Huntington Center opened its doors to ECHL Hockey in 2009, and on Wednesday morning, the Wheeling Nailers did something there that they hadn’t done in 52 previous visits – win a game decided after regulation. With the contest on his stick, Cédric Desruisseaux broke the tie in the fourth round of the shootout, as the Nailers earned a 4-3 victory over the Toledo Walleye. Taylor Gauthier made 36 saves during the game for Wheeling, while David Drake assisted on all three goals in regulation.
Both teams collected a goal during the opening stanza. Wheeling got on the board first, as it took advantage of a delayed penalty just 1:18 into the contest. Davis Bunz let a wrist shot go from the right wall, and got a deflection from Carter Johnson in the slot to change the direction of the puck for the marker. The assist for Bunz was the first point of his professional career. The Walleye drew even at the 7:09 mark. Joseph Nardi led the way on the right side of a 2-on-1 break, and proceeded to dish a pass through the slot to Brett McKenzie, who shoveled a shot into the top-left corner of the cage.
The second period followed a similar script, as the Nailers took the lead, before Toledo came back with an equalizer. The Wheeling tally came at the 3:31 mark, when David Drake slid a pass through the low slot to Cédric Paré, who banged in a one-timer on the right side of the crease. The Walleye utilized their power play for their second goal. Gordie Green wristed a pass from the top of the right circle, which connected with John Albert for the redirection to creep into the net.
The back-and-forth battle continued in the third, as the Nailers went ahead for the third time. Bobby Hampton flew down the left side, then whirled around the back of the net, before he stuffed a wraparound shot inside of the left post. Drake notched his third assist of the day, while Taylor Gauthier recorded his first career point with the secondary helper. Kurt Gosselin squared the score for Toledo, as his right side wrist shot hit off of traffic and went into the goal for a 3-3 deadlock.
The contest progressed to overtime, which started slowly, before eventually taking off to the tune of nine combined shots. Neither team could light the lamp, which led to a shootout. Brooklyn Kalmikov scored in the first round for Wheeling and Mitchell Heard tallied for the Walleye in round three, which meant extra shooters. Gauthier denied Gordi Myer, which set the stage for Cédric Desruisseaux, who buried a shot on the right side of the net, lifting the Nailers to the 4-3 triumph.
Taylor Gauthier turned in another fabulous performance in the Wheeling net, as he turned away 36 of the 39 shots he faced in the game for his third win in a row. The third time was the charm for the Nailers against Sebastian Cossa, who made 26 saves on 29 shots during the game.
Now that the road trip is finished, the Nailers are ready to return home to WesBanco Arena for a three-game homestand this weekend. Friday is Military Appreciation Night and a Frosty Friday, as Wheeling battles Kalamazoo at 7:10. Then, Fort Wayne comes to town for a 7:10 Saturday game and a 4:10 Sunday tilt. Saturday is Martial Arts Night with live demonstrations and Sunday has a post game skate with odd-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.
