As we look toward the coming weekend, weather forecasts indicate that severe winter conditions may affect much of our state and could make travel difficult or unsafe, particularly on Sunday. I wish to address this with pastoral care for the well-being of all entrusted to me.
The Church teaches that our obligation to participate in Sunday Mass does not bind us when serious obstacles arise such as inclement weather or serious illness. Severe weather that endangers personal safety is such an obstacle. No one should feel compelled to place themselves in harm’s way.
For those who are able to attend Mass safely, our parishes will make every reasonable effort to celebrate the liturgies as scheduled, though some adjustments may be necessary. Many of our priests live on site at the location of the parish and thus can easily walk to the church so there is no reason for them not to celebrate Mass. Depending on when the forecasted weather is expected to impact your region, attendance at an anticipatory Mass offered in many parishes on Saturday evening might be the best option for you to consider. I encourage you to check your parish’s website, social media, or voicemail for the most up-to-date information, such as schedule changes.
Those who remain at home are invited to keep the Lord’s Day holy through prayer, reading of Sacred Scripture, participation in a televised or livestreamed Mass, reciting the Rosary and or performing acts of charity within your household or community.
Let us pray especially for those who must work during the storm, especially road crews and first responders, for the elderly and homebound, and for all who may be vulnerable during this time of cold and uncertainty. May the Lord keep you safe, grant you peace, and remind you always of His nearness—whether on the road, in church, or at home.
WHEELING, WV- All the Wheeling Nailers needed was one goal to get things going in the right direction on Friday night, as they played the first of two games at WesBanco Arena against the Reading Royals.
The Nailers and Royals will wrap up their two-game series in Wheeling on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. Saturday’s game will be “Nail Down Cancer” Night, and fans will be able to fill out “I Fight For…” signs to hold up during the game, there will be a ribbon-making station, cancer survivors will be celebrated throughout the night, and fans can donate money to have their head shaved in support of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research.
As a reminder, the game originally scheduled for Sunday at 4:10 against the Fort Wayne Komets has been postponed.
On Friday night, Connor Lockhart tied the game with 23 seconds left in the second period, then Matty De St. Phalle gave the Nailers the lead 1:09 into the third. Taylor Gauthier made the win stand up with 31 saves, including a perfect 19-for-19 effort in the third period. Wheeling earned the 3-1 triumph for its sixth straight home win.
Neither team got on the scoreboard in the first period, while Wheeling outshot Reading, 12-10. The Royals finally broke the deadlock with a shorthanded strike at the 2:58 mark of the middle frame. Nolan Burke freed the puck off of the end boards for Jacob Frasca, who twirled around the right post and slipped a backhander through Taylor Gauthier’s legs. The Nailers were able to rebound and tally an equalizer on the power play during the final minute of the stanza. Ryan Mahshie directed a shot on goal from the left circle, which was padded away by Keith Petruzzelli.
However, the rebound kicked out to Connor Lockhart, who lifted in a backhander from the right side of the crease.
The late tying goal gave Wheeling some momentum, and the home team took the lead for the first time at the 1:09 mark of the third. Lockhart played the puck into the left circle for Matty De St. Phalle, who roofed a wrist shot into the top-right corner of the cage. The Nailers received tremendous goaltending from Taylor Gauthier to preserve the win, as Reading had a 19-4 shots advantage in the third, and also had a two-man advantage for 43 seconds.
Logan Pietila rewarded his netminder by putting the game away with an empty netter in the closing minute for a 3-1 victory.
Taylor Gauthier added those 19 saves in the third period to his 12 from the first two frames to give him 31 stops on 32 shots in the contest. Gauthier is now three wins away from matching Andy Franck for the most career wins in team history. Keith Petruzzelli turned away 24 of the 26 shots he faced in the defeat for the Royals.
The next Big-6 Promotional Game is Pittsburgh Penguins Night on Saturday, February 7th, starring former player and current broadcast analyst Phil Bourque. Season memberships and other terrific ticket plans for the 2025-26 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.
Firefighters, Police Officers, Plow Drivers, Power Linemen, Nurses, EMTs, Dispatchers, and everyone else on duty this weekend:
Thank you. In advance. For handling us. For helping us. For saving us.
Again. And again.
In person. On the phone. In the snow. At the hospital. Wherever we need you. You will come. You will help. Because we didn’t listen. We didn’t take heed. As usual. You know us. And here we go—one more time.
