Quercia and Bennett ignited scoring, paving the way for Wheeling's dominant playoff performance fueled by key goals and relentless pressure.
Wheeling opened the scoring early in the first period, as Matthew Quercia found the back of the net at 4:21 off assists from Blake Bennett and Logan Pietila. The physical tone quickly followed, with Max Graham and Liam Devlin dropping the gloves at 5:44, each receiving five-minute fighting majors after an energetic tilt.
Special teams came into play shortly after, as Brayden Edwards was sent off for two minutes for slashing Artem Kulakov. Despite Wheeling capitalizing on its early opportunity, Reading carried much of the play, outshooting Wheeling 14-4 through the opening frame.
The second period featured a surge of offense along with plenty of penalties. At 5:04, Ryan McAllister extended Wheeling’s lead with a goal on Keith Petruzelli, assisted by Connor Lockhart and Emil Pieniniemi. Tensions escalated shortly after, leading to a flurry of penalties, including Artem Kulakov being assessed two minutes for cross-checking and Matty De St. Phalle sent off for high-sticking at 5:20.
The parade to the penalty box continued as Ben Meehan was handed four minutes for interference and slashing, while McAllister picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct minor. De St. Phalle later responded in a big way, netting his first goal of the playoffs at 12:17 off a setup from Brayden Edwards. Matthew Quercia was then penalized for slashing at 12:40, and Reading capitalized on the power play when Alec Butcher scored his first goal of the Kelly Cup Playoffs at 14:06, with assists from Jackson Edward and Connor McMenamin.
Photo Credit: Wheeling NailersThe third period began with Wheeling immediately put on the defensive, as Craig Armstrong was assessed a boarding minor just 31 seconds in, sending the team to the penalty kill. Wheeling weathered the early pressure and later added to its lead midway through the frame.
At 12:34, Blake Bennett buried his first goal of the playoffs, finishing a play set up by Nolan Renwick and Matthew Quercia. With just over three minutes remaining, Reading pulled Keith Petruzelli for the extra attacker in a last-ditch effort to rally. However, Wheeling put the game out of reach at 16:50, when Armstrong found the empty net for his first goal of the playoffs, assisted by Quercia. Total shots on goal for Wheeling 19, Reading 33.