The Nailers got back on track by sweeping the weekend, beating Cincinnati Friday and Saturday before taking the Sunday matchup with Bloomington. How did Wheeling manage to go 3-for-3 last weekend?
Well, that weekend was just what the doctor ordered, and right at the best possible time too. The Nailers managed to complete the season sweep on both teams (although with just two games against the Bison this season, can it be called a sweep?), going a combined 11-0-0 against them this year. That gives Wheeling a record of 24-8-1 against teams from the Central Division for the season (their final six games are against North Division opponents).
The Nailers started the weekend hot, peppering the Cyclones goalie with 13 shots in the first period alone on Friday. Two of those shots, from Phip Waugh and Jack Beck less than a minute apart, were able to find the back of the net, and Wheeling went to the intermission with the 2-0 lead. While the second and third periods featured Cincy getting 14 of their 18 shots on goal for the game, Taylor Gauthier stood tall and turned them all away. The Nailers continued their press to push the lead further, but it didn’t happen. When all was said and done, the 2-0 advantage from the opening frame held and Wheeling skated away with the victory.
Saturday’s game started off even better for the Nailers, as they earned a 17-1 shots advantage in the first period and once again were able to pocket two in the opening frame thanks to Isaac Belliveau and Gabe Klassen, with the second goal being scored on the power play. The second period was another good one for Wheeling, as they got their third tally of the game from Matthew Quercia, and the game was very strongly in their favor heading into the third with a 3-0 lead. Cincy did finally get one in past Gauthier, making his second start in a row, less than a minute into the third. But late in the game, with the Cyclones goalie pulled, Logan Pietila was able to put the puck into the empty net, securing the 4-1 victory, and the 148th victory for Derek Army as head coach of the Wheeling Nailers, moving him into the top spot all time in team history for wins by a head coach.
The final game of the weekend didn’t start off quite as well for Wheeling, as Bloomington managed to pocket one behind Thomas Gale (making his first pro appearance after spending the last four years at Holy Cross College), and the Bison earned an early 1-0 lead that they managed to keep to the end of the first. The second period saw both teams taking shots while both goalies held strong until Jordan Martel scored a power play goal with just under eight minutes left in the period, and the game was tied 1-1 through the horn ending the frame. Wheeling came out firing early in the third, as Mats Lindgren gave the Nailers their first lead of the game just under six minutes into the period on a 5-on-3 advantage. They then went ice cold for the period, only getting three more shots on goal in the frame, but one of those three shots did go in the net as Matty De St. Phalle scored what would eventually be the game winner with seven minutes left in the game. Bloomington did get one more goal with just over four minutes remaining, but they couldn’t get any more as Gale stood tall to secure the win and the Nailers place in the Kelly Cup playoffs for this year.
The Nailers have their final three home games of the season this weekend, welcoming Reading to town. What does Wheeling need to do to continue the hot streak?
The Nailers have seen some success against the Royals so far this season, earning a 6-2-0 record (3-1-0 at home and 3-1-0 on the road) against them coming into this weekend. Wheeling’s lone home loss against Reading came back on February 23, a 3-2 decision that came right at the tail end of a 1-5-0 streak for Wheeling that served as the beginning of the rough stretch here over the last month and a half.
This time, however, the Royals come to town fighting for their playoff lives, as they currently sit one point ahead of Worcester for the final spot thanks to their 3-2 overtime victory against Norfolk on Wednesday in a make-up from last week and also have one game in hand over the Railers. Meanwhile, the Nailers find themselves in a battle of their own, trying to fend off Norfolk to keep the second seed and home ice in the first round. With that being the case, I fully expect we will see some fireworks this weekend between these two squads with exactly how much is at stake for each of them.
The Royals have been pretty good on the road this year on the power play, currently sitting tied for 10th in the league in power play percentage away from home. However, their penalty kill has not fared quite as well, down in 23rd place in the ECHL with a 77.9% success rate. If the Nailers can draw penalties and take advantage of that weakness, Wheeling can continue to earn the points they need to stay where they are in the standings.
