One team is getting its first win this weekend. Perhaps even both.
The Wheeling Nailers, coming off a narrow 3-2 loss to Indy last Saturday to start the season, host the Orlando Solar Bears for a pair of weekend matchups.
That first matchup takes place tonight with the puck dropping at 7:10 p.m. inside WesBanco Arena.
There was a bit of good news for fans hoping to attend. While the original plan for tickets for the December games was limiting availability to season ticket holders only, that’s slightly changed for tonight and Saturday.
An additional 250 fans are being allowed for this weekend’s games. As of 10 a.m. Friday morning, tickets were still available.
Wheeling made a valiant comeback attempt Saturday against the Fuel as Chad Duchesne and Michael Joly each tallied a goal.
Duchesne’s goal was the first time a defenseman registered the season’s initial tally in 15 seasons.
Indy scored twice in a span of 27 seconds in the first period, and Wheeling was never able to fully close the gap, despite a 23-save effort from Shane Starrett.
Wheeling split a pair of games last season at WesBanco Arena in late January against the Solar Bears. The Nailers took the lid-lifter 3-2 but faltered in the Saturday game, 5-2.
That was the Wheeling’s only taste of success versus its Central Florida counterpart. Since joining the ECHL in 2012, Orlando has played at WesBanco Arena seven times. Its record in those contests: 6-1-0-0, with a 32-16 advantage in scoring margin.
This season, Orlando’s Ryan Lohin totaled a goal and an assist in the Solar Bears 4-2 loss to the Florida Everblades. Goalie Clint Windsor stopped 29 of 32 shots faced against an Everblades team that’s averaging five goals per game.
Roster Moves
The Nailers made a number of moves this week.
Monday, defenseman Marc-Olivier Duquette was released. Wheeling also placed fellow defenseman Evan Wardley and forward Brad Drobot on reserve.
In doing so, the Nailers activated forward Luke Lynch and defenseman Shane Kuzmeski from reserve. Wheeling also signed and activated defender Evan Wardley.
Wardley played in Wheeling during the 2014-15 and 15-16 seasons, including playing in six games during the 2015 playoffs. He last played in 2019-20 for the Idaho Steelheads, registering an assist in nine games.
One player to keep an eye out for from Orlando is rookie defenseman Dmitry Semykin. The 6-foot-3, 201-pound Moscow native was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third round of the 2018 draft and signed a three-year, entry-level contract last May.
Semykin is a large, physical defender with offensive skills and a hard shot. He did cut his penalty minutes down considerably last season playing in the MHL for SKA-1946, going from 118 to 41.
Around the League
Tulsa veteran forward Adam Pleskach is tied for the league lead in scoring with Utah’s Diego Cuglietta. Both have one goal and three assists in two games.
Pleskach also is the only forward currently carrying a +4 rating. Still, that makes Pleskach second to Florida Everblades defenseman Logan Roe. The Fort Myers, Fla native is +5.
Parity has rained early across the league. Most teams have played no more than two games thus far, yet only four unbeaten teams remain. Two of those 2-0-0-0 teams hit the ice tonight, with Florida traveling to face the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (1-1-0-0), while Indy heads to Kansas City(0-0-1-0).
Delving further, six of the 10 games played so far have been decided by one goal, with one needing overtime and two being decided in a shootout. In fact, only the Everblades 6-1 dismantling of Jacksonville featured a wider than two-goal margin of victory.
Those numbers are sure to change as players get their legs under them after a lengthy layoff.
Fans Coming Out
Attendance figures appear decent around the league as other arenas and states aren’t working with the number of restrictions WesBanco Arena is under.
The Rapid City Rush have averaged 3,393 fans during their two home games, followed closely by the Florida Everblades at 3,333 for the same amount.
The average attendance mark is 2,743 even when factoring in Wheeling’s number of 759 for its home opener. Again, Wheeling’s number was lessened by allowing in only season ticket holders. They could hit the 1,000-ticket mark if all 250 extra available tickets are sold.
