Fans at WesBanco Arena left Wednesday night’s game thankful for a great performance from the home team, as the Wheeling Nailers got three special teams goals to exact revenge on the Indy Fuel, 4-2. Cédric Paré and Josh Maniscalco had a goal and an assist, while Tyler Drevitch got credit for one of the crazier tallies of the year, and Tommy Nappier made 24 saves.
The Nailers threw everything including the kitchen sink at Indy in the first period, as they held a 21-4 shots advantage, and took a 1-0 lead in the process. The opening tally came at the 13:11 mark, when Cédric Paré pushed his way through the left circle and in toward the net, where he shifted to his backhand and forced a floating shot in over the goal line.
The middle frame was all about special teams, but not in a traditional fashion, as both teams scored shorthanded, while Wheeling also converted on a power play. The Fuel drew even with their shorty at the 1:34 mark. Chase Lang cut to the middle of the slot, and sent a backhander against the grain and into the right side of the goal. The Nailers regained the lead with a strike just 14 seconds into their fourth man advantage of the night. C. Paré delivered a circle-to-circle pass to Josh Maniscalco, who stepped up and roofed a shot from the right side. Less than two minutes later, the unexpected occurred. Lang won a face-off at the offensive blueline, which ended up going past his goaltender and in, with credit for the goal going to Tyler Drevitch.
Wheeling put the match away with another man advantage marker in the early stages of the third. Brooklyn Kalmikov feathered a pass right to Justin Addamo, who redirected the feed in from the top of the crease. Bryan Lemos cut the margin to two with a backhand goal at the 6:20 mark, but the Nailers took it the rest of the way for the 4-2 win.
Tommy Nappier secured the victory in goal for Wheeling, as he thwarted 24 of the 26 shots he faced. Zach Driscoll suffered the loss for Indy, despite making 44 saves on 48 shots.
The Nailers will visit the Kalamazoo Wings on Friday at 7:00, before returning home to face the Toledo Walleye on Sunday at 4:10. Sunday’s game will be followed by a skate with the even-numbered players. The next Big Six Promotional Night is less than two weeks away, as Wheeling will celebrate Holiday Palooza on Saturday, December 3rd, with a small business holiday village, specialty jerseys, the annual Teddy Bear Toss, and more. 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.
