McGinnis scores first two OHL goals

Published on March 4, 2004 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


by Pete Krupsky

It's been a season of breaks for the youngest Plymouth Whaler - rookie defenseman Ryan McGinnis.

But McGinnis - a month short of his 17th birthday - stepped up in a big way when he scored his first two Ontario Hockey League goals in a come-from-behind 4-2 victory over Saginaw Feb. 27 before 3,728 at the Compuware Sports Arena.

His first goal snapped a 2-2 tie at 7:22 of the third period and stood as the game-winner when he stepped up into the slot after good work deep by Jonas Fiedler and John Mitchell and snapped a hard shot past Saginaw goaltender Eric Fligler. Six minutes later, McGinnis scored on a similar play after Ryan Ramsay and Nick Vernelli worked well deep in the Spirit zone again.

McGinnis narrowly missed the hat trick in the final minute of play when he took a shot at the empty Saginaw net and rang the shot off the goal post.

McGinnis was named the game's first star. He's come a long way from breaking both wrists at different times of the season earlier.

"It's been a real tough year on Ryan this season," said Plymouth associate coach and assistant general manager Alex Roberts, who runs the defense. "Anybody who plays in this league as an underage knows it's going to be a challenge.

Unfortunately, he faced two severe challenges with a couple of broken wrists - one in training camp, then came back and played for a few weeks and then broke the other one (Dec.11 in Peterborough). That's a frustrating situation to go through."

"Now that he's healthy and the rest of our defensemen are healthy, we have eight defensemen playing. So he's battling for ice time. Ryan has done everything we've asked, he's worked hard and is extremely dedicated in the weight room. He wants to be a player and he is doing what it takes to make it at this level.

Ryan knows this is a learning year for him. He may not play every game or he may not play 15-20 minutes a game, but every little bit he gets is real valuable to him. Next year the experience he gets this year is going to pay off."

McGinnis still had a smile on his face a couple of days later after scoring his first two goals.

"It was fun, especially coming back from two broken wrists," McGinnis said. "It's been hard (to come back). And I know I have to fight for a spot with 8 dmen around. I felt pretty good going into the game. I didn't expect two goals, but they were nice to get.

"On the first goal, I just went up with the forwards. The puck was passed over to (John) Mitchell and it fumbled over his stick. I picked my head up - I was a little nervous, but it went in. The feeling was so great and then to get a second one was just that much better."

With Plymouth leading 4-2 in the final minute of the game and the Saginaw net empty, Whaler veterans were openly rooting for McGinnis and fellow rookie Craig Cescon (who hasn't scored this year) to score on the empty net. Another rookie - Vaclav Meidl - also had a chance to score on the empty net, but he hit the post, too.

"It was a great to see," said Plymouth general manager and head coach Mike Vellucci. "We were all pulling for the rookies to score on the empty net. We've been talking about everyone playing for the team and this was another example."

Second-year forward John Vigilante (Dearborn) scored the game-winning goal the next night in a 4-2 victory over Ottawa before 3,811. Although Vigilante went through a drought earlier this season, he's scored 10 goals over his last 13 games.

Although Vigilante leads Plymouth with 30 goals in 61 games, he sees his hot streak as a team success.

"It's mostly a team thing," Vigilante said. "I'm trying to pay the price in front of the net, but then the guys are working the puck around nice and finding me there. So it works as a full team effort as you see some of the passing plays we set up. We have set plays that are just unreal and the guys are finding me and the puck is going into the net."

The Plymouth coaching staff has been promoting good team chemistry. Vigilante feels the team is buying into the concept.

"It's an all around team thing," Vigilante said. "Guys are playing real well together. Rammer (Ryan Ramsay) has picked up his game, and (John) Mitchell is playing real well, so it's pretty much an all around team thing. We're working real well together and keeping team morale high."

PLYMOUTH GREEN OUT

Sunday, March 14 vs. Windsor Spitfires 2 p.m.

With St. Patrick's Day right around the corner the Whalers are asking all fans attending the Sunday, March 14th game vs. the Windsor Spitfires to wear their Whalers Green. Every fan wearing a solid green colored shirt or sweatshirt will receive a free gift when entering the arena. In addition, any fan who wears a Plymouth Whalers Green Shirt (3rd jersey, long sleeve t-shirt, hooded sweatshirt) will receive the following special concession discounts:

• A free box of popcorn with every purchase of two large pepsi fountain beverages

• A medium cup of "Green" beer for $3.50 (reg. $5.00 - must be 21 or older)

Don't forget to check your box of popcorn to see if you are a winner. Random boxes of popcorn will have prizes valued up to $200 inside.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 4, 2004


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