quercia, Renwick, Shoudy, Urdahl, Works
Maine: Allison, Andreev, Cheveldayoff, Cronin, Deveaux, Element, Hemstrom, Hudson, Jordan, Kalmikov, Lamppa, McGuire, Perreault, Venuto, Vidmar
These two groups of forwards are incredibly deep, and have the ability to strike fear in opposing defenses on a nightly basis. 21 of the 30 forwards on the two rosters reached double digits in goals in the regular season. That depth has continued to show in the playoffs, as Wheeling had nine forwards light the lamp in five games against Reading, while Maine had eight forwards find the back of the net in seven games against Adirondack. Both sides had five players with multiple goals. Matthew Quercia was the leading scorer for the Nailers in round one, as he had six points on two goals and four assists. The Massachusetts native typically finds another gear in the playoffs, as he has 18 points in 27 career postseason games. Jacob Hudson and Shawn Element both had big first round series for the Mariners, as Hudson finished with five goals and eight points, while Element came back from the AHL with four goals and five points in five tilts. Wheeling's Blake Bennett (27) and Connor Lockhart (21) and Maine's Jacob Hudson (23) and Brooklyn Kalmikov (21) all reached the 20-goal plateau during the regular season.

Special Teams
Wheeling: PP- 21.5%, 7th. PK- 83.8%, 10th.
Maine: PP- 21.8%, 5th. PK- 85.1%, 5th.
One sign of a top team is its ability to succeed in all man power situations. The Nailers and Mariners both ranked in the ECHL's top-10 in power play percentage, penalty kill percentage, and even strength goal differential. Wheeling's power play had a great regular season, as it finished seventh in the ECHL at 21.5%. However, Zach Urdahl's series-opening goal in game one was the only one on 16 power play chances for the Nailers against Reading. With that being said, the penalty kill was exceptional, as it followed up an 83.8% regular season success rate by shutting down the Royals on 17 of 18 opportunities. In fact, Wheeling's shorthanded goal differential was even in the series, thanks to Urdahl scoring shorthanded in game one. Maine also scored a shorthanded goal in game one of its series, as Max Andreev's overtime winner came with a teammate in the penalty box. Special teams were more prevalent in the series between the Mariners and Thunder, as Maine converted on four of 21 power plays, while Adirondack went 3-for-24. In the regular season series, both teams scored three times on the man advantage. The Nailers received 17 chances, while the Mariners had 16.

Coaching
Wheeling: HC Ryan Papaioannou (1st Season), AC- Mitch Giguere (3rd Season), AC- Evan McFeeters (1st Season), GC- Karel Popper (2nd Season)
Maine: HC Rick Kowalsky (1st Season), AC- Zach Tolkinen (2nd Season), GC- Fred Quistgard (4th Season)
Head coaches Ryan Papaioannou and Rick Kowalsky enjoyed very successful first seasons with their new teams, and both were recognized by their peers for their efforts. Kowalsky finished third in ECHL Coach of the Year voting, as he led Maine to a 23-point turnaround and a return to the playoffs after a one-year absence. Papaioannou finished fifth in ECHL Coach of the Year voting, as he led the Nailers to their first division title in 22 years, in addition to the second highest point total in club history. The two head coaches have great assistant coaches, who know their markets extremely well. For Wheeling, Mitch Giguere is the longest tenured assistant coach in team history, as this is his third year behind the bench. Karel Popper is in his second season as the team's goalie coach, while Evan McFeeters had worked with Papaioannou previously with the Brooks Bandits. Zach Tolkinen played for the Mariners for two seasons, before becoming the team's assistant coach in 2024. Tolkinen is also a former Nailer from the 2017-18 campaign. Both head coaches have championship histories. Papaioannou won seven AJHL championships, one BCHL title, four Centennial/RBC Cups, a Western Canada Cup, and a Rocky Mountain Challenge during his 16 seasons as head coach of the Brooks Bandits. Kowalsky won a Kelly Cup during his final season as a player, as he was the captain of the 2004-05 Trenton Titans.

Experience
Wheeling: 48 Kelly Cup Playoff Games, 0 Championships (prior to round 1)
Maine: 152 Kelly Cup Playoff Games, 1 Championship (prior to round 1)
Thanks to their first round victory, the Nailers nearly tripled their playoff experience, as their players added 95 games played to their resumés. Maine almost doubled its number with 133 games played in round one. Matthew Quercia is climbing his way up the Wheeling record book, and will likely finish this round in the top-five in career playoff games. Quercia ranks in the top-ten in assists and penalty minutes, and is knocking on the door for the top-ten in points. Last round was the team's third playoff series win with him in the lineup. Pittsburgh native Alexander Kuqali won his second career playoff series seven years after his first when he played for the Orlando Solar Bears. Maine's most experienced players in the Kelly Cup Playoffs are goaltender Luke Cavallin and forward Max Andreev. As mentioned earlier, Cavallin was the Kelly Cup Playoff MVP in 2025, as he led the Trois-Rivières Lions to their first championship. Andreev went to the Kelly Cup Final in 2024, then the Western Conference Final in 2025, both as a member of the Kansas City Mavericks.

Arenas
Wheeling: WesBanco Arena (opened in 1977)
Maine: Cross Insurance Arena (opened in 1977)
You will be hard-pressed to find two arenas closer in age than Wheeling's WesBanco Arena and Maine's Cross Insurance Arena. The two venues were opened 46 days apart from one another. Of course, if you ask long-time natives of the two cities, there's a good chance the words "Civic Center" will slip off the tongue. The Cumberland County Civic Center in downtown Portland, Maine opened its doors for the first time on March 3, 1977 for a concert by ZZ Top. Hockey came later that year, as the AHL's Maine Mariners began play and promptly won two Calder Cups in their first two seasons. That version of the Mariners lasted until 1992. The AHL's Portland Pirates played there from 1993-2016, and the current Mariners have been around since 2018. The Wheeling Civic Center began its legacy on April 19, 1977 with a concert by the Doobie Brothers. Ice didn't make its way into the venue until 1992, when the Wheeling Thunderbirds arrived onto the scene. The Thunderbirds set the bar high in year one, as they reached the Riley Cup Final. WesBanco Arena's 34 seasons with ECHL Hockey is the most. Other buildings and teams may be older, but they have been part of various leagues.

North Division Final Series
Wheeling Nailers vs. Maine Mariners
Game 1- Fri. May 8 AT WHEELING, 7:10 p.m.
Game 2- Sat. May 9 AT WHEELING, 7:10 p.m.
Game 3- Mon. May 11 at Maine, 7:00 p.m.
Game 4- Tue. May 12 at Maine, 7:00 p.m.
Game 5- Wed. May 13 at Maine, 7:00 p.m. (if necessary)
Game 6- Sat. May 16 AT WHEELING, 7:10 p.m. (if necessary)
Game 7- Mon. May 18 AT WHEELING, 7:10 p.m. (if necessary)