The Wheeling Nailers played a perfect defensive game on Tuesday night, as they earned their third straight win over the Indy Fuel in the Central Division Semifinal Series.
Jaxon Castor recorded a shutout with 20 saves and Jordan Martel scored twice, as Wheeling was triumphant, 3-0 at WesBanco Arena to take a 3-1 series lead.
The first period was played very tightly, as the two teams combined for 12 shots on goal. One of those pucks found the back of the net on a Wheeling power play. Lukas Svejkovsky and Justin Addamo teamed up to push the puck to the left side of the crease, where Jordan Martel whacked in a one-timer to put his team in the lead.
A similar script was followed for the middle frame, as there were 14 combined shots on goal, and once again, the Nailers capitalized on the man advantage. Svejkovsky pounced on a loose puck in the right circle, and swung a pass over to the left circle, where a wide-open Martel destroyed a one-timer into the top-left corner of the cage.
David Jankowski put the final punctuation mark on the 3-0 victory with an empty netter from his own end, after some clutch defense and goaltending kept the Fuel at bay.
Jaxon Castor earned the tenth playoff shutout in team history, as he was perfect on 20 shots for Wheeling. Mitchell Weeks made 20 saves on 22 shots in the loss for Indy.
The Central Division Semifinal Series will continue with game five on Saturday at 7:10 from the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. Very limited tickets are still available for Saturday.
To purchase tickets for the playoffs or for any questions or concerns about ticketing, please visit wheelingnailers.com or call (304) 234-GOAL.
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.
