CINCINNATI, OH- The Wheeling Nailers nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback for the second consecutive night, falling behind 3-0 in the middle of the second period. Despite tallies by David Gilbert and Chaz Johnson, the end result came up short, as the Cincinnati Cyclones skated away with the 3-2 win in front of 12,825 fans at US Bank Arena.
After their first goal of the evening was waved off, the Cyclones managed to open the scoring with a tally that counted, at the 13:31 mark of the frame. Chris Reed reached out to collect a pass from Tom Serratore on his backhand at the top of the offensive zone. The Cincinnati blueliner worked his way to the left circle, slipping a wrist shot through Eric Hartzell’s legs.
The home team continued to have success in the early stages of the second period, building their lead to three. Josh Shalla lit the lamp at the 2:42 mark, finding the twine with a shot from the right circle. Less than five minutes later, Reed connected for his second tally of the evening, racing into the zone with a bomb of a slap shot, which flew into the left side of the cage. For the second night in a row, Wheeling had a late surge in the middle frame, closing the gap back to one. With 8:32 remaining, Tyler Fernandez stole the puck in the trapezoid, feeding Shawn Skelly, who proceeded to set up David Gilbert for a tap-in from the left side of the crease. Then, with 1:19 to go, Chaz Johnson ripped a shot wide of the goal, but a friendly kick off of the end boards resulted in the puck trickling into the net for his fourth goal in three games.
The Nailers poured 11 shots onto the cage in the third period, as they attempted their second three-goal comeback in as many nights. Unfortunately, the bounces didn’t go their way, and Cincinnati held on for the 3-2 final score.
Rob Madore put together a 29-save performance on 31 shots, earning the win for Cincinnati. Eric Hartzell came up on the short side for Wheeling, making 13 saves on 16 shots, before Franky Palazzese turned aside all 12 shots he faced in relief.
The Nailers will conclude their six-game road trip in Reading on Wednesday night at 7:30, before returning to WesBanco Arena for a 7:35 face-off against the Royals on Friday night.
The Nailers will have a three-game homestand from January 9th-11th.
Reading comes to town on the 9th for Faith & Family Night, which will also be a Flat Screen Friday, courtesy of The Highlands, as well as the Law Firm of Bordas and Bordas. In addition, a player poster will be given to the first 2,000 fans in attendance, thanks to RSQP Print & Design.
Elmira is the opposition on the 10th, as the Nailers will be holding a Princess Party from 6-7. Only 100 tickets are available for the party. That game will also be the annual Girl Scout Night.
Finally, Indy pays a visit on the 11th for a Family Funday with $5 kids tickets, a post game skate with the team, and another Oglebay Good Zoo Day.
