WHEELING, WV – The Wheeling Nailers entered Sundays game against the Norfolk Admirals coming off a tough loss in Toledo. Playing for the third time in as many days can be difficult, but the Nailers appeared ready to meet that challenge.
Courtesy of Zack Rawson zrawsonphoto.com
The first period was dominated by the Nailers. They seemed to win nearly every puck battle in the corners and clogged the neutral zone with sticks and bodies. The new and improved Nailers penalty kill went to work at 2:56 when Cody Wydo was sent off for a cross-check and successfully killed the first Admirals power-play. Then just five minutes into the period, Cam Brown won a face-off clean and Garrett Muers buried the puck in the back of the net.
Wheeling would get a power-play opportunity of their own when Brodie Dupont went off for tripping. The Admirals killed it off with only one shot registered and went back on the attack. Norfolk generated possibly their best scoring chance in the period at around the fourteen minute mark, getting four quality chances on the same sequence. Will King was able to suffocate the Admirals shots and soon after the Nailers went on their first power-play. The Admirals killed off the penalty but five minutes later found themselves a man down again. Then with thirty seconds left in the period, Norfolk added another penalty and five-on-three hockey ensued. The period would end with a two man advantage for the Nailers and a 17 to 6 shot on goal advantage and Wheeling up 1-0 on the Admirals.
Courtesy of Zack Rawson zrawsonphoto.com
The Admirals were only down by a goal at the beginning of the second period but Cam Brown added a greasy goal in the crease off a rebound at the 1:53 mark. Two minutes later Garrett Meurs would add another with a nice feed from Freddie Tiffels, beating Jamie Murray high glove side. Not long after the goal, Zach Tolkinen and Taylor Thomson dropped the gloves and each earned a five minute ticket to the sin bin. A pair of Nailer penalties seven minutes in put the Admirals on a five on three. Just seconds after the penalties were killed, Trevor Mingoia took a feed from Brodie Dupont in the crease and beat Will King for the Admirals first goal of the game. The Admirals kept the pressure on with three great scoring chances in a row near the end of the period but failed to score until with just three second left in the second, Darik Angell wristed the biscuit past the glove of King. The Admirals out shot the Nailers 20 to 7 during the second period and for the most part dominated the offensive zone.
The third began with both teams trading power-plays that were successfully killed off. The Nailers seemed to regain the form they had in the first period beating the Admirals to pucks and blocking the passing lanes with great stick work. Just past the halfway point, Wheeling’s hard work paid off when Kevin Shulze won a puck battle behind the net and feed a long stretch pass to Wydo, who had a step on the defenseman. Wydo went forehand then backhand and beat Murray stick side low. The Nailers would add another at 15:11 when Tiffels connected on a pass to Hunter Fejes near the left circle who blasted it past Murray for a power-play goal. The Admirals would make it close when they added a power-play goal of their own when Grant Besse wristed a shot past King who was screened with just two minutes left to play. With a minute and a half left the Admirals pulled their netminder but the Nailers were able to hang on for the win in a final score of 5-3.
Though the score does not reflect it, the real story of the game was the stellar goaltending from Will King. In his first start as a Nailer, he stopped 39 of 42 shots and was under duress several times throughout the game. The Nailers penalty kill has been steadily improving and the leagues best power-play shows no signs on slowing down. Wheeling will play an early game on Tuesday against the Adarondack Thunder in front of a crowd of kids from local schools for their Education Day promotion.
Contact the author at keirsey@prohockeynews.com or on Twitter @apoptosian
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