The Nailers were forced to postpone three games last weekend because of ECHL players going on strike. Now that a new CBA has been ratified, what do you think of the terms of the agreement?
Well, while it sucks that we missed out on hockey games as a fan, I think it was very important that this got done when it did. The previous CBA (or Collective Bargaining Agreement) expired prior to the beginning of this season, so the players agreed to play under the terms of the previous agreement until a new one could be reached.
As for what is included in the new contract, player salaries have immediately been increased 20% for this season, made retroactive to the beginning of the year, with additional increases in future years to the salary cap. Along with that, the league is also guaranteeing players two days off during the week if they play three games in three days, a maximum travel distance of 325 miles if travel is required between back-to-back games, and an increase in their per diem pay for road games.
Overall, this has to be seen as a victory for the players. Several items they were requesting have been met by the league, and the league obviously wins by getting the players back on the ice and games being played because that’s what generates revenue for the teams and the league as a whole. But in most leagues, players have to pick and choose a bit from their requests to determine what they’re willing to give up to get things that are more important to them. In this case, it appears the players improved conditions not just for themselves, but also for players who will join the league over the next five years, and that has to be seen as a positive for them.
Once the agreement was reached, the Nailers were able to have their New Year’s Eve game, losing 7-2 to Worcester. What went wrong for Wheeling in that game?
While you never want to come out on the losing end following an extended holiday break, especially by that large of a margin, the good news for the Nailers is that if only even-strength scores counted, the game would have been tied 1-1. The bad news, then, is that Wheeling gave up SIX specialty teams goals to the Railers, including THREE short-handed tallies. The Nailers have been very good so far this year in these situations, so I have a feeling this is something Coach Ryan Papaioannou and his staff will focus on fixing this weekend.
The game actually began very well for the home team, as Wheeling scored an even strength goal just over three minutes into the contest off a nice wrist shot by Jack Works, and it appeared it would remain that way to the intermission. However, Worcester had different ideas, scoring a power play goal with less than three minutes left in the first, followed by a shorthanded tally with less than 30 seconds remaining, and the Nailers entered the first intermission trailing.
It didn’t take long for the Railers to put the game almost out of reach, scoring their five-on-five goal three minutes into the second, followed by another power play goal just before the halfway mark, and Wheeling entered the third period with a 4-1 deficit.
The Nailers finally got a power play goal of their own just over two minutes into the third after some nice passing ended up with the puck on Brent Johnson’s stick and then in the net. But two more short-handed tallies followed by another power play goal for Worcester clinched the 7-2 victory for the visitors.
The Nailers will now play two games this weekend, Friday against Worcester again before welcoming Bloomington to town on Saturday. What does Wheeling need to do in these games to get back to their winning ways?
Sometimes it’s nice to get back out on the ice against a team that just beat you so the Nailers can show that it was a fluke. Games like that can happen, especially your first time facing a team in a particular season. But Wheeling has to perform better in this game against a team currently on the outside looking in on a playoff position, especially when it comes to their special teams.
Despite what happened on Wednesday, the Nailers still hold a 15-3-0 record in games where they score first (5-4-1 when they allow the opponent to score first), while the Railers have only managed to score first in nine of their 26 games this season, but come in with a record of 8-1-0 when they do get the first goal on the board (5-10-1-1 when they don’t). So, getting the first goal is still very important and would help Wheeling out considerably in this game.
Then on Saturday, the Nailers get their first look of the season at Bloomington, who enter the weekend with a 14-9-2-2 record, good for 32 standings points and third place in the Central Division, trailing Toledo and Fort Wayne. The Bison have had a pretty good year so far on the special teams, with both units in the top ten overall in the ECHL (power play is tenth while the penalty kill is eighth).
Wheeling, meanwhile, found itself sliding down the rankings with their performance on Wednesday, as its power play, in addition to giving up three shorthanded markers, only managed to go 1-for-6 in the game. If Wheeling wants to earn some wins this weekend, they will have to be considerably better than that when not playing at five-on-five.
Now that the calendar has flipped to 2026, the Nailers find themselves seven points ahead of Reading for first place in the North Division. What will it take for Wheeling to hold its lead as we get into the dog days of the season?
Don’t look now, but the Nailers’ double-digit lead in the division as recently as December 11 has slowly been whittled down, as the Royals managed to go 5-2-0 since that date while Wheeling has gone 2-3-0 over that same stretch (Adirondack, who is sitting in third place by nine points, has a record of 4-2-1 in that same stretch).
That goes to show you just how important every game can be when you’re at the top and trying to stay there.
While a seven-point advantage in the standings isn’t surmountable in one weekend, the Nailers have to keep in mind just how important games in January and February can be in the grand scheme of things. This time of the year can be difficult for the players mentally, with every day just appearing to be gray, travelling up and down the Eastern seaboard over these two months (with two quick one-game stops in Indy and Fort Wayne).
But this is when hockey really becomes something special. This shows you what team you have and where you can hope to go at the end of the year. The players have had time to grow together and learn tendencies and how to work together. A lot of these guys have seen success in their past and know what they must do to keep it going. I look forward to seeing these guys continue to learn and grow as we quickly approach the midpoint of the season.
Saturday’s game against Bloomington is Women in Sports Night at the game. How important is an event like this to show young ladies in the audience what is possible in female athletics?
I think it’s absolutely fantastic just how many opportunities have opened up for women in sports, not just as athletes, but in coaching, broadcasting, and front office roles. The San Antonio Spurs had Becky Hammon join as an assistant coach back in 2014, and act as head coach for a game in 2020, before she moved on to become an extremely successful coach of the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA. Closer to home, the Pittsburgh Penguins asked Michelle Crechiolo to provide color commentary for a game back in 2024, and she did so well that she still does it into this season as well.
I’ve been lucky to have a number of strong women around me throughout my lifetime, and I know two extremely intelligent young women in my family that I very much look forward to seeing what they do with their lives. I think events like this are essential to show just how far we have come as a society in knowing that women are just as able as men to perform in roles like these, and I hope this is something that becomes a mainstay on the promotion schedule for the Nailers.
I will be bringing along the ladies in my life so they can hopefully see what is open for their futures, and I hope you all do the same.
