Terry's Play and Leadership Contribute to Winning Effort

October 18, 2007 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


After the Whalers came from behind to defeat Sudbury, 6-5, last Saturday night, Plymouth President, General Manager and Head Coach Mike Vellucci was asked about veteran Chris Terry.

"He's a heck of a player who's lived in the shadows of some of the other guys we've had," Vellucci told the Sudbury Star. "We still have some pretty good talent left here."

Terry emerged as the game's first star, scoring two highlight reel goals and adding an assist to key a Plymouth comeback which started in the second period and was finished in the third when the Whalers came back from a 4-3 deficit.

Terry fit in well with a championship team last year and is meshing with a younger group this year. Terry currently leads Plymouth in scoring with six goals and 10 assists for 16 points over eight games.

"We had a slow start to the first period," Terry said about the Sudbury game. "But I thought we showed a lot of grit and determination to win that game."

Terry's highlight reel goals showed his talent and, maybe more importantly, tenacity.

The Whalers were trailing, 3-1, in the second period when the puck was shot into the Sudbury zone. Wolves' defenseman Zach McCullough - a bigger player - was battling for the puck with Terry in the Sudbury zone when Terry got a half-stride around McCullough and snapped a shot past Sudbury goaltender Michael Swick.

"On the shorthanded goal, (Josh) Bemis was trying to ice the puck," Terry said. "We were on a line change (with the Plymouth bench on the Sudbury blue line) and I picked up the puck and was one-on-one with a defender. The puck got caught up in his skates and I whacked at it and it happened to go in glove side. That goal gave us a big lift, because it was a shorthanded goal and it gave us some life."

Terry's second goal of the evening gave the Whalers their first lead of the game and was even more eye-catching. With Plymouth on a power play, Terry knocked the puck down at the right point, skated around a Sudbury defender to the slot, moved past a second defender and snapped a hard shot from the left circle past Swick.

"It was (the result of) a good cycle," Terry said. "(Andrew) Fournier and (AJ) Jenks worked the puck down low and the puck came to me at the right point. The defender had no stick, so I decided to walk around him to the middle. When I did that, their forward came at me, so I made one more move. Their guy dropped down as I was looking to pass to Jenks or Fournier in front, so I shot it glove (side). It was a big goal.

"That's how our power play's been all year. We're ranked pretty high and we take a lot of pride in our power play."

The Whalers have been using Terry and Fournier as captains. Fournier wears the "C" at Compuware Arena; Terry takes the honor on the road.

Terry is low-key but serious about his leadership.

"Fourny's a great captain," Terry said. "He leads us, whether we're home or away. I think I do the same. The 'C' is just a letter on your jersey, because we have a lot of leaders on our team, even some rookies. I prefer to lead by example. I think in Sudbury the older guys - Fournier, OC (Sean O'Connor), (Kaine) Geldart and (Wes) Cunningham - took it upon themselves to show some leadership. I just happened to have the 'C' on my jersey."

Prevailing wisdom dictates Plymouth is rebuilding after winning a championship. Nobody on the roster believes the prevailing wisdom, including Terry.

"I don't think we're rebuilding," said Terry. "There was a lot of talk before the season that we were, that we had a lot of young rookies. We definitely do have a lot of rookies, but I do not doubt their play. I think we're going to have a strong team - our goaltending is solid, our defense is solid and all four lines are working well. The rookies are contributing and the vets are leading."

And the Whalers continue to win.

HIT THE ROAD WITH THE WHALER BOOSTERS.

The Whalers' booster club will be traveling to Erie, PA to see the Whalers vs. the Otters on Saturday, November 3, then will stay overnight in Niagara Falls, ON before continuing on to Mississauga to see Plymouth battle the St. Michael's Majors on Sunday, November 4. For complete details and pricing, go to http://www.whalersboosters.com/content/eriemissytrip.htm.

FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES GALORE WITH THE WHALERS.