So, thank you before we make the same mistakes we make every time snow covers our roadways because, of course, we insanely believe we’ll experience a different result this time despite what happened the last time.
Yay us.
Now, we understand there are many more first-responder agencies in the Upper Ohio Valley than what are represented in our cover photo for this OPEN LETTER, so please understand this THANK YOU is intended to every individual in our valley region who will place their lives on the line while braving the extreme elements to come pick us up, pull us out, and stand us up sturdy over and over again.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and please know we do appreciate your daily dedication to our well-being.
In anticipation of this weekend’s predicted winter weather, the City of Wheeling is prepared to clear snow and manage the impacts of the storm. Full crews are scheduled and ready to respond as conditions warrant.
The Operations Department is fully stocked with salt and cinders in preparation for the storm. While weekend traffic is typically lighter and minimizes the need for work or school-related travel, City officials urge residents to remain off roadways unless it is absolutely necessary, both for personal safety and to allow crews to efficiently plow and treat streets.
City crews will make every effort to plow and treat roads as quickly as possible but ask for patience, as this will not be a one-day weather event.
The Nailers entered the All-Star break on the wrong foot, losing their last two games in Norfolk by scores of 2-1 on Friday and 6-3 on Saturday. What went wrong for Wheeling in these two games?
The Nailers don’t travel down to Norfolk very often, but when they do, it has become an absolute house of horror for them over the last two years. Wheeling has a record of 1-5, including last season’s playoffs, where they were outscored 29-12 in those games. Luckily, they don’t have to make another trip to the Norfolk Scope this season unless they meet in the playoffs, so let’s just hope that doesn’t happen.
Friday’s game opened with both teams trying to feel each other out, as they combined for 13 shots on goal, but none of them found the net and the game remained scoreless after 20 minutes. The Admirals worked hard early in the second period, and it paid off as they found the net behind Taylor Gauthier just over three minutes into the middle stanza to take the first lead of the game. Four minutes after the first goal, Norfolk was able to get one through Gauthier again, and the lead doubled to 2-0, which held through the end of the frame.
The Nailers have been playing a very physical style of hockey during this season.
Wheeling managed to get their feet under them in the third and worked on a comeback, finally scoring a goal of their own thanks to Logan Pietila just under five minutes into the final period. That score remained as the Nailers pulled their goalie for the extra skater late in the period, but it was for naught as the Admirals did not allow the tying tally and earned the 2-1 victory.
The Nailers came back on Saturday looking for redemption and quickly turned that push into a lead thanks to a Bogdans Hodass goal just four minutes into the contest. However, Norfolk would not be denied as they turned one of their 15 shots in the first period into a power play tally halfway through the frame, and the game remained knotted through the end of the period.
The second period only featured one goal, but it was unfortunately scored by the Admirals as they took their first lead of the game just short of four minutes into the period, and the score remained that way into the third. Wheeling managed to tie the game 37 seconds into the final period when Connor Lockhart knocked home a rebound, but the tie only lasted for just over a minute before Norfolk struck again to restore their lead.
Another Nailers goal, this time on the power play, would go in off the stick of Randy Hernández tied the game once again, but just like after the last goal, Norfolk struck again just over a minute later on another power play opportunity to take the lead back. Wheeling couldn’t pull even again, as the Admirals tacked on two more goals the rest of the way to take the commanding 6-3 victory and sweep the two-game series.
The Nailers begin the second half of the season with three home games this weekend, welcoming Reading to town on Friday and Saturday before a Sunday tilt with Fort Wayne. How can Wheeling right the ship and hopefully earn three wins?
After playing the Royals six times in a four-week span between November 16 and December 10, including four times in that first week alone, the Nailers will now face Reading for the first time in 44 days on Friday. Then, after these two contests, Wheeling and Reading are still scheduled to meet another seven times before the end of the regular season.
That familiarity from seeing each other already as many times as they have this year should feed into the vitriol of this abbreviated series. Also, if you need another reason to watch these two teams duke it out, the Royals sit in second place in the North Division, just nine points behind the Nailers, although Wheeling does have three games in hand over Reading. Despite that, these four-point games matter greatly in keeping some space between these two clubs as we approach the end of January.
Despite playing a division-leading 38 games already this year, Reading has only played 17 of their games thus far on the road, with a record of 6-8-3 away from home. While the Royals’ penalty kill has been good on the road, sitting in seventh place in the league, their power play has been quite poor, sitting in 26th in the ECHL with a 12.7% success rate. If the Nailers special teams can play well and swing things in their direction, I think Wheeling can earn a couple big victories.
