The young guns came out firing for the Wheeling Nailers on Saturday night at Santander Arena, as the team collected its second win in three road games to open the regular season.
Cole Cameron and Logan Pietila both scored the first goals of their professional careers, while fellow rookie Matty De St. Phalle joined in the scoring party. Sam Houde’s third period goal put Wheeling ahead for good, while Pietila’s marker turned out to be the winner, as the Nailers defeated the Reading Royals, 5-4 on Reading’s home opening night.
The first two periods were complete opposites, as the opening stanza went by without a goal, while the middle frame saw five pucks enter the nets. The Nailers got on the board first at the 1:42 mark. Jack Beck let a long wrist shot go from just inside of the offensive blueline, and got a deflection from Matty De St. Phalle to drop the puck down and into the cage. 37 seconds later, Wheeling struck again. Beck was the catalyst once again.
This time, he hesitated at the top of the right circle, then delivered a perfect feed to Chris Ortiz for a tap-in from the left side of the crease. De St. Phalle set up marker number three, when he stole the puck at the top of the left circle and turned a quick shot on goal, which was tipped home by Cole Cameron for his first as a pro. Reading got its first tally of the night just 38 seconds after that, when Todd Skirving blazed in a one-timer from the inner edge of the left circle, which was set up by Jacques Bouquot.
Connor McMenamin made the score 3-2, when he pounced on a loose puck and converted from the low slot.
The Royals eventually pulled even for a brief time in the early goings of the third period, when Connor McMenamin hammered in a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle off of a pass by Shane Sellar. The Nailers quickly rebounded to go back on top 3:15 later. Jordan Martel shimmied the puck along the left wing wall to send Sam Houde and Matt Koopman on a 2-on-0 break.
Houde initially gave Koopman a pass, but Koopman returned the favor, and Houde tossed the puck into the open left side of the cage. Logan Pietila then added what turned out to be a key insurance goal, when he sniped his first professional goal into the top-left corner from the left face-off dot. That became the game winner, as Skirving’s shorthanded strike with 1:05 remaining made the final score 5-4 in Wheeling’s favor.
Sergei Murashov was the victorious goaltender in his debut for the Nailers, as he made 16 saves on 20 shots. Wheeling defeated last week’s ECHL Goaltender of the Week, as Parker Gahagen allowed five goals on 36 shots in the loss for Reading.
The Nailers and Royals will meet up again in Reading on Sunday at 3:00. Wheeling will begin its home season next Saturday, November 2nd at 7:10, when it faces the Bloomington Bison for the first time ever. Swaggy P will be performing trick shots during both intermissions, and fans will receive a magnetic schedule.
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.
