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FORT WAYNE, IN — The Wheeling Nailers got the job done and earned their first victory of the season on Friday night, as they took down the Fort Wayne Komets, 4-1 at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
Ryan Pitoscia was the top offensive performer for Wheeling, as he scored two goals and led all players with nine shots on goal. His first marker of the night snapped a 1-1 tie during the final minute of the second period. The win was Nate DiCasmirro’s first as a professional hockey head coach.
Despite facing a 1-0 deficit on the scoreboard, the Nailers played a strong first period. Wheeling outshot the Komets, 12-8, had three glorious chances to score, and killed off a two-man disadvantage for 1:35. Fort Wayne netted the lone goal of the stanza at the 1:29 mark. Hunter Johannes skated into the high slot, took advantage of traffic in the slot, and drilled a shot into the right side of the cage.
The Nailers kept the margin at one for the majority of the middle frame, before they flipped the script in the last four minutes and took a lead into the intermission. The tying tally came during four-on-four action with 3:06 left. Tristan Thompson tapped the puck to Dante Sheriff in the defensive zone, allowing the forward to take flight up the right side of the ice. Sheriff sped into the right circle, then zipped a shot into the left side of the twine. Then, with just 33 seconds remaining, Wheeling took the lead. Matt Crasa nudged a pass into the right circle for Pitoscia, who roofed a wrist shot into the top-left corner. The go-ahead strike came one second after a power play had expired for the Nailers.
The visitors carried their lead all the way to the finish line, and even tacked on a couple of empty netters to widen the gap. Cam Cook tucked in the first empty netter, when he chased down a long flip by Hunter Sansbury with 1:11 remaining. Then, Pitoscia added his second of the contest, after Zach Krajnik beat out an icing race, making the final score 4-1 for Wheeling.
Nolan Lalonde backstopped the victory for the Nailers, as he turned away 28 of the 29 shots he faced. Eemil Vinni stopped 35 of the 37 shots he faced in the defeat for the Komets.
The Nailers will spend the rest of the weekend on home ice, as they will play a pair of games against the Cincinnati Cyclones on Saturday at 7:10 p.m. and Sunday at 4:10 p.m. Saturday’s promotion is Nailers Nightmare, which will feature a spooky and sporty haunted house, in addition to Table and Treat from our partners, specialty jerseys, pumpkin decorating, and a costume contest. Following round two of Wheeling vs. Cincinnati on Sunday at 4:10 p.m., fans will be able to skate with the entire team. The next Big-6 Promotional Game is Spike’s Candy Kingdom on Saturday, December 5th.