Plymouth Whalers Lose Regular Season Finale, 4-3; Playoff Start Friday vs. Kitchener

March 19, 2011 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


PLYMOUTH - Sam Lofquist's goal at 6:01 of the third period snapped a 3-3 tie and the Guelph Storm defeated the Plymouth Whalers, 4-3, Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 3,733 at Compuware Arena.

Plymouth - playing in its final regular season game - is locked in sixth place in the Western Conference playoff race no matter what the outcome of tonight's game. The Whalers finish the regular season at 36-26-2-4, good for 78 points. Plymouth opens the first round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs next Friday in Kitchener against the third-seed Rangers.

Guelph clinched the seventh seed of the Western Conference in its final regular season game tonight and finishes at 34-27-4-3, good for 75 points. The Storm will play second-seeded Saginaw in the first round of the OHL playoffs.

In tonight's game, Guelph raced to a 3-0 lead in the second period before the Whalers came back to tie the game in the third period at 3-3 before Lofquist's game-winner.

After a scoreless first period, Andrey Pedan (2nd at 5:10), Michael Latta (34th at 12:48) and Richard Panik (27th at 13:09) all scored in the second period to give Guelph a 3-0 lead.

The Whalers started their comeback on a power play just four seconds after Pedan was sent off for tripping at 14:51. Max Iafrate took a hard shot at the right point that was deflected into the net by Devane for his 19th goal of the season.

Plymouth captain Beau Schmitz set up the next goal with the Whalers shorthanded. Schmitz took the puck away from Latta in the Guelph zone and the puck pinballed to Neal at the left circle, who scored his fifth goal of the year (third shorthanded) at 16:30 on a low shot from the left circle.

Trailing 3-2 at the start of the third period, the line of Neal, Michael Whaley and Alex Aleardi kept the play alive in the Guelph zone for an extended period before Aleardi's backhand from the left hashmark pinballed off a Guelph defender and into the net to tie the game at 3-3 at 1:36.

Guelph re-took the lead for good at 6:01 when Lofquist blasted a shot from the high slot past Plymouth goaltender Scott Wedgewood.

Plymouth head coach Mike Vellucci called a time-out with 1:51 left and pulled Wedgewood for the extra attacker. But the Whalers could not find the equalizer.

Guelph outshot Plymouth, 40-26.



Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 19, 2011


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