Late Comeback Not Enough as the Whalers Sink Mississauga

February 11, 2011 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Mississauga St. Michael's Majors News Release


Mississauga, ON - The Mississauga St. Michael's Majors faced the Plymouth Whalers tonight in the fourth annual Paint the Rink Pink game, presented by your local State Farm Agents. It was a battle throughout, between two teams that appear to be developing a cross conference rivalry. It the end, Plymouth prevailed 4-3, handing the Majors their first ever loss in a Paint the Rink Pink game.

Plymouth jumped out to an early lead, taking advantage of their opportunities. The first opportunity was handed to them when Casey Cizikas took an interference penalty at 2:09. Robbie Czarnik capitalized on a rebound in front of JP Anderson to give Plymouth a 1-0 lead, thanks to the man advantage. Tyler Brown and James Livingston had the assists. Austin Levi added to the Whalers lead at 4:04 when he tipped in a shot, after the Majors failed to clear the zone. The only assist on Levi's third goal of the season was recorded by Stefan Noesen. The Majors did answer back though. Just seconds later, at 4:53, Jordan Mayer got Mississauga on the board when he took a shot from the point, which cut the lead to 2-1. Chris DeSousa and Devante Smith-Pelly assisted on the Majors first goal on the night. Shots on goal after one period of play were 10-7 in favour of Mississauga.

It was the Majors turn to benefit from the man advantage in the second period. Before that could happen, tensions boiled over when a brawl started that resulted in seven penalties. Only two players were caught with fighting majors. Marc Cantin got one for the Majors along with a two minute instigator while Dario Truttman was sent off for fighting for Plymouth. He was also given two minutes for roughing. Then at 12:43, Levi took a minor penalty for slashing. Dylan DeMelo capitalized on the powerplay with just his third goal of the season to tie the game when he put home a rebound. Rob Flick and DeSousa assisted on the game tying goal. The period ended tied with the Majors winning on the shot clock once again, this time 12-6.

Plymouth would jump back out on top early in the third period. After Jamie Wise took a goaltender interference penalty at 2:33, Czarnik scored his second of the game to give Plymouth a 3-2 lead. The goal was Czarnik's 29th of the season and was assisted by Noesen and Beau Schmitz. The Majors waited until there was just over a minute remaining in the game to answer back, and it was veteran defenseman Michael D'Orazio who tied it up. At 18:56, D'Orazio scored his ninth of the season with Justin Shugg and Rob Flick taking the assists. The action got slightly out of hand in the final minute of the game. After Plymouth took a bench minor at 18:56 it appeared as though the Majors would play the final minute of regulation on the powerplay. It was not to be though as Brett Flemming took a goaltender interference penalty at 19:42 to put the teams back at even strength. Then at 19:56, Flick took a roughing penalty that the fans at the Hershey Centre didn't seem to agree with. The Majors, left with just three skaters on the ice, could not hold the Whalers. Just two seconds after the Flick penalty, Brown scored his 21st of the season to give Plymouth a 4-3 lead, which turned into a 4-3 win seconds later. Shots on goal in the third period were 14-13 in favour of Mississauga.

JP Anderson got the start in net for the Majors and made 22 saves in the loss. Scott Wedgewood was between the pipes for Plymouth and made 33 saves for the victory. The games three stars were DeSousa (3rd), Czarnik (2nd), and as is tradition in Mississauga, the 3513 fans that showed up to help fight breast cancer were awarded the first star.

Although the game ended on a sour note for the Majors and their fans, there was some positive moments after the game as three Majors had their jerseys auctioned off, live on the ice surface at the Hershey Centre. To kick off this years Paint the Rink Pink Auction, Marc Cantin, Jordan Mayer and Casey Cizikas had their game worn jerseys auctioned off to raise funds for the CBCF. Joe Cramarossa's jersey was given away in the Shirt off the Back Raffle and the rest of the jerseys from the game will be auctioned off through an online auction. Fans can get to the online auction by visiting stmichaelsmajors.com. The Majors would like to thank the Credit Valley Auction House for administering the auction.

The Majors will rest up tomorrow before hosting the Ottawa 67's this Sunday. Game time is 2:00 PM and tickets are available at the Hershey Centre box office. The team will then host the Oshawa Generals in a rare midweek game at the Hershey Centre next Wednesday night at 7:00 PM.

MasterCard Memorial Cup ticket packages are on sale now, starting at just $495.00. Visit stmichaelsmajors.com for more details or fans can order their packages by calling 905-502-7788 x. 1.



Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 11, 2011


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