The Nailers' 4-1 win over the Royals in Reading, Pa. on Friday was their 12th consecutive win and 15th consecutive game without a loss in regulation, setting a new franchise record for games in which at least one point in the standings was earned.
The Royals scored 1:41 into the game on just their fourth shot. Jagger Joshua tied the game midway through the first, and Matty De St. Phalle scored a pair of goals to make it a 3-1 game before first intermission. Kyle Jackson extended the lead in the second period, and both teams played a scoreless third.
Taylor Gauthier earned the win with 28 saves on 29 shots. He is 3-0 to start the season after returning from injury with an 0.67 goals-against average and a .965 save percentage.
De St. Phalle, a 24-year-old wing, was signed to a two-year AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton out of the University of Wisconsin last spring. His 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in 20 games is tied for second in team scoring behind third-year pro forward Jordan Martel's 24 points. When I went to Wheeling last month, head coach Derek Army told me De St. Phalle is "just a worker, always invested."
"He always wants to do video, always wants to review," Army told me. "He works so hard, he can skate. He's always impacting the play. He's got a little bit of an edginess, which I love personally, a smaller guy (5-9, 170) having that little edginess, jawing with the other team. I do love that about him. He wants to be on the ice in the PK. He wants to be on the ice in every situation. So I really can appreciate that. He's been great, it's good to see him have success."
The 12-game win streak ties the Nailers' franchise record, achieved in both the 2003-04 and 2023-24 seasons. They'll have the opportunity to break that record on Saturday, with another game against the Royals in Reading.
The Nailers' points percentage of .825 leads the ECHL, and they're the only team with a points percentage above .800. They're two points shy of leading the league in points, albeit with three games in hand.
THE ASYLUM
ECHL: Nailers just won’t lose
The Nailers' 4-1 win over the Royals in Reading, Pa. on Friday was their 12th consecutive win and 15th consecutive game without a loss in regulation, setting a new franchise record for games in which at least one point in the standings was earned.
The Royals scored 1:41 into the game on just their fourth shot. Jagger Joshua tied the game midway through the first, and Matty De St. Phalle scored a pair of goals to make it a 3-1 game before first intermission. Kyle Jackson extended the lead in the second period, and both teams played a scoreless third.
Taylor Gauthier earned the win with 28 saves on 29 shots. He is 3-0 to start the season after returning from injury with an 0.67 goals-against average and a .965 save percentage.
De St. Phalle, a 24-year-old wing, was signed to a two-year AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton out of the University of Wisconsin last spring. His 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in 20 games is tied for second in team scoring behind third-year pro forward Jordan Martel's 24 points. When I went to Wheeling last month, head coach Derek Army told me De St. Phalle is "just a worker, always invested."
"He always wants to do video, always wants to review," Army told me. "He works so hard, he can skate. He's always impacting the play. He's got a little bit of an edginess, which I love personally, a smaller guy (5-9, 170) having that little edginess, jawing with the other team. I do love that about him. He wants to be on the ice in the PK. He wants to be on the ice in every situation. So I really can appreciate that. He's been great, it's good to see him have success."
The 12-game win streak ties the Nailers' franchise record, achieved in both the 2003-04 and 2023-24 seasons. They'll have the opportunity to break that record on Saturday, with another game against the Royals in Reading.
The Nailers' points percentage of .825 leads the ECHL, and they're the only team with a points percentage above .800. They're two points shy of leading the league in points, albeit with three games in hand.
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