The Wheeling Nailers played their lone preseason game on Saturday night at WesBanco Arena, and fans were treated to extra hockey, as the contest against the Cincinnati Cyclones needed overtime and a shootout to determine a winner. That winner was Cincinnati, who scored on both of its shootout shots to prevail, 5-4.
Cincinnati got on the scoreboard first at the 6:33 mark of the opening stanza, courtesy of Matt Boudens. However, the Nailers rebounded to net the next two and take a lead into the intermission break. Jared Westcott netted the equalizer, then Alex LaPlante put the home side ahead just 1:04 later.
Tristan Ashbrook tied the score for the Cyclones 2:57 into the middle frame, before Westcott’s second of the night gave Wheeling the lead back. Zachary Massicotte assisted on both tallies by the rookie forward. Cincinnati pulled even just beyond the midway mark of the period, when Matt Murphy found the back of the net.
Massicotte added a goal to his evening at the 4:25 mark of the third period, as the Nailers took a 4-3 advantage. However, with 2:38 to go, Patrik Bajkov’s power play goal forced overtime with a 4-4 deadlock.
Neither team scored in the seven-minute overtime, so the match progressed to a shootout. David Jankowski was the lone Wheeling goal scorer, while both Ashbrook and Kyle Bollers scored on their attempts for the Cyclones to lift the road squad to the win.
Both sides had two goaltenders play. Pavel Cajan got the win for Cincinnati with 18 saves on 19 shots, in relief of Jon Gillies, who stopped 21 of the 24 shots he faced. Jaxon Castor was saddled with the shootout defeat, after going 7-of-9 in the game. Taylor Gauthier denied 12 of 14 shots in the start for the Nailers.
