The Wheeling Nailers had an extremely fun weekend, as they closed out the opening quarter of the 2022-23 season with a three-in-three sweep and four straight wins overall. Wheeling opened up a 4-1 lead on the Toledo Walleye at WesBanco Arena on Sunday afternoon, then held off Toledo’s late push for a 4-3 triumph. Louie Roehl tallied his first professional goal, while Brooklyn Kalmikov, Cédric Desruisseaux, and Josh Maniscalco also turned on the red light.
The Nailers have started to make a habit into scoring goals in quick succession, and late in the first period, they turned an early deficit into a lead. Brandon Hawkins put Toledo on the board first during a man advantage, when he lined in a wrist shot from the left circle. Wheeling’s surge back took place in the final two minutes of the stanza. Brooklyn Kalmikov tied the score on the breakaway, when he lifted a backhander into the top-right corner of the net. 21 seconds later, Cédric Desruisseaux put the Nailers in the lead, when he caught a pass in stride from Chris Ortiz, drove down the left wing, and roofed a shot into the top shelf.
The momentum carried into the middle frame, as Wheeling put two more goals on the board. Louie Roehl joined the fun at the 10:53 mark with the first marker of his professional career, as he blazed in a feed from Carter Johnson at the middle of the blueline. 1:08 later, Josh Maniscalco made the horn sound again, as he shoveled a wrist shot into the top-left corner of the twine.
After getting outshot 11-1 in the second period, the Walleye made things interesting in the third. Thomas Ebbing closed to gap to two on the power play, when he smacked in the rebound of Hawkins’ one-timer. Then, Tommy Parran squeezed in a shot from the point, which made for a tense finish. The Nailers were able to successfully get the contest to the final buzzer to earn the 4-3 victory.
Taylor Gauthier collected the win in goal for Wheeling, as he turned aside 19 of the 22 shots he faced. Sebastian Cossa took the loss for Toledo, as he made 22 saves on 26 shots.
The Nailers will spend all of the coming week on the road, as they will visit the Cincinnati Cyclones on Wednesday and Friday at 7:35, before concluding the week with a Saturday clash with the Kalamazoo Wings at 7:00. Wheeling will have a pair of home games the following weekend, when they host the Indy Fuel for a Frosty Friday on December 16th at 7:10. Then, the Cyclones come to town on Sunday, December 18th at 4:10. Following that contest, fans will get the chance to skate with the even-numbered players. Season memberships, Big 6 ticket plans, and single-game tickets are available for the 2022-23 season by visiting wheelingnailers.com or calling (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.
