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Reading Royals End Wheeling Nailers’ Three-Game Winning Streak

WHEELING — On paper Wednesday night’s matchup with the Reading Royals appeared to be just what the Wheeling Nailers needed to continue their recent hot streak. But hockey is played on a sheet of ice, not a sheet of paper.

Steven Swavely had a goal and two assists while goaltender Angus Redmond stopped 36 of 37 shots as the Royals (6-4-6 — 18) snapped a six-game winless streak with a 5-1 victory at WesBanco Arena. The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Nailers (5-7-1 — 11) who won swept games in three cities during the weekend for the first time since 1995.

”I knew they were a better team than what they were going through — both what we saw from them a few weeks back and watching them on tape,” Wheeling coach Mike Bavis said. ”The only thing that crossed my mind is I have been doing this long enough to see a team that is lifeless, legless and lacking energy and detail.

”It reminded me of sometimes when you hear about NHL teams going out west and that first game back is hard for whatever reason.

”It’s hard to find your legs and have that sharp, mental mindset that makes you a good team. And we clearly didn’t have that.”

The Nailers did have a couple early scoring chances that Redmond was able to fight off and the Royals made them pay on the other end at 1:29. Defenseman Steve Johnson stepped up on the play and took a cross-ice pass from Frank DiChiara before beating John Muse, who didn’t have a chance on the play, top shelf.

Less than three minutes later the Royals tallied one of their three straight redirection goals. Former Nailer defenseman Dan Milan kept the puck in at the line and whistled what appeared to be a harmless wrist shot to the net, but DiChara got his stick on it and guided the puck into the cage.

”That’s also typical of the situation where you come out and you zip it around a little bit and get three, four, five pretty good chances that look like they could have been goals and then, boom, right away one goes in for them,” Bavis said. ”Then even we were maybe a little bit fine and another one goes in. I’ve seen that movie before.

”It’s to their credit that they throw it to the net and they have a big body there. At least on one of them in my mind the ‘D’ is shading the right guy.

”But they got a stick on it. A funny night that way because I don’t think we’ve let up that many tips like that so far this year.”

Wheeling defenseman Kevin Spinozzi stopped the bleeding momentarily after his team has killed off a 5-on-3 Reading power play that last 1:29. Spinozzi stole an outlet pass and beat Redmond from the left circle with his third of the season to extend his point streak to four games.

”You’re not going to play (72) great games. That’s just the way hockey is,” Spinozzi said. ”We’ll just come back and get to work Friday and get as many wins on the weekend as we can.

”It’s one of those things that happens but you don’t think about it. You move on and make sure you’re ready for the next one.”

Swavely got that one back with a power-play goal at 12:37 of the first to make it 3-1 at intermission. Michael Huntebrinker added another Royals’ man-advantage goal early in the second and Josh MacDonald tied Swavely for the team lead when he scored his eighth of the season at 12:16 of the period.

Wheeling outshot Reading, 12-3, in the third, but was not able to solve Redmond. Muse stopped 22 shots.

The Nailers welcome Toledo on Friday (7:05 p.m.) and Cincinnati on Sunday (3:05 p.m.).

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