Apr 18, 2021
Wheeling Nails it Against Komets, 5-3
WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers got a nice bounceback effort on Sunday afternoon, as they exacted revenge on the Fort Wayne Komets with a 5-3 triumph at WesBanco Arena. Michael Joly and Patrick Watling both had two goals and two assists to lead the offensive attack for the Nailers, who now have points in five straight home games. The Nailers got a bit of everything in the first period, as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The power play struck first at the 8:49 mark. Michael Joly swept a shot in from the bottom of the right circle, which created a scrum, and allowed the puck to pop out to Joshua Winquist, who stepped in and snapped home the goal. Joly scored the next one for Wheeling, as he converted a give-and-go with Jacob Pritchard, by clobbering in a one-timer from the top of the right circle. The Nailers got some dynamic penalty killing in the back half of the stanza, as they thwarted seven minutes of Fort Wayne power play t
Hawkins shines again for K s, who surely want to keep him
Has hat trick in 6-2 victory over Wheeling
JUSTIN A. COHN | The Journal Gazette
The single most frequent question this beat writer gets is: “What can the Komets do to keep Brandon Hawkins?” I’ve heard it from contractors in my house, fans on the street, and reporters around the league.
They can’t be blamed; Hawkins is off to one of the more remarkable starts in Komets history. With a hat trick Friday in a 6-2 victory over the Wheeling Nailers, Hawkins has totaled 18 goals and 28 points in 26 games.
Apr 17, 2021
Former Nailer Hawkins Hat Trick Propels Komets
FORT WAYNE, IN- Brandon Hawkins scored lots of big goals for the Wheeling Nailers during the 2019-20 season, but on Friday night, he haunted his former club. Fort Wayne s leading scorer netted his second hat trick as part of a game-high 11-shot attack, as the Komets snapped Wheeling s six-game point streak with a 6-2 victory at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. The Komets took a pair of leads in the first period, with a Wheeling goal sandwiched in the middle. The first goal came at the 4:11 mark, when the Nailers turned the puck over in their own zone and Brandon Hawkins immediately sniped a shot into the right side of the net. Wheeling drew even later in the stanza with a 4-on-4 tally, as Matt Alfaro broke in on the left side and whipped a shot through Louis-Phillip Guindon s legs. With 30 seconds remaining, Fort Wayne got its lead back with Hawkins second of the night, as he clipped in a one-time feed from Randy Ga
WHEELING, WV- On Thursday night, the Wheeling Nailers won with offense. On Friday night, they turned to defense and goaltending to get the job done against the Indy Fuel at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Taran Kozun stood on his head with 36 saves to pick up his second straight win, while Nick Rivera and Austin Fyten lit the lamp in the second period, giving the Nailers a 2-1 victory on the road. After a scoreless first period, the offenses opened up a bit in the early stages of the middle frame. Wheeling got on the scoreboard first at the 4:22 mark, utilizing a power play. Jacob Pritchard tossed a shot toward the goal, where Nick Rivera pounded away at the loose puck to collect the marker. The Fuel drew even 1:24 later, when Chad Yetman came in on the rush and zipped in a low shot from the right face-off dot. The Nailers bounced right back to grab the lead back just 2:52 after that. Kyle Marino touched a pass into the slot for Austin Fyten, who lifted his team-leading 16th goal of the
Solar Bears Weekly Check-In: Stuck in the Swamp
A new first line emerges, but it’s not enough to prevent an Everblade three-game sweep.
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There’s an old saying: Familiarity breeds contempt.
What about when you play an opponent 13 times in your first 23 games, which in normal times would be a full season series?
That’s life in Orlando during a pandemic hockey season.
This week, the Orlando Solar Bears once again faced a familiar opponent in intrastate rival Florida, who boasted the second best record among the 14 active ECHL teams going into a three-game series this week. Although the Solar Bears ended up on the short end of the series, dropping all three games, a new top line may have emerged.