THE WHEELING VLOG REDUX! ft. Nailers vs Komets (3/14/2025)

TIMESTAMPS!
Intro: 0:00-1:02
Pre game Shenanigans’: 1:03-10:34
THE HOCKEY! 10:35-54:19
The Pre-Postgame show: 54:20-56:28
A Reading from the Bible: 56:29-58:41
Rainout and the Drive of shame: 58:42

In a tradition unlike any other (well for 2 years now) this trip has been fully funded by tax refunds yay! As long as the Komets play in Wheeling in or around tax time. This time where it wasn’t cold as balls and actually like a summer preview outside. Once again I enjoyed my time in the Wheeling area, wonderful topography, wonderful people, and a wonderful time. Too bad the vlog didn’t fully reflect it, work really drained my battery this week.

The Wheeling Nailers (33-20-4) has had some tougher sledding as of late going (3-5-2) in their last ten games. They sit 3rd in their new division this year, the North Division (yes, I called it the division of mid in the past, I will retract that statement.) They’ve inserted themselves into the playoff conversation and haven’t looked back after a league best 13 game-winning streak in November in December. They’re 10 points clear of a scrap between the Reading Royals and Worcester Railers for the final playoff spot. Wheeling is looking to reclaim 2nd in the division and home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs. Norfolk currently hold that spot by 1 point but Wheeling has the game in hand to make up that deficit. (huh, sounds familiar…) Wheeling has one of the best goalie tandems in the league, with 2 goalies of their own in Taylor Gauthier and Jaxon Castor, and one from the Penguins farm system in Sergei Murashov. Gauthier has had and outstanding season so far with the 7th best save percentage in the league at a .924. Keeping pace with Murashov, who has an NHL contract. Former Komet Jordan Martel (who is a name that is living rent free in my head from last year’s game) had his first taste of AHL hockey in his career with the affilation-less Chicago Wolves. Having modest 11 game stint before being sent back to Wheeling. Keep an eye on Martel to score against his former club. It’s also a tradition unlike any other for the Komets to allow a goal to a former player of theirs. Wheeling will be looking back back to back years with series victories in the Kelly Cup Playoffs after taking care of business against the Indy (when they were actually in Indy) Fuel last year with a couple of home playoff games that weren’t actually home games. Good news for Wheeling, they won’t have to the face Toledo in the playoffs until the Kelly Cup finals if both teams make it there. (That just sounds like a Komet’s fan worst case scenario finals right there.)

Speaking of them the Fort Wayne Komets (34-18-5) are finally 2nd in the division 1 point clear of Iowa. They did some wheeln’ and dealn’ at the deadline picking up Kyle Crnkovic from the lowly Allen Americans in exchange for Brad Morrison and Michel Gildon. Kyle seems like an Odeen Tufto type of player, he has the scoring for it. Let’s hope that minus 34 he’s holding is just down to how abysmal of a season the Allen Americans have had. Speaking of goal scoring that’s something we don’t have at the moment. Scoring 1 regulation goal in a SOW against the Fuel and failing to crack the goose egg against Kalamazoo. That is something the Komets need to score goals, puck luck or not. There is no excuses for a roster this loaded with offense to score 1 goal in 2 games.