Then on Sunday, assuming the Komets are able to make it to town through the snow, Wheeling will play their first game against their former Central Division rivals since March 15, 2025. This will be Coach Ryan Papaouannou’s introduction to one of the Nailers’ most common opponents in recent years, as these two teams have locked horns 92 times over the last 14 seasons, and this also marks the first of five games between these two squads in the 2025-26 season.
The Komets enter the weekend in second place in the Central, with a record of 19-10-6 overall, but a 12-3-4 record on the road. However, they have gone 4-4-4 in their last 12 contests, so they haven’t been especially strong in recent games. One thing that stands out about Fort Wayne this year is that they have scored first in 22 of their 35 contests thus far (63% of their games), with a record of 14-4-4 in those games. That means, in the 13 games they have trailed off the bat, they have a record of 5-6-2. If the Nailers hope to beat the Komets in this game, it would be very beneficial to get the first tally of the game.
“Spike” is very popular during home games at Wesbanco Arena.
The Nailers will go back on the road after that, playing a Wednesday night game up in Maine. How important is this game for Wheeling and how can they come away with the win?
These two teams have already met four times this season, with the Nailers accumulating a 3-1-0 record against the Mariners. But they haven’t faced one another since November 15, a 4-1 victory for the homestanding Nailers. Maine’s record fell to 7-3-1-1 after that loss, but since then, the Mariners have been a middling squad, earning a record of 9-7-4-1 and sitting in fourth place in the North Division, just four points clear of Worcester.
These two teams have the 11th and 12th highest average number of penalty minutes per game in the ECHL, with Wheeling averaging 13.14 minutes per game and Maine directly behind them at 12.70 minutes per game. For the Mariners, that’s not good news, as their power play sits in 20th place in the league on home ice at a 16.7% success rate, while their penalty kill is just slightly better than that, earning an 80.4% success rate, good for 19th place in the ECHL. Just like with Reading this weekend, if Wheeling can work hard with the specialty teams on the ice, they should be able to leave town with another two points.
With all of the rosters now being announced for next month’s winter Olympiad, four former Nailers appear on rosters for different countries. How cool is it to see players you watched play at WesBanco Arena make it on the world’s biggest stage?
As someone who has been attending hockey games in Wheeling since the original Thunderbirds came to town in the 1992-93 season, finding out players that I have seen in person in my hometown will be representing their countries in the Olympics is really amazing. While none of their teams are necessarily considered favorites to medal in Milan-Cortina, this tournament provides them with a chance to show what they can do, possibly helping them continue their hockey dreams for years to come.
Renars Krastenbergs, who played in Wheeling from 2018-2020, tallied 74 points during his 114 games in a Nailer jersey and will now represent Latvia as a teammate of current Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs. Nick Saracino, who was also in Wheeling during the same timeframe as Krastenbergs, earned 60 points in 58 games while with the Nailers. He will be donning a uniform for the homestanding Italian team in Milan-Cortina.
Justin Addamo, the most recent Nailer on this list, played in Wheeling from 2022-24 and earned 67 points in 77 regular season games and added another 11 points in nine playoff games before going back to Europe to play. He will be representing his home country of France in February. Finally, Frederik Tiffels only played 44 games in a Nailer jersey during the 2017-18 season, accumulating 33 points, but has played back in his home country of Germany every year since then, and will be playing on behalf of Deutschland when the Olympics get rolling.
The facade of Wesbanco Arena was upgraded nearly 10 years ago and features a sizeable front lobby/atrium.
This Saturday’s game against Reading is “Nail Down Cancer” night for the Nailers. What does an event like this mean to you?
There have been a lot of people in my life who have been or are currently affected by cancer. My maternal grandfather, Alfonso Rocini Jr., from whom I derive my middle name, had multiple bouts with the disease in his lifetime, and it eventually took his life much too early at 72 years of age back in 2001. In addition to him, my maternal aunt, Roxane Rhodes, has also encountered cancer multiple times in her life; my father, Jeffery Yost Sr., is currently battling stage 4 kidney cancer; my mother, Ruth Ann Yost, suffered soft tissue cancer in her leg that we thought might have required amputation, but she luckily was able to keep her leg, back in 2021; and my wife, Jessica Yost, faced uterine cancer herself 11 years ago this March. Also, lest I forget, I am a cancer survivor myself, having dealt with stage 3 colon cancer at 29 years of age, diagnosed 12 years ago this month.
