Nailers Announce 2018-19 Regular Season Schedule

WHEELING, WV- The Wheeling Nailers, proud ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, are excited to announce their schedule for the 2018-19 regular season. The 27th season of professional hockey in Wheeling features a weekend heavy home schedule, a large variety of opponents, and a focus on the Central Division.

For the second year in a row, the slate begins on the road, as the Nailers will face the Norfolk Admirals on Saturday, October 13th. That will be the first of four straight road contests for Wheeling, who will also visit longtime rivals Cincinnati and Reading, before dropping the puck on home ice. 2018-19 marks the latest home opener in team history, as the local fanbase will get to cheer on its team for the first time on Saturday, November 3rd, when the Indy Fuel come to town. Indy is the most popular team on the schedule, as the Nailers will clash with the Fuel 11 times, with nine of the 11 taking place at WesBanco Arena.

November is the busiest month at home for Wheeling, as the team will play eight games in their own rink, including the first of two morning games, when the Toledo Walleye make their first trip of the year to West Virginia on the 13th. The second morning game will be played against Indy on March 12th. Another November highlight is Thanksgiving Eve against the Reading Royals on November 21st - the first of two holiday games on the docket. The other is the return of the popular New Year's Eve game, which is also a match with Reading.

Even though the Nailers and Royals will play in different conferences, they will see a fair amount of each other, with four games taking place in each venue. Wheeling will play 43 of its 72 games against the Central Division, with the 11 games against Indy leading the way, followed by eight each against Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, Kalamazoo, and Toledo. There are two new cities on the travel itinerary, as the Nailers look to melt the Jacksonville IceMen on November 16th, before challenging former assistant coach Riley Armstrong and his Maine Mariners on February 10th. Also featured on the road schedule is Wheeling's first tilt against the South Carolina Stingrays since game seven of the 2016 Eastern Conference Final. Speaking of that memorable playoff run, a Kelly Cup Final rematch will take center stage on December 12th, when the Allen Americans visit the Friendly City.

With 30 of 36 home games being played on weekends and holidays, the schedule is focused on dates that are accommodating for families to attend. The majority of the games will begin at 7:05, with exceptions being Sundays (3:05), Education Days (10:45 a.m.), New Year's Eve (6:05), and February 2nd (8:05).

The busiest months of the season are December and March, which each feature 14 games. November has the most home contests (8), while March has the most road battles (8). The longest homestand of the season is six games, running from January 25th through February 5th, although there will be 11 home games in a 41-day span from Thanksgiving Eve through New Year's Eve. The longest road stretch of the season is five games, spanning around the holidays from December 19th-28th. In addition to being the opponent for the home opener, Indy will also duke it out with the Nailers in their regular season home finale on April 6th, before Wheeling closes out the campaign the following day in Fort Wayne.

The Wheeling Nailers, considered one of the top things to do in Wheeling, West Virginia, provide affordable family entertainment for fans throughout the Ohio Valley. To purchase 2018-19 season tickets, or for information about flex plans, group tickets, and more, call (304) 234-GOAL.

2018-19 WHEELING NAILERS SCHEDULESat. Oct. 13 at Norfolk, 7:00Sat. Oct. 20 at Cincinnati, 7:35Sat. Oct. 27 at Reading, 7:00Sun. Oct. 28 at Reading, 4:00Sat. Nov. 3 vs. Indy, 7:05Wed. Nov. 7 at Cincinnati, 7:35Fri. Nov. 9 vs. Greenville, 7:05Sat. Nov. 10 vs. Greenville, 7:05Tue. Nov. 13 vs. Toledo, 10:45 a.m.Fri. Nov. 16 at Jacksonville, 7:30Sat. Nov. 17 at South Carolina, 7:05Sun. Nov. 18 at Greenville, 3:00Wed. Nov. 21 vs. Reading, 7:05Sat. Nov. 24 vs. Toledo, 7:05Sun. Nov. 25 vs. Cincinnati, 3:05Wed. Nov. 28 at Kalamazoo, 7:30Fri. Nov. 30 vs. Indy, 7:05Sat. Dec. 1 vs. Kalamazoo, 7:05Fri. Dec. 7 vs. Fort Wayne, 7:05Sat. Dec. 8 at Toledo, 7:15Sun. Dec. 9 vs. Indy, 3:05Wed. Dec. 12 vs. Allen, 7:05Fri. Dec. 14 at Kalamazoo, 7:30Sat. Dec. 15 vs. Norfolk, 7:05Sun. Dec. 16 vs. Fort Wayne, 3:05Wed. Dec. 19 at Norfolk, 7:00Fri. Dec. 21 at Norfolk, 7:00Sat. Dec. 22 at Norfolk, 7:00Thu. Dec. 27 at Indy, 7:05Fri. Dec. 28 at Kalamazoo, 7:30Mon. Dec. 31 vs. Reading, 6:05Thu. Jan. 3 vs. Toledo, 7:05Fri. Jan. 4 at Indy, 7:35Sat. Jan. 5 at Toledo, 7:15Fri. Jan. 11 vs. Utah, 7:05Sat. Jan. 12 vs. Indy, 7:05Sun. Jan. 13 vs. Indy, 3:05Wed. Jan. 16 at Adirondack, 7:00Fri. Jan. 18 at Adirondack. 7:00Sat. Jan. 19 at Reading, 7:00Fri. Jan. 25 vs. Brampton, 7:05Sat. Jan. 26 vs. Reading, 7:05Sun. Jan. 27 vs. Fort Wayne, 3:05Fri. Feb. 1 vs. Indy, 7:05Sat. Feb. 2 vs. Kalamazoo, 8:05Tue. Feb. 5 vs. Cincinnati, 7:05Fri. Feb. 8 at Manchester, 7:00Sat. Feb. 9 at Worcester, 7:05Sun. Feb. 10 at Maine, 3:00Wed. Feb. 13 vs. Reading, 7:05Fri. Feb. 15 vs. Brampton, 7:05Sat. Feb. 16 vs. Brampton, 7:05Sun. Feb. 17 at Fort Wayne, 5:00Fri. Feb. 22 at Cincinnati, 7:35Tue. Feb. 26 at Brampton, 11:00 a.m.Fri. Mar. 1 at Toledo, 7:15Sat. Mar. 2 vs. Cincinnati, 7:05Sun. Mar. 3 vs. Fort Wayne, 3:05Wed. Mar. 6 at Fort Wayne, 7:30Sun. Mar. 10 at Kalamazoo, 3:00Tue. Mar. 12 vs. Indy, 10:45 a.m.Fri. Mar. 15 at Cincinnati, 7:35Sat. Mar. 16 at Toledo, 7:15Wed. Mar. 20 at Cincinnati, 7:35Fri. Mar. 22 vs. Indy, 7:05Sat. Mar. 23 at Kalamazoo, 7:30Fri. Mar. 29 vs. Fort Wayne, 7:05Sat. Mar. 30 at Reading, 7:00Sun. Mar. 31 vs. Kalamazoo, 3:05Fri. Apr. 5 vs. Toledo, 7:05Sat. Apr. 6 vs. Indy, 7:05Sun. Apr. 7 at Fort Wayne, 5:00