WHEELING, WV- For the first time in ten years, the Wheeling Nailers are headed to the Eastern Conference Final.
On Monday night at WesBanco Arena, the Nailers earned their fifth game-seven victory in team history, as they held off the Maine Mariners, 4-3, in front of a passionate crowd of 3,210 fans. Zach Urdahl scored what turned out to be the series-winning goal with 1:31 remaining, while Tanner Andrew scored his first professional goal and added an assist.
Wheeling improved to 6-0 at home in the 2026 Kelly Cup Playoffs, and the home team won all seven games in the North Division Final Series.
The game got going with a remarkable sequence around the seven-minute mark of the first period. Brooklyn Kalmikov of the Mariners had a wide-open shot from the left side of the crease, but Taylor Gauthier stretched over to rob him with the right pad. Wheeling utilized the media timeout to take a quick breather, then fed off of the momentum of that stop to score the first goal. Matthew Quercia settled the puck down in the left circle, then drove a shot into the left side of the cage.
The Nailers added to their lead 6:50 later. Emil Pieniniemi tossed a shot on goal from the left point, which was kicked out by goaltender Luke Cavallin. However, the rebound went directly to Tanner Andrew, who dragged the puck to his forehand and swept the marker home.
Maine collected the lone goal in the middle frame at the 8:14 mark. Robert Cronin drew the puck back to Owen Gallatin, who stepped up on the left side and let a shot go. The puck ended up glancing off of a Wheeling stick and finding its way into the twine.
The Nailers killed off a pair of penalties in the latter stages of the period to maintain their 2-1 lead on the scoreboard.
That score held until the final four minutes of the contest. Matty De St. Phalle netted a huge insurance goal for the Nailers with 3:07 remaining, when he tapped in a pass from Brayden Edwards on the right side of the crease. Zach Urdahl added an empty-netter with 1:31 to go for what appeared to be a comfortable 4-1 advantage.
However, the Mariners made things interesting with a pair of goals in the last 1:09. Wyllum Deveaux and Robert Cronin were the goal scorers, and suddenly, the score became 4-3 with 26 seconds left. Wheeling made sure that score got to the finish line to close out the 4-3 triumph in both the game and the series.
Taylor Gauthier earned the win in goal for the Nailers, as he thwarted 27 of the 30 shots he faced. Luke Cavallin took the loss for Maine, as he made 21 saves on 24 shots.
The Nailers have advanced to the Eastern Conference Final Series and will face the Florida Everblades in a best-of-seven series.
Games one and two will be in Estero, Florida on Friday, May 22nd and Saturday, May 23rd. Game one will start at 7:30 p.m., then game two will start at 7:00 p.m.. Games three, four, and five (if necessary) would then shift to WesBanco Arena on Wednesday, May 27th, Friday, May 29th, and Saturday, May 30th.
All tilts in Wheeling will begin at 7:10 p.m. If games six and seven are necessary, those would return to Florida’s Hertz Arena on Monday, June 1st and Wednesday, June 3rd, with 7:30 p.m. face-offs scheduled for both.
Tickets will be available starting Tuesday morning 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.
