KALAMAZOO, MI- Sunday afternoon's game at Wings Event Center was a wild one, which featured lots of emotions. Trailing 4-1 early, the Wheeling Nailers probably felt fortunate to get a point out of the game. However, tying and winning goals for the Kalamazoo Wings on the power play left the visitors with a sour taste in their mouths, as the Wings came away with a 7-6 overtime decision. Patrick Watling had a fantastic day for Wheeling with four goals, while Sam Houde added five assists.
The majority of the first period was okay for the Nailers, but there was also a very forgettable 61-second span. Kalamazoo got on the board first at the 1:17 mark on a close call. Logan Lambdin gloved down a pass from Kyle Blaney, and was able to get a whisker of his stick blade on the puck to direct it into the right side of the net. Wheeling answered that goal at the 4:48 mark. Cam Hausinger tossed a backhander under Jake Kielly's arm, which sat in the crease, before Jesse Lees eventually pushed the puck in over the line. Raymond Brice put the Wings back on top with a left side snap shot off the rush at the 8:32 mark. Four seconds later, Max Humitz roofed a forehand shot on a breakaway, and 57 seconds after that, Jake Slaker whizzed a shot into the top-right corner, after speeding down the left side of the ice. The Nailers got a goal back with under two minutes to go, as Patrick Watling wired in a pass from Sam Houde on the left side of the slot.
That late strike gave Wheeling serious momentum into the middle frame. Specifically, Watling was a man on a mission. He tipped in a net front feed by Justin Almeida to cut the deficit to one, then he completed his natural hat trick by slamming in a centering feed from Houde on the power play. Anthony Collins briefly gave the Wings the lead 33 seconds later, when he deposited the rebound of Giovanni Vallati's point shot. Three minutes after that, the Nailers drew even again, as Justin Almeida slid a power play wrist shot in from the top of the right circle. Wheeling then took its first lead of the day, as Watling got his fourth of the contest by tipping in a right side slap shot by Cam Hausinger.
Midway through the third, Kalamazoo tied the score, after goaltender Trevor Gorsuch sold a goaltender interference penalty on Shaw Boomhower. Erik Bradford converted on the man advantage by scoring from the left circle.
In the extra period, the Nailers were victimized by another penalty call, as Patrick Watling and Eric Kattelus were involved in a 50-50 puck battle and Watling was assessed the minor. 37 seconds into the power play, the Wings got the win, as Kyle Blaney sifted a pass into the slot, which was redirected in by Justin Taylor for the 7-6 final.
SATURDAY
Nailers 4, Indy 1
INDIANAPOLIS, IN- The Wheeling Nailers needed a win in a big way on Saturday night at Indiana Farmers Coliseum, and they got it, thanks to a solid performance in all three zones. Tim Doherty opened and closed the scoring, plus he assisted on Justin Almeida's eventual game winner, while Alex D'Orio made 24 saves, as the Nailers upended the Indy Fuel, 4-1.
The Nailers had a great first period, as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The first marker came on the man advantage, following an undisciplined penalty by Indy's Riley McKay. Tim Doherty swatted at a loose puck at the right dot, and was able to guide a shot through goaltender Justin Kapelmaster. Doherty was also involved on the next goal, as he took a pass from Sean Josling to create a 2-on-1 break. Doherty delivered a perfect feed through the slot to Justin Almeida, who picked his spot and roofed a wrist shot from the left side.
Indy got a goal back in the early stages of the middle frame, but Wheeling carried its lead through the rest of the period. Bryan Lemos was the scorer, as he wired in a one-time feed from the slot, which was set up by Spencer Watson.
The Nailers maintained their one-goal advantage until the closing minutes of the contest, when they tacked on two empty netters to put the exclamation points on the 4-1 triumph. Jared Cockrell and Doherty were responsible for the final daggers.
Alex D'Orio earned the win for Wheeling, as he denied 24 of the 25 shots he faced, including a pair of huge stops in the third period, following a power play. Justin Kapelmaster took the defeat for the Fuel, as he made 29 saves on 31 shots.