This horrendous disease has caused a lot of pain and strife to a lot of people I love, and I have seen firsthand what it means to fight like hell against it. I had to undergo four rounds of chemotherapy and 25 rounds of radiation after my surgical procedure to remove almost a foot of my colon, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my life to this point. My dad has to undergo immunotherapy treatments every three weeks in the hope that it keeps the cancer from spreading further than it already has, knowing that someday it might no longer do what he needs it to do.
The Nailers really work hard with cancer charities and survivors to try and make this a special night for everyone involved. Having everyone in the arena who has been affected by this disease stand together and show their “I Fight For…” signs is a reminder of just how prevalent this disease really is, and why we have to work together to try to find a cure. I look forward to being there for this game again this year, and I hope to see all of you at the rink that night too.
Steubenville, Ohio—January 21, 2026– As the Ohio Valley enters the peak of the winter season, Trinity Health System, a member of CommonSpirit Health, is highlighting the importance of physical safety and injury prevention for outdoor enthusiasts.
Winter activities–such as skiing, snowboarding, and sledding–provide excellent cardiovascular benefits, but the combination of cold temperatures and high-impact surfaces increases the risk of musculoskeletal trauma. According to the CDC, snowboarding accounts for 25 percent of all winter sports accidents, while sledding contributes to more than 50,000 injuries annually.
“The cold weather in winter activities creates some unique challenges for our muscles and ligaments,” said Kumar Amin, M.D., Medical Director, Trinity Orthopedics. “Our muscles and ligaments will require more time to warm up and prepare for work. Therefore, it is important to have an established and comprehensive warm-up and stretching program prior to participation in winter sports or any outside activity.”
Kumar Amin, M.D., Medical Director
The Anatomy of Winter Risks
Because the body’s soft tissues—muscles, tendons, and ligaments—become less pliable in the cold, they are more susceptible to tearing. Trinity Health System’s clinical teams often see a rise in knee injuries, such as torn meniscuses or ACLs, as the joints absorb the brunt of the shock from skiing or skating.
“In addition to being less pliable, the inflammatory response to injury can often be reduced in the winter because of the cold weather. Particularly in the case of skiing, it takes a lower energy force to sustain a significant ligament injury such as anterior cruciate ligament tears,” Dr. Amin said. “So, it is particularly important for the clinician to be aware of this potentially different presentation and to continue to perform a very careful history and physical when evaluating winter sports injuries.”
A Foundation of Prevention
In alignment with CommonSpirit’s vision of a healthier future, Trinity Health System recommends the following safety measures:
Pre-Season Conditioning: Build strength in the core and lower body before hitting the slopes.
Thermal Layering: Use moisture-wicking layers to maintain a consistent body temperature, reducing the risk of hypothermia and muscle cramping.
The Power of Hydration: Cold air masks thirst, but dehydration increases fatigue and slows reaction times, making accidents more likely.
Protective Gear: Helmets are non-negotiable for sledding, skiing, and hockey to prevent the concussions that make up 30 percent of sledding-related injuries.
Aaron Orlosky, D.O., Trinity Sports Medicine
“In Steubenville, Ohio, we are blessed to be able to experience all four seasons,” Aaron Orlosky, D.O., Trinity Sports Medicine, said. “There are multiple reasons that it is important to take the proper precautions with outdoor activities through the winter months.
“First and foremost would be to avoid an acute injury and all the subsequent downtime or recovery afterwards. I also encourage outside activities for the longevity benefits of cold exposure and to avoid becoming deconditioned, which could increase your risk of becoming injured in the nice spring months.”
OCS Robotics is pleased to present the third annual “The Gateway to the West Signature Event”.
This VEX VRC Robotics Competition is scheduled to take place at the Highlands Sports Complex with middle school teams competing January 28th-29th, and high school teams competing January 30th and 31st. The competition runs daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with free admission for all spectators.
This Signature Event is one of 12 middle school and 29 high school events in the world this year and is the only VEX Robotics Signature Event in the state of West Virginia. Participants are joining the competition from 16 states and Canada. Currently, 80 high school teams and 76 middle school teams are scheduled to compete. Tournament winners will qualify for the VEX World Championships in St. Louis, Missouri.
Sponsored by and according to the REC Foundation, “This tournament is one in a series of events supported by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation. The competition season culminates each spring, with the top-performing teams from the state levels competing against each other at the VEX Robotics World Championship.”
