WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers got their first taste of the ECHL’s new overtime format on Saturday night, but when the game got decided, the taste in their mouths was a sour one. Former Nailer Daultan Leveille took a glove pass from his goaltender, and raced end-to-end for a shorthanded goal, lifting the Evansville IceMen to a 2-1 victory at WesBanco Arena.
The lone goal of the first period came with 7:50 remaining, as the visiting IceMen grabbed a 1-0 lead. Justin MacDonald entered the offensive zone on the right side, sending a pass toward the net for defenseman Andrew Himelson. Himelson worked his way to the right side of the crease, before flipping a pass through the slot to Alex Wideman, who finished off the goal from the left side of the slot. Wheeling had a 10-8 advantage in shots on goal during the opening 20 minutes of play.
The defenses were on the tops of their games during regulation, as the score remained 1-0 all the way until the 6:05 mark of the third period, when the Nailers drew even. Adam Krause won an offensive zone face-off to Brett Stern, who immediately connected with Danny Fick for a one-timer from the middle of the blueline. Krause redirected the shot into the back of the cage for the tying tally. Fick picked up his first professional point with the assist, giving every Wheeling skater who has appeared in a game at least one point.
For the first time this season, a game required overtime, but 3-on-3 was not played for the duration, as Evansville was whistled for a penalty. Unfortunately, the Nailers fell victim to a shorthanded goal, as Christoffer Bengtsberg threw a pass ahead to Leveille, who punctuated the game with a wrist shot from the slot, giving the IceMen the 2-1 win.
In addition to the assist on the winning goal, Christoffer Bengtsberg made 31 saves in goal for Evansville, earning the positive decision. Brian Foster only gave up two goals for the second game in a row, stopping 24 of the 26 shots he faced, but he was saddled with the overtime defeat.
The Nailers will conclude their five-game week on Sunday, when they seek revenge against Evansville at 4:05 pm.
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