Nailers’ Fight Comes Up Short
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WHEELING -- Ten of the Nailers' 14 games played this year have been decided by one goal.
Friday's game followed that narrative.
Despite owning a one-goal lead entering the third period, the Nailers allowed two goals in the final frame and dropped it's second straight game in as many nights to Tulsa, 3-2, inside WesBanco Arena.
"Unfortunately, (Friday) we go into the third period with the lead and for me, it's more about pushing to get a third goal rather than trying to protect a one-goal lead because that's the difference between playing on your toes and on your heels," Nailers coach Mark French said. "To (Tulsa's) credit as well, but for us I thought the first bit of that period was played on our end and good things happened as a result for them."
French and the Nailers looked to set the tone early with Brad Drobot in the starting lineup and the instant the puck hit the ice, so did the gloves.
Drobot tangled with Tulsa's Mike McKee and the scuffle lit a fire for the Nailers.
Less than 3 minutes later, Wheeling's Lawton Courtnall received a pass from Joshua Winquist and went backdoor into the net for the early 1-0 edge.
"Brad is a leader within our locker room," French said. "We didn't like our performance the night before and that was a way to rally the troops a little bit. Brad's got a way of doing that and he set a real good tone."
After Oilers' defenseman Garret Cockerill evened the score less than a minute into the second period, the Nailers regained the upperhand as Hayden Hodgson fired a shot on net that was blocked. Patrick McNally grabbed the rebound and slid it to Cody Sylvester who buried a shot into the right side of the cage for the 2-1 advantage.
The lead stuck until the third period when Tulsa's Alex Brooks and Danny Moynihan each lit the lamp on assists from Adam Pleskach to give the Oilers a lead they would not relinquish.
Entering the two-game series, the Oilers led the ECHL with more than 35 shots per game. The Nailers limited them to only 10 shots over the first two periods on Friday but allowed 12 shots alone in the third.
"They are a team that is busy offensively and they shoot the puck," French said. "But, I was more concerned on the other end -- that we took some opportunities to try to make plays instead of trying to make them defend off the shot.
"The most uncomfortable thing for a defending player is generally a shot and what happens after a shot. There is a reason why second chance opportunities are usually the ones that score but you don't get second chances when you don't get the first."
In his first start for the Nailers in between the pipes, Francois Brassard faced 22 shots and collected 19 saves, while Devin Williams stopped 18 of Wheeling's 20 shots.
Wheeling returns to the ice on Wednesday when they trek to Indy before coming home for three weekend games against Fort Wayne (Friday and Saturday) and Indy (Sunday).
"We had some discussions following Thursday's game because we weren't happy in a number of aspects," French said. "After (Friday's) game we have the ability to reset in practice and go through the video and address some errors. The effort wasn't a problem but execution was in some regards. So, we'll address those areas on Sunday."