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Depth Powers Plymouth To 8-0 Whitewash Of Saginaw

December 12, 2009 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


PLYMOUTH, MI -- One mark of a good team is to receive positive contributions from everyone and find a way to win.

The Plymouth Whalers are proof in an 8-0 victory over the Saginaw Spirit in an Ontario Hockey League game played Saturday night before 2,216 at Compuware Arena.

The Whalers improve to 19-14-0-1, good for 39 points and a share of fourth place in the tight Western Conference race. Saginaw is now 16-13-3-0.

Plymouth played in the game with center Tyler Seguin (third in the OHL scoring race with 26 goals and 25 assists for 51 points in 29 games) and goaltender Matt Hackett (2.57 goals against average and .926 save percentage) - both away at Canada's National Junior selection camp in Regina, SK. But the Whalers depth proved to be too much for Saginaw as Plymouth led, 4-0 after one period and 5-0 after forty minutes of play.

With Hackett away, Whalers rookie goaltender Scott Wedgewood stopped 35 Saginaw shots en route to his first OHL shutout. Wedgewood - who has won in shootouts on the road in Windsor and Sudbury this season - lowered his goals against average to 3.51 and raised his save percentage to .909.

Offensively, Plymouth captain AJ Jenks and rookie Garrett Meurs led the Whalers attack with a goal and three assists apiece. Jamie Devane scored twice (second and third), while Tyler J. Brown (fourth), Ryan Hayes (fifth), Michal Jordan (eighth and fifth in five straight games) and Robbie Czarnik (third) all scored single goals for the Whalers.

"You hear every coach talk about secondary scoring and you see Meurs stepping up," said Plymouth assistant coach Brian Sommariva. "He's going to be a fantastic hockey player. That's all you can ask for - when your better players leave to go do other things, you need scoring from other guys."

The Whalers won battles for loose pucks all evening long. Plymouth pelted Saginaw goaltender Edward Pasquale with a season-high 54 shots. Pasquale could not be faulted in this game.

"We were in the right place at the right time and working hard all night," said Sommariva. "It's a great thing for Scott to pitch a shutout. There are a lot of NHL scouts in the building. He's someone a lot of teams are keeping an eye on."

Wedgewood is ranked sixth by the National Hockey League's Central Scouting Bureau among OHL prospects in their preliminary rankings.

"It was a lot of fun," Wedgewood said after the game. "I was really focused for this game. I wanted to get a good start in with my second start (this season) at home. We came out and started flying right away, getting the pucks in deep and then coming back to the house (defensively) and doing all the little things we wanted to do. They started out well in front of me and helped get the nerves out and we kept going from that point."

The Whalers enjoy one of the best goaltending tandems in the OHL with Hackett and Wedgewood. Wedgewood would like to play more, but has a professional attitude towards his current situation.

"Watching Hackett and being behind him, it's actually a lot of fun watching him play every night," Wedgewood said. "When I get opportunities like this when he's off at World Juniors or any time he needs a break, I want to play my best so I can let people know that I'm still here. With Hack away right now, I think it's a good opportunity to step up."

Wedgewood praised his defensive group of Leo Jenner, Beau Schmitz, Josh Bemis, Michal Jordan, Colin MacDonald, Austin Levi and Nick Malysa.

"We talked today that we were going to keep guys to the outside and give me the opportunity to stop the puck," Wedgewood explained. "I can't thank them enough. They really helped me out tonight. We played well defensively as a group."

Plymouth hits the road next week, playing in Peterborough on Thursday, Oshawa on Friday and Guelph on Saturday. The Whalers return home on Monday, Dec. 28 at 2pm at Compuware Arena against the Erie Otters.

For information on Whalers ticket packages or to plan a group event, visit plymouthwhalers.com or call 734-453-8400.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 12, 2009


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