OCS Robotics is in its fifth year with countywide, competitive teams with a total of 17 robotics teams across both middle school and high school levels. Six teams represent Wheeling Park High School and 11 teams represent the various middle schools of Ohio County.
Wheeling Park High School’s CTE programs assist in bringing the event to life. They work to create the banners, trophies, stickers, and assist with providing the hospitality room for volunteers. The Operations Center in Ohio County work diligently to set up the environment, and various OCS employees function as volunteers during the duration of the event.
The event has a variety of sponsors making the competition possible. West Virginia University Robotics Engineering, West Virginia Department of Education, Expand, The Stifel Endowment, Siemens, Visit Wheeling, WVU Medicine, the Ohio County Commission, McKinley Architecture and Engineering and the W.Va.
Robotics Alliance are responsible for helping bring a Signature Event to Wheeling, W.Va.
That was always the first question asked when we entered the next bar that night while walking the snow-covered streets on Wheeling Island on Saturday night. Among the plethora of taverns, there were the I.D.E., Harbor Lights, the Voo Doo, and, of course, Mac’s Holiday down on Virginia Street, and every patron was exhausted but happy to be finished for the moment with the last blast of a wicked winter.
The forecast for the mid-March weekend was for heavy snow, and local weatherman John Domenick delivered his warnings day and night and Joe DeNardo “said it would,” and it sure did.
Local forecasters joined the National Weather Service with predicting heavy snow for the mid-March weekend, but no one expected more than two feet of snow.
It was more snow than anyone expected, and it hit hard about week before spring was scheduled to bloom. It began on a Friday evening with a gentle snow, but by Saturday morning the flakes were fat and tall and heavy on everything they covered, and the cars and trucks and swing sets were burdened and buried.
Life changed the moment we couldn’t decipher backyards from still-and-silent roadways, and it took shifts of shoveling and one mug after another of hot chocolate to keep the sidewalks clear. Traffic crawled on the interstates, snowballs were heavy, kids ice skated on the streets, the salt and cinder trucks wore chains, and heading back to school wasn’t a possibility for a couple of weeks anyway.
When the snow finally stopped in March 1993, as many as 28 inches fell on Wheeling Island and much blanketed the hilltop ridges throughout the Upper Ohio Valley.
Just like back in January 1978.
Those of us who were born in the mid-to-late 1960’s experienced – as children – the “Blizzard of ’78” on January 26-27, and Mother Nature dumped more than two feet of snow that Thursday and Friday. Schools were closed, drive-thrus became walk-ups, and most businesses were operated by skeleton crews for weeks following the record-setting snowfall.
But the ’93 storm set new standards, and the National Weather Service dubbed the devastating cyclonic storm – or “nor’easter” – the “Storm of the Century” after more than 28 inches blanketed Wheeling Island (where we lived at the time) and the residents along the hilltop ridges counted to much higher figures.
The National Weather Service is now forecasting that this weekend’s expected storm will begin Saturday evening, continue overnight, and then continue on Sunday.
How much snow will fall, however, is again the great unknown.
The Wheeling Nailers are looking forward to returning home for three games this weekend, after running into a small bump in the road last week in Norfolk, Virginia. The Nailers suffered back-to-back losses for just the second time this season, but Wheeling still owns a nine-point lead for the top spot in the ECHL’s North Division. That lead can get extended with head-to-head meetings against the second-place Reading Royals on Friday and Saturday, then the Nailers will finally see the Fort Wayne Komets for the first time this season on Sunday.
WE FIGHT FOR ALL THOSE AFFECTED The Nailers will look to build on their phenomenal 14-2-1 home record, when they take the ice for three games at WesBanco Arena this weekend. While the weekend will feature some traditional favorite promotions such as Frosty Friday (23rd) and a post game skate (25th – odd-numbered players), Saturday night’s game will have extra meaning. The promotion is “Nail Down Cancer” Night, as we all come together to raise awareness and support the fight against cancer. All of the players have filled out “I Fight For…” signs, which will be on display in the main lobby, and fans are encouraged to stop by the table to fill out theirs to hold up during the game. There will also be a ribbon making station, fans can donate money and have their head shaved in support of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research, and cancer survivors will be celebrated throughout the night.
