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Whalers bounce back

March 7, 2009 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


PLYMOUTH - After losing last night, 9-4, to the top-ranked Windsor Spitfires, the Plymouth Whalers needed to bounce back and did in a big way in an 8-2 victory over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in an Ontario Hockey League played Saturday night before 3,369 at Compuware Arena.

The win improves Plymouth to 35-25-5-0, good for 75 points and sole possession of fourth place and home ice in the first round the OHL Western Conference playoffs race, scheduled to start in two weeks. Plymouth is four points ahead of Sarnia (32-25-4-3) and Guelph (32-25-4-2) and two points behind third place Saginaw (35-23-3-4), who, 4-3, in Owen Sound tonight.

The Whalers were led offensively by their top scoring line of first star Matt Caria (three goals and two assists), second star Chris Terry (1-2) and third star Tyler Seguin (1-1). Beau Schmitz scored a goal (6th) and recorded three assists. Brett Bellemore (2nd) and AJ Jenks (21st) added single goals for Plymouth. James Livingston (20th) and Jake Carrick (10th) replied for Sault Ste. Marie.

Special teams played a major role in the Plymouth victory. Whalers went 5-for-9 on the power play and killed 8-of-9 Soo power plays.

Although Caria scored the only goal of the first period at 2:38 to give Plymouth a 1-0 lead, the Whaler penalty killers were the difference in the first frame and they killed off and continuous five-on-three Soo power play for a span of five minutes midway through the first period. Goaltender Matt Hackett and defenders Michal Jordan, Joe Gaynor, Schmitz and Bellemore - among others - played a key role during that segment of the game.

"That really set the tone (of the game)," said Plymouth associate coach Joe Stefan. "You were really disappointed with the effort we gave last night (in the loss to Windsor). We wanted to make amends. Our penalty killing has really come on in the second half of the year. The boys stepped up in the first period and killed off those penalties. The momentum changed and we took off from there."

Whaler penalty killers blocked a lot of shots in front of Hackett.

"I think we did a good job staying in the lanes, so they couldn't shoot the puck and had to pass it," Gaynor said about Plymouth's penalty killing. "We were keeping them to the outside - they weren't getting very many shots. We did what we do best - stay in the lanes and clear the pucks."

Plymouth blew the game open on the power play in the second period after Greyhounds' veteran was given a two-minute minor for instigating and a five minute major in an altercation with Whalers' RJ Mahalak at 2:26 of the period. Power play goals by Terry (team-leading 38th of the year at 2:31), Schmitz (3:49), Bellemore (7:07) and Jenks (7:21) extended the Whalers' lead to 5-0. After Livingston scored at 15:19 to cut the Plymouth lead to 5-1, Caria (15:31) and Seguin (18:59) went back to work to give to Whalers a 7-1 lead after forty minutes.

"Coming out of last night's game, we wanted to redeem ourselves," Caria said. "Our penalty killing was outstanding in the first period. Chris Terry and Tyler Seguin are so gifted offensively, so it comes easy to give them the puck. You go to the net and you know you're either going to get it back or they're going to beat the goalie. Right now, we're working for each other."

With five points tonight, Caria now has 30 goals and 57 assists for 87 points, Terry has 38 goals with 51 assists for 89 points and Seguin 21 goals and 42 assists for 63 points.

Plymouth - with three games left in the regular season - is off until next Thursday, when they play in Windsor. Plymouth plays in Sault Ste. Marie on Friday before returning home for the last game of the regular season on Sun. Mar. 15 against Sarnia at 2 pm at Compuware Arena.

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