Whalers Explode for Five Unaswered Goals in Third Period to Defeat Belleville, 6-2

Published on February 7, 2009 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


PLYMOUTH - For two periods on Saturday night at Compuware Arena, the Belleville Bulls showed why they are one of the top-teams in the Ontario Hockey League Eastern Conference. Led by the Carolina-draft and goaltender Mike Murphy (who leads the OHL with a 2.01goals average and .944 save percentage), the Bulls held a 2-1 lead over the Plymouth Whalers through forty minutes.

But the Whalers showed why they are one of the most improved teams in the OHL when they exploded for five unanswered goals in the third period (four in a span of 2:45), to chase Murphy and record a convincing 6-2 victory over Belleville before 2,344 at Compuware Arena.

Coupled with Erie‘s 5-2 loss to Saginaw, the Whalers improve to 26-22-5-0, good for 57 points and a tie for fifth in the Western Conference race with Sarnia - now 26-21-2-3, after winning, 5-4 in overtime, over Guelph. Plymouth and Sarnia are one point ahead of Erie (27-24-2-0). Belleville remains on top of the Eastern Conference with a record of 35-15-2-2.

Young players and veterans alike were keys to the Whalers victory. 17-year-old Tyler Seguin led the Whalers attack with two goals (11-12) and two assists as the game's first star. Plymouth veteran and captain Chris Terry contributed four assists as the game's second star. Third-year player AJ Jenks scored a goal (15) and added an assist as the game's third star. The Whalers also received goals from veteran Joe Gaynor (11), overage Matt Caria (20) and Ryan Hayes (21).

Brandon Mashinter (25) and Shawn Lalonde (18) scored first period goals for Belleville, who led 2-0 at the 15:57 of the first period. Seguin cut the Belleville lead to 2-1 0:56 later with a deflection in front of Murphy after receiving a pass from Terry.

Plymouth outshot Belleville, 18-10, in the second period and 38-24 through forty minutes with Murphy playing well. But Plymouth tied the game on Gaynor's goal at 3:21, set up by Seguin, who blew by a Belleville defender on the right wing on the Bulls zone and got the shot on Murphy. Gaynor followed up and banged home the rebound. Jenks gave Plymouth its' first lead at 4:00 when he rifled the puck from the right circle past Murphy. Fifteen seconds, Seguin extended the Plymouth lead to 4-2 after Josh Bemis' shot from the left point was stopped by Murphy. Terry picked up the puck at the left circle and found Seguin at the right hashmark. Caria scored to give Plymouth at 5-2 lead at 6:06 after accepting Seguin's pass from the right ring in tight on the left doorstep and beating Murphy.

At that point, Belleville head coach George Burnett pulled Murphy in favor of Phillipp Grubauer. Hayes closed out the scoring with a power play goal at 12:28 of the period with a hard shot from the high slot.

Plymouth outshot Belleville, 58-30, in the game.

Seguin was asked what his team talked about during the second intermission in trailing 2-1 against the best goaltender in the OHL.

"Before the third period, in the dressing room we talked about how we need these two points for the standing and the Western Conference race," Seguin said. "We went out there and played our game, won the period and won the game. We're really gelling as a team. Everyone's playing their own style of game. We're all coming together and playing a hard sixty-minutes and getting some victories."

Plymouth hits the road for its next four games - next Wednesday in Saginaw, next Friday in Sudbury, Feb. 15 in Sault Ste. Marie and Feb. 20 in Sarnia before returning home on Sat. Feb. 21 against Erie. Tickets are available by calling the Compuware Arena box office at (734) 453-8400.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 7, 2009


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