The Nailers have officially clinched their spot in the Kelly Cup playoffs thanks to their wins last weekend combined with Worcester going 1-2 against Trois-Rivières. What do you want to see out of Wheeling over the last six games to prepare them for the second season?
I can’t lie; I’ve been sweating this a bit for the last few weeks. While I was certain that the Nailers would find their way into the postseason, it was hard to see them not continuing the momentum from the first half of the year into the remainder of the season. I had visions of sugar plums and division championships dancing in my head halfway through, and unfortunately it took until the second to last weekend of the season to clinch their spot.
That being said, after you earn your spot at the table, all bets are off. Anything can happen once the race for the Kelly Cup begins and everyone comes in with a 0-0 record. Looking at the season thus far, Wheeling has a 1-1-1 record against Trois-Rivières (with three games left against them to end the season), a 1-1-0 record with Norfolk, and a 2-2-0 against Worcester this year if they end up jumping back into the fourth spot, so results have been middling against the teams the Nailers have a chance to play in the playoffs. If Reading does stay where they are and make the playoffs, it would be as the fourth seed and they would face the Lions off the bat. Then, if they found a way past the number one seed in the division, Wheeling has had some success against the Royals this year leading into this weekend.
Coming into the end of the regular season, I want to see a team that is focused on staying hot into the postseason. I want to see a team focused on fixing mistakes and continuing to play strong hockey. I want to see a team that is ready for the toughest two or more months they will ever have to play in this sport. But most of all, I want to see a team that knows what it will take and work together to bring that vision to life and attack this warm-up like they plan to attack their opponents in the postseason here in just a few short weeks.
The Nailers now need to focus on seeding, with Norfolk sitting just three points behind them, but with a game in hand. How does Wheeling ensure they stay in the second seed and start the playoffs at WesBanco Arena?
With that loss on Wednesday, Norfolk stays two points behind Wheeling in the standings, with both teams having six games remaining on their schedules. This could end up coming down to who each team has left on the schedule to determine which team hosts to begin the playoffs. Wheeling has three at home this weekend with Reading, then finish the season with three on the road at Trois-Rivières. Norfolk, meanwhile, has three on the road this weekend at Iowa, followed by another midweek game next Wednesday against Reading then two next weekend at home against South Carolina.
Schedule-wise, it’s actually very close between these teams. Wheeling finishing the season with the Lions in a potential preview of the division finals could lead to some hard-fought games right at the end. But Norfolk faces a strong Heartlanders team this weekend who are already playoff-bound, then finish with a Stingrays team who have the most points in the league with 101 and are undefeated in their last 13 games.
Obviously, the best thing the Nailers can do to stay where they are is to continue to win. With the Admirals being two points behind, if both teams win out, Wheeling stays where they are and Norfolk comes to the Friendly City to begin the playoffs. Even if both teams tie in points, Wheeling does hold the tiebreaker and would be at home to kick things off. At this point, as long as the Nailers can continue to win, and hopefully some Norfolk losses get peppered in there, we will see playoff hockey in Wheeling for games one and two.
The Nailers have Wizards and Wands night scheduled for this Saturday against Reading. How much do you enjoy this promotion every year when it comes around?
For anyone who is curious, my wife and I are both Ravenclaw, and we will be sitting in seats in that house’s section on Saturday night. In case you are curious about just how much we enjoy Harry Potter (the books especially, my wife is an English teacher and will always say the books are better than the movies). I remember taking her to the midnight release for Deathly Hallows and realizing I had never read any of the first six books, so I challenged her to see who would finish first between me reading the first six and her reading the final book. For the sake of my marriage, I won’t reveal who ended up winning that race.
That all being said, I’m sure you can figure out just how excited we were when we found out this promotion was returning again this year. To have it right at the end of the season, when the games matter that much more, was just the cherry on top. But as for the plans for the event, the Nailers will once again be giving away wands to fans in attendance, as well as selling butterbeer and chocolate frogs, and giving fans the chance to take a picture with the sorting hat on. There will also be a quidditch game during the first intermission, and the team will be auctioning off their jerseys for shirts off our backs night as well. Everything I’ve seen makes this sound like such a fun night at the arena, so go get your tickets while they’re still available, and I’ll see you at the rink.
