ESTERO, FL- High scoring games are starting to become the norm for the Wheeling Nailers, who have been lighting the lamp with great regularity in November. On Wednesday night, Wheeling scored three goals in the first period and another three goals in the middle frame, building 3-0 and 6-2 leads against the Florida Everblades. Despite a pushback by the opposition, the early offense proved to be enough for a 6-5 Wheeling triumph at Germain Arena. The Nailers have scored 23 goals in their last four victories.
The first period was a story of two segments – the first five minutes, which resulted in three goals by the Nailers, and the final 90 seconds, which had two tallies from the Everblades. Wheeling’s first marker came at the 1:41 mark. Connor Leen gained the offensive zone, dropping a pass to John McCarron in the right face-off circle. McCarron picked the top-left corner of the cage. 1:21 later, the Nailers lit the lamp again, when Harrison Ruopp’s seeing-eyed wrister found the twine from the right point. 1:15 after that, Jarrett Burton made the score 3-0, converting a one-time feed from Ty Loney on the left side of the slot. With 1:02 to go in the stanza, Florida got on the scoreboard. Matt Marquardt and Mark Nemec battled the puck out of the left corner, finding Gabriel Desjardins for a one-timer in the slot. Then, with only 8.4 seconds remaining, Matt Stanisz wired in a slap shot from the middle of the blueline for a 3-2 result after 20 minutes.
The Nailers had a similar start to the middle frame, needing just 53 seconds to build to their advantage. Mike Gunn kicked the puck ahead on the left side of center ice, leading Zack Torquato into the offensive zone. Torquato glided toward the slot, before roofing a wrist shot over Anthony Peters’ right shoulder. A little more than three minutes later, Wheeling buried its first power play marker of the night, as a Florida clearing attempt found John McCarron’s stick for his second of the contest. Just 13 seconds after that, Ty Loney struck with a breakaway goal putting the visitors ahead by four. Ethan Werek got one goal back for the Everblades before the period ended, snapping in a shot from the left circle.
Florida closed the gap in the third period, bringing the margin to two in the early goings, when Brant Harris took Matt Marquardt’s feed, sped into the right circle, and zipped a shot into the goal. Harris struck again with 5:22 left, chipping a rebound in from the right side of the crease. However, that was as close as the game got, as Harrison Ruopp’s blocked shot at the buzzer clinched a 6-5 win for the Nailers.
Franky Palazzese picked up his fourth straight win in goal for Wheeling, making 31 saves on 36 shots, including 12 in the third period. Anthony Peters got the loss for Florida, letting in six goals on 25 shots.
The Nailers will play two more games against the Everblades on Friday, and Saturday, before returning home for two games during Thanksgiving Week.
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