WHOA, WE’RE HALF WAY THERE On Friday night, the Nailers will reach the midway mark of the 2025-26 regular season, as they play game number 36 out of 72. Wheeling needs one win to match the 2024-25 squad for the most victories during the first half of a season in team history, as this year’s club sits at 25-9-1, while last season’s team earned a win in its 36th contest to improve to 26-8-2. The Nailers have already solidified that they will finish the first half of the season in first place in the North Division, and they will either finish the first half in second or third place overall. Last year, Wheeling led the North Division at the midway mark and ranked second in the ECHL. The Nailers haven’t scored quite as many goals in the first half as they did last season (currently averaging 3.26 to last year’s 3.64). However, the goals against have gone down, as Wheeling is allowing 2.29 per game, compared to 2.44 a year ago. One drastic statistical change from last year to this has been penalty minutes per game, as last season’s team averaged the fourth fewest in the first half (9.53), while this season’s squad has the 11th highest average (13.14). The amount of players who have appeared in a game is similar, as last year’s first half saw 35 players suit up, while 33 players have donned the uniform this season.
MAKING THE MOST OF FEWER OPPORTUNITIES It may be surprising to some based on the scores of the games, but defenses have been tightening up over the course of the last two weeks. The Nailers and their opponents have each been held to under 30 shots on goal in each of the last five games. Despite that, scoring has been above the season average, as those five games have seen 30 pucks fly into the backs of the nets for an average of 6.00 goals per game. Prior to this stretch, games involving Wheeling saw an average of 5.47 goals per game. Looking deeper into the numbers, the Nailers have actually had better results on nights when their netminders faced heavy workloads, as the team is 10-2-1 (.808 points percentage) when allowing 30 shots on goal or more. However, the scenario that has seen the most success for Wheeling is when it outshoots the opposition, which has resulted in a 15-3-0 mark (.833 points percentage).
A NOD TO OUR ALL-STAR The ECHL held its All-Star Classic on Monday night in Allen, Texas, and Wheeling got a good showing from defenseman Brent Johnson, who was the club’s lone representative. Johnson earned the all-star nod thanks to being second among ECHL rookie defensemen with 25 points. The game served as a bit of a homecoming for Brent, who spent time playing in the Dallas Stars Elite Program, which is located less than an hour from Allen. The St. Louis, Missouri native suited up for Team Stripes, which was victorious, 17-12 over Team Stars. Johnson tallied one goal and one assist in the game to become the 17th Wheeling player to score a goal in an ECHL All-Star Classic, but only the fourth defenseman to do so. The other three Nailers blueliners to score in an All-Star Game were Karl Infanger (1999 in Biloxi, Mississippi), Jon D’Aversa (2 goals – 2008 in Stockton, California), and Andrew Hotham (2 goals – 2013 in Loveland, Colorado).
IT’S BEEN A WHILE The title of this section can be taken two different ways based on Wheeling’s two opponents this weekend. After playing each other six times over a 25-day period, the Nailers and Reading Royals went 44 days without a head-to-head game, as they get ready to clash on Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, Wheeling and the Fort Wayne Komets haven’t seen one another in over ten months, as the former division rivals last faced off on March 15th.
Wheeling and Reading are playing games seven and eight in their 15-game season series, but just the second and third matches at WesBanco Arena. Both sides have earned three victories to this point, highlighted by two shutout wins for the Nailers and a pair of one-goal wins for the Royals. Wheeling’s Brayden Edwards and Reading’s Carson Golder both have five points to lead the way in the season series, while the Nailers have also gotten three goals from Jack Works. The Royals are currently in second place in the North Division with a 19-15-4 record, good for 42 points. However, the two teams directly behind them (Adirondack & Maine) are both within striking distance and hold games in hand. Reading is 4-4-2 since the holiday break, and is coming off of winning two of three against Greensboro last weekend.
The weekend will wrap up with the 93rd regular season meeting (100th if you include the playoffs) in 14 years between Wheeling and Fort Wayne. Last year, the Nailers won the season series against the Komets for the first time since 2014-15, as they were victorious in three of five clashes. This year’s set also features five games. The Komets have a unique 4-4-4 record in their last 12 contests, and nine of the 12 have been decided by one goal. Fort Wayne currently occupies second place in the Central Division, three points behind Toledo and four points ahead of Bloomington. Three players have reached double digits in goals for the Komets, led by Austin Magera’s 15, while forward Kirill Tyutyayev and defenseman Jalen Smereck are tied for the team lead with 28 points. Nathaniel Day (10-6-4) and Samuel Jonsson (7-4-2) have played in all but two games between the pipes.
