Whalers Grit Equals Two Wins on The Road

Published on October 8, 2008 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


WHALERS WINS NOT PRETTY, BUT STILL WORTH TWO POINTS

Team battles for two wins on the road with contributions from a number of players

The Whalers road trip last weekend through Erie and Niagara wasn't very pretty, but it was effective.

Plymouth gutted out a 5-4 win in Erie last Friday, then came from behind twice in Niagara on Saturday before taking a 7-6 shootout win over the IceDogs.

The Whalers are now 3-3-0-0, with all three wins on the road.

"I was really happy with the attitude of the guys the whole week prior to this past weekend - the work ethic they had in practice and the determination of going on the road and trying to have a successful road trip," Plymouth head coach Greg Stefan said. "I liked the effort (and) I especially liked the work ethic of everybody and the attitude going in that we were there to get wins.

"Maybe it wasn't pretty or it wasn't perfect, but I thought a lot of positive things happened this past weekend."

Offensively, the Whalers got four points each over the weekend from Vern Cooper, Ryan Hayes, Joe Gaynor and Chris Terry. Jordon O'Neill's goal proved to be the game-winner in Erie and Whaler pups Tyler Seguin and Myles McCauley scored in the shootout in Niagara.

Although the Whalers gave up 10 goals in the two victories, netminders Jeremy Smith and Matt Hackett played well at different times.

Plymouth built leads of 3-0 and 5-2 in Erie and withstood a furious Otters rally in the third period for the victory. Smith stopped 46-of-50 shots as the game's second star. His outstanding stop on Nick Palmieri with ten seconds left preserved the win.

"Jeremy needed to have a big game for us," Stefan said. "Erie's got some of the best forwards in the league and are a much improved team. We knew it was going to be a battle and it was a battle right to the end. I was happy with Smitty's play - he made some big saves for us.

"But having said that, we expect that for Smitty. If you're going to be a successful hockey team, your goaltender has to be a big part of it."

On Saturday at the cramped Gatorade Garden City Complex, Hackett came in for Smith at 2:18 of the second period after the IceDogs took a 4-2 lead and backstopped the victory.

Stefan deserves credit for calling a time-out.

"We were down 2-0 early and then we came back late in the first period to tie the game and I thought we got the momentum back," Stefan said. "But then we got a turnover and it was costly and we were down 4-2.

"I brought the team in and said, 'This team is playing three-in-three and we had a tough one last night. I believe we have good depth up front, so let's stay positive and stay patient and chip away at this lead.'"

That's exactly what happened. The time-out seemed to change momentum in a game that turned into a shootout. Plymouth battled back to tie the game at 4-4 in the second period and then took their first lead at 6-4 in the third before Niagara came back to tie the game

"I didn't think Smitty was that sharp from the get-go and Matt in his last game in the Soo played real well for us (5-2 win September 26), so I wanted to get him some action. I just thought it was the right time to make a change with the time out. Fortunatly it worked and we go the two points."

Plymouth received a lift from the forward line of Joe Gaynor, Ryan Hayes and Vern Cooper.

"Joe Gaynor's never been considered a top-two line centerman, he has always been considered a third or fourth-line guy," Stefan said. "But he's proven everyone wrong and has been very determined. I wanted to give him an opportunity to play with a couple of good, quality players. Joe's very responsible defensively, too.

"That line was really supposed to be temporary, but, the way they are clicking, I may have to keep them together. I'm happy to do that, because the three of them seem to have some good chemistry. So we'll have to ride it out."

"We've been working really well together," Hayes said of his line. "We all contribute on the line. Everyone seems to have a special talent on the line. As long as we keep playing (together), I think we can keep putting up the points and keep winning."

RJ Mahalak had another productive weekend, taking on Erie's Brandon Biggers in a fight on Friday, then scoring his fourth goal of the season Saturday night in Niagara to give the Whalers their first lead of the game at 5-4.

"RJ's the type of guy that if he wasn't 16-years-old, he might have a letter on his jersey. I was very close to giving him a letter - matter of fact, he's my alternate captain after Michal Jordan, because his leadership is second-to-none," Stefan said. "He's a potential captain in the future.

"He's the type of guy that every team loves. He comes in and works hard and can play it as tough as it can be and can defend himself. He's a great team player and we're fortunate to have him. Hopefully, he'll continue his play."

Overage Cory McGillis joined the Whalers in St. Catharines from Barrie and is practicing with the team this week. He'll wear #39.

"First of all, we're going to need him for leadership," Stefan said. "He's a big-body guy who can play on the top two lines and get some power play time. Hopefully, he stays healthy. If he does, I think he'll be a great asset with the forecheck and getting to the front of the net. I think he comes from a pretty good system in Barrie where he's responsible defensively. That's an area we need to get better at. For the most part, we want his leadership. I think he'll be great in the locker room with our young guys."

The Whalers play in London on Friday, host Kingston on Saturday and then play in Saginaw on Sunday. Christian Steingraber returns from the suspension list on Friday and Leo Jenner returns on Saturday.



Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 8, 2008


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