The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights visit Philadelphia for two games this weekend including the historic game on Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center. It will be the first time in NAHL history that two teams will play a regular season game at the venue of a National Hockey League team.
Friday’s game will start at 7:10pm at the Class of 1923 Arena while Saturday night’s game begins at 7:10pm at the WFC.
Rebels vs. Knights Overview
This will be the eighth and ninth times these two teams will meet this season. The Rebels have won four of the seven games outscoring the Knights by a total score of 24 – 19. The last time these two teams met was back on Saturday, January 13 at the Class of 23 when the Rebels defeated WBS 6 – 1. Three of the Rebels’ wins this year against the Knights have been on home ice.
Matt Kidney leads the Knights in total points against the Rebels with eight (1 goal and 7 assists). Justin Engelkes (2 goals and 5 assists) and Mike Gelatt (4 goals and 3 assists) each have seven points against the Rebels. Gelatt has the most goals against Philadelphia with four. The Knights are 4 for 24 (17%) on the powerplay. Goaltenders Christian Stoever and David Tomeo have a combined 3.42 goals against average and .904 save percentage against the Rebels with no shutouts.
Jensen Zerban has the most points against the Knights this season with eight (4 goals and 4 assists) while Ryan Patrick is second in total points with seven (4 goals and 3 assists). They each lead the Rebels with four goals apiece against WBS. The Rebels are 6 for 28 (21%) on the powerplay. Netminders Eli Billing and Ryan Keane have a combined 2.57 goals against average and .901 save percentage against the Knights with no shutouts.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights Overview
The Knights enter this weekend series in second place in the East Division with a 24-18-5-1 record for 54 points. They are seventeen points behind the Rebels. WBS has won two of its last five games, and they are coming off of a 4 – 1 home win against the Northeast Generals. Jack Olmstead (21 goals and 23 assists) leads the team in total points with 44. Kidney is second on the team in total points with forty (15 goals and 25 assists). Olmstead also leads the team in goals with twenty-one. Olmstead, Reed Robinson and Michael Morrissey each have three game winning goals. Kidney leads the team in penalty minutes with 75. Defenseman Thomas Farrell has the team’s best +/- with a +16.
The Knights have scored 140 goals in forty-eight games (twelfth most in the NAHL). They also have allowed 156 goals (fifteenth most allowed in the league). The Knights are ranked twenty-second in the league on the powerplay having scored on 14.7% of their chances while they are ranked third in the league on the penalty kill having prevented the opposition from scoring 86.2% of the time.
Stoever and Tomeo have a combined 3.06 goals against average and a .909 save percentage with no shutouts.
Rebels Overview
The Rebels enter this weekend with a 34-12-3 record for 71 points. They are in first place in the division, and they are seventeen points ahead of the second place Knights. They also are eleven points away from clinching their third straight regular season East Division championship. The Rebels are 3 – 2 in their last five games, and they are coming off of a 4 – 0 road loss against the New Jersey Titans. It was the first time all season that the Rebels had been shutout.
Luke Radetic leads the Rebels in total points with forty-two (22 goals and 20 assists). He is followed by Aaron Maguyon’s forty-one points (19 goals and 22 assists). Patrick (17 goals and 18 assists) has thirty-five points. Radetic leads the team in goals with twenty-two. Adam Peck has five game winning goals. Eric Olson has the most penalty minutes on the team with 117. Carson Moniz has the team’s best +/- with a +16.
Philadelphia has scored 165 goals in forty-nine games (second most in the league), and they have allowed 107 (fourth best in the league). The Rebels lead the league on the powerplay having converted on 29.8% of their chances, and they are ranked fifth in the league on the penalty kill having prevented the opposition from scoring 85.2% of the time.
Billing and Keane have a combined 2.12 goals against average and a .917 save percentage with four shutouts (Billing has three).
