JOHNSTOWN, PA – Ben Street and Trevor Hunt each scored third period goals, as the Wheeling Nailers rallied to defeat the Trenton Devils 2-1 at the Cambria County War Memorial Sunday Evening. The win was the seventh straight for Wheeling, which now holds an 11-point lead in the North Division.
Both teams battled in a fast-paced first period of play. With less than three minutes remaining in the period, the Devils went on a 5-on-3 power play for 57 seconds, but Wheeling’s penalty kill put forth a gritty effort to kill off both penalties, and keep the game scoreless at the end of the opening period.
After some stellar saves by Peter Delmas in the second, Trenton’s Jeff Prough picked up a rebound in front and slipped it past the five-hole of Delmas, to break the scoreless tie at 13:56. The goal was the first allowed by Delmas in over four and half periods played.
The Nailers rallied in the third, scoring the equalizer early in the period. Ben Street picked up a rebound in front, and hurled a shot which beat Devils goaltender Jeff Lerg on the right post. Street scored goal number 24 at 24 seconds into the period. Wheeling took the lead 2-1, nearly four minutes later, as Trevor Hunt fired a shot into the net off a faceoff win. The goal was Hunt’s third in the last two nights. Following the goal, the Nailers buckled down defensively, fending off the Devils for the remaining 15 minutes of the game to seal the 2-1 victory. Peter Delmas stopped 39 of 39 shots, to improve to 6-0 on the year.
The Nailers travel to Reading to take on the Royals on Wednesday beginning at 7:00 p.m. Tune into The Mix 97.3, or watch the game on RTV9 courtesy of America One. The Nailers return to WesBanco Arena on Saturday February 5 against the Cincinnati Cyclones at 8:05 p.m. Saturday will be “Pink in the Rink” night, as the Nailers join the fight against Breast Cancer. The team will wear pink jerseys, and portions of tickets sales will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
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