Want to earn money for your group? The Plymouth Whalers have three fundraising options for you to pick from - ticket sales, 50/50 raffle, and Chuck-a-Puck. Whalers fundraising is a simple, effective, and fun way to raise money for your group, team or organization. To find out if Whalers fundraising is for you, please contact Karyl Eckerle at 734-453-8400 or karyle@plymouthwhalers.com.

WHALERS, WINDSOR MEET HOME-and-HOME TONIGHT, FRIDAY

One of the Plymouth Whalers' oldest rivalries continues when the Whalers face the Windsor Spitfires in a home-and-home series starting tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Windsor Arena and concluding Friday at 7:05 p.m. at Compuware Arena.

The Whalers (4-3-0-1) are the defending Ontario Hockey League champions. The Spitfires (8-1-0-1) - purchased two years ago by former National Hockey League players Warren Rychel and Bob Boughner, along with Peter Dobrich - are building a team that is expected to contend for an OHL championship sooner than later. Windsor comes into tonight's game ranked fourth overall in the Canadian Hockey League MasterCard Top 10 Rankings.

Although the Whalers had seven players sign NHL contracts from last year's championship team, Plymouth is not in a rebuilding mode.

"I've heard people say, 'Oh boy, now that you've won a championship, these are going to be the dog years,'" Plymouth President, General Manager and Head Coach Mike Vellucci said Sunday night in the Sault Star. "But this is a team that's going to compete. There's no give up in these guys."

Vellucci's comments came after the Whalers lost to the top-ranked Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (10-0-1-0), 4-2, on Sunday.

Here's a closer look at the Plymouth-Windsor matchup:

THE RIVALRY: Windsor defeated Plymouth, 6-4, on Sept. 29 in the only other game played between the two teams so far this season. Plymouth holds an 87-49-8-1 record over Windsor since 1990.

WHO'S HOT FOR PLYMOUTH: Plymouth's Chris Terry (6-10-16) scored three goals with four assists last week for seven points over three games and has recorded an assist in six straight games. Terry - a Carolina Hurricanes' draft - has five goals with ten assists for 15 points over his last six games. Andrew Fournier (8-5-13) has scored a goal in six straight games dating back to Sept. 29 and has eight goals with five assists for 13 points over his last six games. AJ Jenks (6-1-7) had a four-game goal scoring streak snapped Sunday night in Sault Ste. Marie, but has still scored five goals over his last five games.

WHO'S HOT FOR WINDSOR: Brad Snetsinger (6-10-16) and Josh Bailey (5-11-16) have scored a point in every Windsor game so far this season and lead the OHL with 10-game point scoring streaks. First round pick Taylor Hall (8-2-10) - taken second overall in the 2007 OHL Draft - scored four goals and an assist last Saturday in Windsor's 8-3 victory over the Erie Otters. Hall leads all OHL rookies with a +7 rating.

Tickets for Friday's game can be purchased by calling the Compuware Arena at (734) 453-8400 or by going to Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com.

The Whalers are also home Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. against the Owen Sound Attack (1-8-1-0). It will be Team Autograph Night, with all Whaler players available for autographs after the game.

ADOPT-A-SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE.

Local businesses are encouraged to join our "Adopt-A-School Program" that rewards students who have had success or show improvement based on criteria established by the schools. Other corporate sponsorship opportunities are available to help your company "ride the wave" with the Whalers. For more information, contact Rob Murphy at 734-453-8400.

COMPUWARE ARENA SEEKS FRONT OFFICE COORDINATOR.

The Front Office Coordinator will assist with all aspects of Compuware Arena front office needs. In addition the role will support additional arena tickets sales and arena service sales to current and potential customers. The position will work flexible hours including weeknights and weekends. This is a part-time position that will work 35 hours a week. Please send resumes 734-453-3427 or email them to jobs@plymouthwhalers.com.



Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 18, 2007


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