Wheeling’s dormant offense awakens
BY: Jordan Kuhns, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
WHEELING, W. Va. — The Greenville Swamp Rabbits allowed five unanswered goals throughout the course of regulation and saw a sleepy Wheeling offense come to life in a 5-1 loss to the Nailers at WesBanco Arena on Friday night.
Jake Bolton responded with his third goal in two games in response to the goal slide against Greenville. A setup from Michael Pelech and Chris Izmirlian found the defenseman at the top of the umbrella, and his one-timer evaded goaltender John Muse to get Greenville on the board.
Wheeling tallied twice in the first period, twice more in the second period, and once more to start the third period to complete the scoring. An early penalty in the third period led to four minutes of power play time where Cam Brown connected for his first of the season cap off the Nailers’ scoring.
Troy Josephs finished with a two-point night for the home club, picking up the first goal of the night six minutes in, and an assist on the game-winning goal by Michael Phillips, his first of the season.
Cédric Lacroix and Renars Krastenbergs scored for the Nailers in the second period. For Krastenbergs, it was his first professional goal.
Wheeling’s first-period success was largely in part to outshooting the Swamp Rabbits 11-3 and 26-18 for the game.
The game saw its fair share of special teams. Greenville’s only goal was a power play marker, and Wheeling went 1-for-7 on its power play opportunities. Both teams saw 5-on-3 opportunities, but could not convert.
The Swamp Rabbits return to action on Saturday, November 10 in a rematch with the Wheeling Nailers in West Virginia. Catch all of the action on the Swamp Rabbits Broadcast Network.
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