WHEELING, WV- For the fourth straight season, the Wheeling Nailers welcomed a sellout crowd to WesBanco Arena for the home opener, as 4,829 fans poured through the doors. Unfortunately, Wheeling was unable to register a fourth consecutive home-opening triumph, as the arch-rival Toledo Walleye rained on the parade. Toledo erased a 2-1 deficit with four goals in the third period to defeat the Nailers, 5-2. Remy Parker and Justin Taylor were Wheeling's goal scorers.

Both teams found the back of the net once during the first period. Wheeling opened the scoring at the 4:53 mark with perfect execution of an odd-man rush. Kevin Gursoy carried the puck in on the right side of the offensive zone, then deked around a defender to create a more favorable situation. Gursoy delivered a perfect feed to his left, where Remy Parker slammed the feed into the back of the cage. The Walleye evened the score with 8:07 remaining. Defenseman Cooper Zech attempted to carry the puck toward the bottom of the left circle, but had his chance thwarted. Unfortunately, the puck bounded out to Mitchell Lewandowski, who sent a shot through a maze of bodies and into the net from the top of the left circle.

Toledo held a 15-9 shots advantage in the middle frame, but the Nailers scored the lone goal. Craig Armstrong kept the play alive high in the offensive zone, then quickly directed a shot on goal from the left point. Jonathan Lemieux made the save, but the rebound kicked over to Dustin Geregach, who promptly shuffled a pass back into the slot, where Justin Taylor directed the puck into the right side of the twine.

Wheeling carried the 2-1 lead into the third period, but that's when the game turned in the other direction drastically. Special teams were the key to the turnaround for the Walleye, starting with the tying tally, which came on the power play at the 4:09 mark. Lewandowski's attempt from the left circle stayed out, but Tanner Dickinson jammed at the rebound and sent it trickling over the right side of the goal line. 4:07 later, Toledo took its first lead of the night, less than one second after a successful penalty kill. Kaden Bohlsen forced a turnover in the defensive zone, skated the length of the ice, and popped a shot into the left side of the cage. Tag Bertuzzi expanded the advantage to two with 4:23 left, when he slipped behind the defense, received a pass from Sam Craggs, and chipped a shot up and into the top-left corner. Less than one minute later, Reilly Funk tacked on an empty netter to put the finishing touches on the 5-2 final score in favor of the Walleye.

Jonathan Lemieux earned his second win in as many nights for Toledo, as he made 21 saves on 23 shots. Nolan Lalonde turned aside 34 of the 38 shots he faced for the Nailers.

The schedule heats up in a big way for the Nailers, as they will play 25 games in the next eight weeks. Wheeling gets the upcoming week started on Friday with a 7:35 p.m. road game against the Fort Wayne Komets. The Nailers will then return home on Saturday (Halloween) at 7:10 p.m. for the first of two clashes with the Cincinnati Cyclones. The promotion is Nailers Nightmare, which will feature a spooky and sporty haunted house, in addition to Table and Treat from our partners. Following round two of Wheeling vs. Cincinnati on Sunday at 4:10 p.m., fans will be able to skate with the entire team. The next Big-6 Promotional Game is Spike's Candy Kingdom on Saturday, December 5th. For information about season tickets, group tickets, ticket packages, and more, call (304) 234-GOAL or visit 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.