Whalers lose three out east

Published on October 27, 2004 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


Plymouth's annual Eastern Ontario road trip wasn't very kind as the Whalers lost all three games in Peterborough (7-1), Kingston (4-2) and Ottawa (4-1).

Plymouth's best chance to win came in the Kingston game, as the Whalers led 1- 0 and 2-1 before losing.

Kingston's winning goal was tainted when Todd Griffith scored at 12:10 of the third period to give Kingston their first lead at 3-2. Griffith accepted a pass from behind the Plymouth net when it was clearly off the moorings and scored when every let up, expecting referee Matt Parlette to blow the whistle.

Whalers host Ottawa Friday night before hitting the road again, playing in Owen Sound Saturday and Brampton on Sunday afternoon.

On the Road with John Armstrong

(Whaler rookie John Armstrong kept a journal during the Whalers' recent Eastern Ontario road swing through Peterborough, Kingston and Ottawa.)

Here is his story:

The trip started on Wednesday afternoon. After school I quickly stopped off at the house that I am billeting in to grab my things for the weekend. When I got to the arena I had a short meeting with the coaches and then went out on the ice. The practice consisted of a lot of power-play and penalty-killing.

After practice I helped pack the bus with the rest of the rookies. I got on the bus and passed out food that we had ordered from Ginopolis. I had a turkey wrap while watching the Cardinals and Astros game on satellite. After the Cardinals won we watched the Yankees and Red Sox game.

We arrived in Oshawa at 10 o'clock and hung up our equipment to dry in the Generals home rink. We then went to the hotel to get some sleep.

The next morning we woke up at 8:30 and went to breakfast. After breakfast we went to the rink to practice. The practice was only about 20 minutes long but I had to stay on longer because I was not playing because of my suspension.

Coach Stefan skated me hard to make sure that I do not get out of shape. When I got back to the hotel I decided to get some sleep.

We then went for our pregame meal. After that we packed our bags and checked out of the hotel.

We went to the game at Peterborough at 5 for a 7 o'clock game. I sat with Mike Knight, and Tom Sestito until I saw my Dad so I sat with him. The team did not play very well and we lost 7-1. It was hard to watch the team lose. I wish that I could have been out there to contribute. We stayed in Trenton that night.

The next morning I got up at 8:45 and had breakfast. We had a practice at 10 in the Trenton Community Gardens. Again it was a short practice but I had to stay on longer because I was not playing that night. This time coach Vellucci skated me to keep me in shape.

When I got back to the hotel I watched TV with the guys. We then packed the bus and went to the game in Kingston. We arrived at the game at 5:30 for a 7:30 game. This time I sat with Zack Shepley and Erik Lundmark for most of the game, and Cory Tanaka's parents for the rest. We played well and had a lot of hits but we still lost the game 4-2. We then went to Ottawa.

There was no game the next day so I hung out with the guys. The next morning we woke up at 9 and went to breakfast. After breakfast everyone was tired from the night before so we went to sleep for 2 hours. When everyone got up we had a team stretch with a little jog.

We then went to a mall for a couple hours and got some lunch. When I got back to the hotel I played John Vigilante in Madden 2005.

After losing badly I decided to do some homework. Then we went to eat. After dinner we went to a movie theater and watched "Friday Night Lights." Some of the guys did not like the movie but I enjoyed it.

When I got back to the hotel I watched some of the Red Sox and Cardinals game. I'm not a huge baseball fan so I got bored of that and I went on the computer to check the OHL website for scores.

The next morning we got up at 9:30 and went to breakfast. After breakfast I hung out with some of the guys. Then we went to the game against Ottawa at 12 for a 2 o'clock game. I couldn't get over how big the Ottawa arena was. It must be able to hold over 10 thousand people. I was very disappointed that I could not play. When I went in the locker-room before the game the guys seemed pumped but Ottawa took the lead in the first period. I sat by myself this game. It was very frustrating watching my team losing. I wanted to be out there very badly. We ended up losing 4-1.

The bus ride home was not very fun. Everyone was in a bad mood and was disappointed with the weekend. When we stopped halfway home to get some food I had a talk with coach Vellucci about why we lost all 3 games. I told him that I could see a lot from the stands and that it seemed like we were not winning the one on one battles and we were not playing well defensively.

It was about a nine hour trip and the TV's didn't go on once. When we arrived I unloaded the bus with the rest of the rookies. I then went home and went straight to bed because I had school in about 4 hours.

5 games down and 3 to go. I'll be happy to be playing again.

Whalers Work as Waiters at Bob Evans Nov. 1

Join the Whalers Monday, November 1 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Bob Evans Restaurant located at 1-275 and Ford Road in Canton.

Plymouth players will be working as celebrity waiters. Prizes of all shapes and sizes will be raffled off.

Upcoming In-Game Promotions

October 29 vs. Ottawa Trick or Treat with the Whalers

November 6 vs. Oshawa Labatt's Blue Firefighter Night.

November 13 vs. Belleville Chamber of Commerce Night.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 27, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central