The Wheeling Nailers continue to play some of their best hockey, and on Saturday night, they put themselves into the history books. The Nailers blanked the Reading Royals, 3-0 at WesBanco Arena to earn their 12th consecutive victory, which matches the all-time record set by the 2003-04 team. Jordan Martel netted all three goals for Wheeling and Taylor Gauthier earned the shutout with a 25-save performance. The win was also Derek Army’s 100th as head coach of the Nailers.
The two squads played to a scoreless first period for the second straight night, with a 12-8 shots advantage in Wheeling’s favor. The deadlock didn’t last long into the middle frame, as the Nailers needed just 29 seconds to strike on the power play. Justin Addamo swept a loose puck back to Jordan Martel at the top of the left circle. Martel dangled his way in deep, then flipped a backhander into the cage. The second period also featured a fight, as Matthew Quercia dropped the gloves with Koletrane Wilson.
The Nailers tacked on two more goals in the third, and both came from the same player. At the 4:51 mark, Tanner Laderoute dished a pass into the slot for Martel, who whipped a wrist shot into the left side of the twine. 1:14 later, Martel completed the scoring by finishing off his natural hat trick, as he sniped a wrist shot from the right circle into the top-left corner for the 3-0 final score.
Taylor Gauthier became the second Wheeling goaltender ever to win nine straight starts, and he earned his third shutout of the campaign, as he denied all 25 shots he faced. Anson Thornton took the loss in his debut with Reading, as he made 31 saves on 34 shots.
The Nailers will take their first-ever trip to Utah for a three-game series against the Grizzlies, with the first game taking place on Friday at 9:10. Wheeling’s next homestand will take place on February 23rd, 24th, and 25th. The highlight game of the weekend will be Country Night on Saturday the 24th, which features a post game concert by Jason Michael Carroll presented by Generations. he Wheeling Nailers, considered one of the top things to do in Wheeling, West Virginia, provide affordable family entertainment for fans throughout the Ohio Valley.
