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Bank On it - Whalers Even Series With Windsor

April 8, 2009 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


PLYMOUTH - Ryan Hayes' bank shot from the right goal line off Windsor goaltender Andrew Engelage at 15:34 of the third period snapped a 2-2 tie and the Plymouth Whalers went on to defeat the Windsor Spitfires, 3-2, in an Ontario Hockey League playoff game played Tuesday night before 2,802 at Compuware Arena.

The best-of-seven OHL Western Conference Semi-Final series is tied at two games each with Game 5 in Windsor on Thursday. Game 6 is Saturday at 7:05pm at Compuware Arena.

Besides Hayes' game-winner (and fourth of the playoffs), Matt Caria and Chris Terry each scored their seventh goals of the playoffs while Tyler Seguin added two assists for Plymouth Dale Mitchell scored his OHL playoff leading 10th goal for Windsor and Eric Wellwood added his fifth.

Plymouth was looking to change the momentum of the series after losing the previous two games of the series by a two-game total of 16-3 and did so tonight with a gritty, determined effort.

"No matter what the outcome of the game, if you leave everything on the ice, you can feel good about yourself," said Plymouth President, Head Coach and General Manager Mike Vellucci after the game. "I can honestly tell you that we left everything on the ice. We played a solid, smart hockey game and paid a price. You saw Leo Jenner block a shot and the end of the game, late (in the final seconds). So it feels good."

After being shorthanded 29 times over the past two games, Plymouth stayed disciplined, going five-for-five on the penalty kill while going one-for-six on the power play.

The first period was scoreless. Plymouth built a 2-0 lead in the second period on Terry's power play goal at 0:53 and Caria's goal at 6:51. Seguin set up both tallies - passing to Terry from behind the net to the right goalpost and then taking the puck away from Engelage behind the Windsor goal and finding Caria in the slot.

"On the first goal, I was behind the net and Terry was screaming for the puck and I saw him and he put it top shelf," Seguin said. "On the second goal, the goalie misjudged where I was and put the puck behind the net. I picked up the puck and hit Caria in the slot and he buried it.

Windsor came back to tie the game. Mitchell deflected Rob Kwiet's shot from the right point with just two seconds left in the second period and Wellwood tied the game with a backhand shot from the lower rim of the right circle through traffic and a scramble past Plymouth goaltender Matt Hackett at 13:16 of the third period.

Hayes won the game when he picked up the puck behind the Windsor goal, moved to the right goal-line and banked the shot off Engleage. Hayes has a penchant for banking pucks off the goaltender and it worked again tonight in a big way.

"Ryan Hayes is a goal-scorer," said Vellucci. "And goal-scorers find different ways to score. The biggest thing about Ryan is he scores big goals. That's what I like most about Haysie - no matter what it is, close game, blow-out, he'll score a big goal or the game-winning goal. He's played really well for us."

Windsor had an excellent change to tie the game with 2:05 remaining when Scott Timmins was set up in the slot by Taylor Hall, but Plymouth defenseman Leo Jenner blocked a piece of the puck and Hackett deflected the puck out of play. Windsor head coach Bob Boughner pulled Engleage with 1:36 remaining, but Plymouth salted the game away with good work in the defensive zone.

Windsor outshot Plymouth, 39-31.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 8, 2009


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