NAILERS ERASE ONE DEFICIT, BUT KOMETS PREVAIL
FORT WAYNE, IN- It was a tough week in Indiana for the Wheeling Nailers, who will look forward to some home cooking with three games in the coming week. On Saturday night, Wheeling battled back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the contest on goals by Patrick McNally and Cody Sylvester, but a three-goal surge gave the Fort Wayne Komets a 5-3 home win at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
Fort Wayne found the back of the net twice in the opening stanza. The scoring began at the 7:10 mark, when Anthony Petruzzelli dribbled a pass through the top of the crease to Brandon Hawkins, who was able to lift in a backhander. With under two minutes to go, Shawn Szydlowski drilled in a centering pass from Spencer Smallman.
At the 1:32 mark of the second period, the Nailers trimmed their deficit to one by simply tossing the puck on the net. Matt Miller wired the puck around the boards and ultimately connected with Patrick McNally along the left wing wall. McNally immediately turned with a shot that found its way through Louis-Phillip Guindon's legs.
The third period had a similar start to the second, as Wheeling came out with a quick strike, needing just 16 seconds to draw even. McNally's toss from the left point got deflected into the net by Cody Sylvester. Unfortunately, the rest of the stanza didn't go as smoothly for the Nailers. At the 4:49 mark, Smallman put the Komets back into the lead, as he tapped in a pass from Petruzzelli in the slot. 1:05 later, Jason Cotton converted on a redirect from the low slot, which was set up by Randy Gazzola. Morgan Adams-Moisan gave Fort Wayne a three-goal lead, before a lunging poke by Matt Alfaro gave the contest a 5-3 final.
Louis-Phillip Guindon was the winning goaltender for the Komets, as he made 19 saves on 22 shots. Alex D'Orio suffered the defeat for Wheeling, as he came up with 27 stops on 32 shots.
The Nailers will play their next three games on home ice, starting with a 7:10 tilt against the rival Indy Fuel on Tuesday. Then, it's the first Frosty Friday of the season on Friday night at 7:10 against the Fort Wayne Komets. Finally, the homestand will conclude with St. Hat Trick's Day against Fort Wayne on Saturday at 7:10. Catch the game live on the MIX 97.3 FM or in the iHeart Radio App.
A limited number of tickets are available for Wheeling Nailers home games, and season memberships and flex packs are also available. To purchase yours or to get more information, visit wheelingnailers.com or call (304) 234-GOAL.