Photo Courtesy of the Wheeling Nailers [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/5ff9cdd9-f908-4ad6-b55b-28d2f18dc31b.jpeg] Photo Courtesy of the Wheeling Nailers The 2024-25 season has come to an end for the Wheeling Nailers [https://wheelingnailers.com/]. The Norfolk Admirals [https://norfolkadmirals.com/]finished off their North Division rival 5-2 Saturday at WesBanco Arena to take the Division Semifinals in five games. Colton Young scored twice for Norfolk, including the game-winner. David Jankowski and Jack Beck were the Wheeling goal scorers. The Admirals advance to the North Division Finals against the Trois-rivieres Lions. The Nailers attempted to get physical early, hoping this would get them off to a fast start. That strategy backfired, as the Admirals tallied two goals and the Nailers could not recover. The first period took 45 minutes to complete, mainly due to the physical fireworks that began even before the opening puck drop. Wheeling's Cole Tymkin and Phip Waugh, along with Norfolk's German Yavash and Darick Louis-Jean were sent off for roughing. The Nailers continued to bring that physical edge, but all they got for their efforts were back-to-back penalties 21 seconds apart. The Admirals cashed in on the two-man advantage for the opening goal. Denis Smirnov had his initial one-timer denied, but lifted a follow-up shot over a sprawled out Taylor Gauthier from the bottom of the right circle. The Admirals scored again 53 seconds later, when Brandon Osmundson jammed in a loose puck on the right side of the crease. The Nailers finally lit the lamp to pull within one at the 9:03 mark. Chase Pietila breezed down the right wing wall, then fed David Jankowski in the crease for a tap-in. Things calmed down considerably in the second period, as the two sides combined for just 11 shots on goal. The score remained 2-1 heading into the second intermission. The Admirals extended their lead with a key goal in the early stages of the third period. Brady Fleurent set up Young on a breakaway, and he rifled a shot into the left side of the cage. The Nailers briefly narrowed the gap to one when Jack Beck rammed home the rebound of Gabe Klassen's initial shot from the right side. Just over two minutes later, Young collected his second tally of the period after sending a dribbler over the left side of the goal line. Darick Louis-Jean struck on the power play with 2:40 left in the game to seal the Nailers’ fate 5-2. Domenic DiVincentiis got the win for Norfolk, making 29 saves on 31 shots. Taylor Gauthier stopped 21 of the 25 shots he faced in his series debut for Wheeling. The Admirals move on to face the top-seeded Trois-Rivieres Lions [https://lions3r.com/]in the North division Finals, which begin next Friday in Trois-Rivieres. It will be a rematch of last year’s North Division Semifinals, when the Admirals eliminated the Lions in six games.
