Cyclones Stun Nailers in OT, 3-2
Trending
WHEELING -- The Wheeling Nailers were looking for two points to complete a three-game sweep of the week Saturday night at WesBanco Arena. They'll have to settle for one and that's not good enough for Coach Jeff Christian.
Vasili Glotov scored his first professional goal with 15:49 left in the third and Brandon McNally struck at 2:02 of overtime as Cincinnati (36-27-3 - 75) escaped WesBanco Arena with a 3-2 victory.
Wheeling (33-25-9 - 75) saw its magic number reduced to nine with Worcester's loss in Reading, but the only digit anybody wanted to talk about was the point that was left on the table.
"There's a level of buy-in that's required and that was not good enough," Christian said. "I don't know or care what the magic number is, we just needed two points.''
Adding injury to insult, Nailers leading scorer Cody Wydo was drilled on an open-ice hit late in the first period by Cincinnati forward Dominic Zombo and did not return. Christian wasn't sure of the severity of the injury, but said he believes Wydo went to an area hospital.
"It's a joke. The league doesn't protect its star players,'' Christian said. "He gets hit right in front of (the referee) and he doesn't see it?
"That hit happens from a guy who has two goals. That's what he's out there to do, is that kind of stuff.
"Whether it's a separated shoulder or a broken clavicle - I don't know - and it puts a guy like Cody Wydo out for the season, it's an absolute joke.''
Matt O'Connor got his third start in a Wheeling uniform, and things didn't begin well. Chris Leone's left-point slapshot - the first of the game for the Cyclones - cleanly beat O'Connor at 2:17 of the first.
That's the way it remained until the 28-second mark of a second period that began with Wheeling on the power play. Cam Brown beat Cyclones goaltender Jason Kasdorf high and to the glove side from the right circle for his 14th goal of the season. The Nailers had three more man advantages in the period but came up empty.
"The power play was all right," Christian said. "What was it? One-for-6? How about 3-for-6?''
It was actually 1-for-5.
Wheeling took its first lead at the 13:34 mark of the third. Nick Sorkin came out of the penalty box and rushed the puck into the zone. His perfect pass to the front was deflected in by a hard-charging Chris Francis, who also assisted on the first goal, for his 10th of the season.
But Sorkin went back to the box 11 seconds later and although the Cyclones didn't convert, they did immediately after the penalty expired. Glotov beat O'Connor (23 saves on 26 shots) from a bad angle to tie things up.
Cincinnati took the extra point 2:02 into overtime when Mike Barrett and McNally broke into the offensive zone on a 2-on-1 rush. Barrett's pass found McNally in stride and he deposited his 14th.
"That's a big point we left on the table,'' an obviously disappointed Sorkin said. "That's a point we need.
"We've got to learn how to close out games.''
The same two teams meet in the same building for a makeup game Tuesday night.
"I don't have any answers as to why we would let a team like that hang around and hang around,'' Christian said. "They played three games in three nights and their goalie played three games in three nights.
"We've got to put teams away, and if that means we have to score four goals every night, because that's what it feels like around here, then that's what we have to do.''
Cincinnati 1 0 1 1 -- 3
Wheeling 0 1 1 0 -- 2
1st Period-1, Cincinnati, Leone 5 (O'Donnell, Glotov), 2:17. Penalties-Martin Cin (holding), 12:38; Sorkin Whl (slashing), 16:16; De Fulviis Cin (roughing), 19:24; Karabacek Cin (slashing), 19:24; Josephs Whl (roughing), 19:24.
2nd Period-2, Wheeling, Brown 14 (Schulze, Francis), 0:28 (PP). Penalties-Muzito-Bagenda Cin (slashing), 5:50; Spinozzi Whl (hooking), 8:09; Martin Cin (cross-checking), 13:46; Vaive Cin (delay of game), 17:55.
3rd Period-3, Wheeling, Francis 10 (Sorkin, Tiffels), 13:34. 4, Cincinnati, Glotov 1 (Leone, Kile), 15:49. Penalties-Sorkin Whl (slashing), 11:28; Sorkin Whl (tripping), 13:45.
OT Period-5, Cincinnati, McNally 14 (Barrett, Knodel), 2:02. Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-Cincinnati 10-6-8-2-26. Wheeling 14-15-6-1-36.
Power Play Opportunities-Cincinnati 0-4; Wheeling 1-5.
Goalies-Cincinnati, Kasdorf 12-11-1-0 (36 shots-34 saves). Wheeling, O'Connor 2-9-2-2 (26 shots-23 saves).
A-2,744
Referee-Alex Normandin (26); Linesmen-Ray King (39), Jesse Marquis (90).