WHEELING, West Virginia – Sahir Gill registered a hat trick to lead the Wheeling Nailers (33-30-1-1) past the Cincinnati Cyclones (28-29-2-7) by a 4-3 final score in front of 2,008 at WesBanco Arena on Sunday evening.

The Nailers captured an early lead just 2:21 into the opening period when Sahir Gill roofed a shot over Rob Madore (L, 28 saves, 13-18-2-6) to make it 1-0. Cincinnati responded quickly, though, using the penalty kill at 12:17; after Stephan Vigier came up with a loose puck at his own blue line, he raced into the offensive zone and fired a laser past Eric Hartzell (W, 28 saves, 16-12-1-0) for a shorthanded goal, knotting things at one.

The Cyclones grabbed their first lead of the afternoon when Christiaan Minella potted a rebound at the 8:37 mark of the middle stanza, making it a 2-1 game. Exactly two moments later, the Nailers would pull even when Gill stashed his second goal of the game after bursting into the offensive zone on the left side at 10:37. The teams would continue battling without another goal for the rest of the frame as they reached the second intermission all square at two.

After playing more than half of the final period in back-and-forth fashion, the Nailers regained the cushion at 12:51 when Chaz Johnson slammed home his 16th goal of the season to make it 3-2. Wheeling added another at 17:35 when Gill completed a hat trick with a shot from outside the left circle, pushing the lead to 4-2. The Cyclones pulled Madore for an extra skater and it paid dividends as Jack Combs caught a pass at the side of the net and buried his fourth goal in three games, cutting the deficit to one with 1:22 remaining in the tilt. Unfortunately, the rally would get snuffed out as the Nailers salted away the final moments and held on for the one-goal win.

The Cyclones will be back on the ice at U.S. Bank Arena this Tuesday, March 31, when they play host to the Toledo Walleye at 7:30pm! Fans 21+ can enjoy $2 24-ounce beers all night long during our final Country Night of the season! Call 513.421.PUCK to secure your seats and for more details. Fans can also get the latest team updates throughout the season on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram!

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