The Wheeling Nailers faced quite the challenge on Saturday night at WesBanco Arena and showed all sorts of heart to come away with their 25th victory of the season.
Wheeling returned from Indy at 5:00 on Saturday morning, then turned around to face a rested Worcester Railers team, who had been off since the previous Saturday. The Nailers erased three separate deficits during regulation, then did it one more time in the shootout, before Jack Beck delivered the deciding strike in front of 4,051 fans. The final score ended up 4-3 in Wheeling’s favor.
The first period was a back-and-forth battle, which resulted in a one-goal lead for the visitors. The opening marker came at the 2:54 mark. Worcester’s Ryan Dickinson let a wrist shot go from the top of the left circle, which got deflected through Sergei Murashov’s legs by Anthony Repaci for his team-leading 20th goal of the season. The Nailers briefly evened the score on the power play, which needed just seven seconds to convert. Jack Beck set up Chris Ortiz, who rang a one-timer off of the right post and in from the left point. The Railers regained the lead 52 seconds later on a 2-on-1 rush, as JD Dudek deposited a cross-slot pass from Justin Gill.
The score stayed 2-1 until the latter stages of the middle frame, when Wheeling temporarily pulled even. Ortiz spun and fired a wrist shot from the top of the circle, which got tipped in by Matt Koopman. The Nailers were less than one minute away from getting the contest to the intermission tied, but with 34 seconds to go, Worcester went back on top. Jordan Kaplan made a pass out of the right corner to Griffin Loughran, who escaped behind the defense, faked to his backhand, and squeezed a shot through Murashov’s legs.
Wheeling was bound and determined to fend off every piece of adversity thrown its way, and with 9:19 left, the contest became tied again. Atley Calvert skated in on the right side of the offensive zone, and delivered a perfect feed for Gabe Klassen to tip home for a 3-3 deadlock.
Despite a plethora of scoring chances during the remainder of the third period and overtime, a shootout was necessary to decide a winner. After coming back three times during regulation, the Nailers had to come back in the shootout as well, as Connor Welsh tallied on the opening attempt for the Railers. David Jankowski squared the skills competition in round two with a shot into the top-right corner. Murashov forced Anthony Callin away for Worcester in round three, which set the stage for the heroics. Jack Beck sent the fabulous crowd home happy, as he lifted a backhander into the top-right corner to give Wheeling the 4-3 triumph.
Sergei Murashov earned the win for the Nailers, as he made 29 saves on 32 shots during the game, then thwarted two of three shootout shots. Hugo Ollas received the shootout loss for the Railers, as he came away with 31 stops on 34 shots during the game, then gave up two goals on three shootout shots.
The Nailers and Railers will clash again in Wheeling on Sunday afternoon at 4:10. Following the game, fans will have the opportunity to skate with the even-numbered players. Another exciting upcoming promotion is 80’s Night on January 25th, which will feature a post game concert by Tongue and Cheek.
The next Big-6 Promotional Night is Pittsburgh Penguins Night starring Kevin Stevens on February 8th. Season memberships and other terrific ticket plans for the 2024-25 season are available now by 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.
