Jackals Lose Nailbiter In Wheeling

WHEELING, WV  - The Jackals jumped ahead 2-0 early in the second period on the road in Wheeling, but were out-done by the Nailers and Tyler Fernandez, who scored with 26 seconds remaining to sink the Jackals.

Ryan Rashid continued his strong play with the game's opening goal 5:58 into the first period. Riley Wetmore fed Mike Bergin at the blueline for a wrist shot that was tipped in front by Rashid and past Nailers' netminder Eric Hartzell. Rashid's seventh goal of the season was his third in the past two games. Wetmore's assist was his first as a Jackal. Elmira carried its 1-0 lead into the first intermission at WesBanco Arena.

The Jackals doubled their lead just 30 seconds into the second period. Thomas Nesbitt worked the puck out of the corner and over to Andrew Conboy, who moved it to Steven Shamanski at the point. Shamanski walked into the high slot and whistled a wrist-shot past Hartzell to put the Jackals ahead 2-0. The Nailers received their first power-play of the game shortly after Shamanski's eighth of the season and quickly cut the Jackals' lead back to one. Zack Torquato passed the puck to Morgan Ellis who fired the puck off his own teammate, Derek Army in the slot. The puck bounced back to Army and he fired it past Sam Marotta for his team-leading 12th goal of the season at 3:15 of the second period The Jackals maintained their 2-1 lead throughout the middle frame, until a defensive zone faceoff with less than a minute remaining in the period. Torquato won the faceoff back to Ellis and the defenseman blasted a slapshot past Marotta to tie the game 2-2 with just 46 seconds remianing in the period.

The third period remained deadlocked until the final seconds of regulation. Ellis chipped the puck out of the Nailers' end and Torquato backhanded it to Fernandez streaking into the Jackals' zone. Fernandez snapped a wrist-shot past Marotta and gave the Nailers their first lead of the game with just 26 seconds left. Ellis added an empty-net goal to give Wheeling a come-from-behind 4-2 win.

Marotta stopped 31 of 34 shots faced but was handed the loss. Hartzell turned aside 24 of 26 shots faced for the win. Elmira went 0-for-1 on the power-play and Wheeling finished 1-for-5 with the man advantage.