Whalers Beat Windsor, 5-1, Before Kids' Day Sellout

Published on December 28, 2005 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP - The Plymouth Whalers used excellent goaltending and special teams en route to a 5-1 victory over the Windsor Spitfires in an Ontario Hockey League game played before a sellout crowd of 3,715 Wednesday afternoon at the Compuware Sports Arena.

Plymouth - now 19-11-1-3, good for 42 points in the OHL's West Division - remains in first place in the division and could pick up ground on second-place Saginaw (19-13-0-0), who hosts Erie Wednesday evening.

Whalers' goaltender Justin Peters - obtained by Plymouth on Dec. 9 in a trade from Toronto - ran his record since coming to the Whalers to 4-1-0-0 with 37 saves as the game's first star. Evan Brophey (12th goal of the season), Dan Collins (24th), Zack Shepley (1), Jared Boll (12) and Tom Sestito (6) all scored singled goals for Plymouth. Defensemen Mike Letizia and Wes Cunningham added two assists apiece for the Whalers.

After Brophey and Windsor's Cal O'Reilly traded first period goals, the Whalers broke the game open with three unanswered power play goals in the second period. Collins scored the eventual game-winner at 1:44 of the second period in he threaded a shot in-tight right wing by Windsor goaltender Anthony Guadagnolo. Shepley gave the Whalers a 3-1 lead when he took a pass by Derek Merlini from the right point to his spot on the left and beat Guadagnolo with a shot through traffic at 6:12 of the period. Boll completed the scoring in the second period at 19:23 when the puck pinballed to him on the lower rim of the right circle and he scored with a low shot by Guadagnolo for a 4-1 Plymouth lead after forty minutes of play.

Sestito finished the scoring at 2:23 of the third period when he tipped Cunningham's shot from the right point by Guadagnolo on the right wing side of the Windsor goal.

Plymouth won the battle of special teams, going 3-for-5 on the power play while killing all four Windsor power plays. Peters made the difference whenever Windsor threatened. Plymouth is now 18-9-1-2 this season when scoring a power play goal and 9-1-0-0 when they do not allow a power play goal in a game. In addition, Plymouth improved to 8-2-1-0 within the West Division.

The Whalers are off until Friday night when they host the Erie Otters at 7:30 pm at the Compuware Sports Arena. Tickets are available by calling (734) 453-8400. Friday's game will be Jersey Night - fans who wear a jersey to the game will receive a voucher for the Wed. Jan. 11 game against the Saginaw Spirit.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 28, 2005


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