WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers had a few magic tricks up their sleeves on Saturday night to celebrate Wizards & Wands: Spells in the Snow at WesBanco Arena against the Greensboro Gargoyles. The first trick was making an early deficit disappear. Then, Matty De St. Phalle made thousands of teddy bears fly onto the ice for the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss. Finally, Taylor Gauthier turned into a brick wall in his return to the lineup with 22 saves, as Wheeling was victorious, 3-1. The Nailers are now enjoying their second eight-game point streak of the season (7-0-1), which brings their season record to 17-3-1.
Both teams got on the scoreboard in the opening stanza. Greensboro came out flying with the game’s first six shots, and one of those produced a goal. Tyler Weiss wound his way into the left circle, then took advantage of traffic, as he wired a wrist shot into the right side of the cage. The Nailers answered 3:10 later on the power play. The man advantage needed just six seconds to convert, as the puck moved rapidly. Connor Lockhart slipped a pass across to Matty De St. Phalle, who stepped up into the left circle and launched a wrist shot into the top-left corner of the cage. That goal set off the annual Teddy Bear Toss, which benefits the Salvation Army.
Wheeling had an even better middle frame, as the home team bounced back in the shots department, while taking the lead in goals. For the second time in the tilt, it was the power play getting the job done. Ryan Mahshie delivered a perfect pass into the right side of the crease for Craig Armstrong, who willed the puck in over the goal line. 11 of Armstrong’s 13 points on the season have come in the last six games.
Connor Lockhart punctuated the 3-1 win for the Nailers by launching in an empty net goal from the left circle of the defensive zone.
Taylor Gauthier made his season debut for Wheeling and delivered another great performance, as he denied 22 of the 23 shots he faced. Ruslan Khazheyev made 23 saves on 25 shots in the loss for the Gargoyles.
The Nailers and Gargoyles will wrap up their weekend series in Wheeling on Sunday at 4:10. That will be the second annual Sensory Day game. Lights will stay on for the entire day, music will be lowered, and the goal horn will not be used. This will be the final home game before the holidays. An exciting promotion coming up at the end of the month is Kid’s New Year’s Eve on December 31st.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.
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