KALAMAZOO, MI – Despite a solid effort, it turned out to be a bad Valentine’s date for the Nailers against division rival Kalamazoo Monday evening. Sam Ftorek’s power play goal with five minutes remaining was enough to lift the Wings to 3-2 victory over a shorthanded Wheelingclub at Wings Stadium.
After a scoreless first period on the pink ice surface, it took just 47 seconds for the Wings to take a 1-0 lead in the game. Andrew Fournier fired a wild shot from the dashers which clipped by goaltender Peter Delmas. The Wings extended their lead to 2-0 on Mitch Versteeg’s slapshot goal from the circle at 3:46 of the periods.
The Nailers registered on the scoreboard by taking advantage of a 5-on-3 power play. Kalamazoo native Kyle Bushee fired a slapshot from the point which ripped past Wings netminder Ryan Nie to pull Wheeling within one. The goal was scored before the first penalty expired, keeping the Nailers on the power play 5-on-4. Just 31 seconds later, Mike Gershon flipped a rising shot toward the net, which was tipped and re-directed into the net by Kelly Miller to tie game at two.
Both teams fought for the go-ahead goal in the third. Kalamazoo was handed a 5-on-3 power play with a little more than five minutes remaining. Sam Ftorek one-time shot clipped off the shortside post and trickled into the net to give the Wings a 3-2 lead. The Nailers continued to create scoring chances, but Nie came up with several key saves to keep the puck out and preserved the 3-2 victory over Wheeling.
The Nailers outshot the Wings 32-22 in the contest. With the win, Kalamazoo has now won four straight games, and pulls within six points of Wheeling for the top spot in the division.
The Nailers battle the Reading Royals on Friday at the Cambria County War Memorial in Johnstown. The Next Nailers home game at WesBanco Arena is Sunday, February 27 against Greenville at 6:05 p.m.
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