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Whalers Win Shootout in Windsor

September 18, 2009 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


WINDSOR, ONT - The Windsor Spitfires opened up the 2009-10 season tonight with a celebration of their Ontario Hockey League and Canadian Hockey League championships last season.

Before tonight's game with the Plymouth Whalers, the Spitfires brought out the Wayne Gretzky Trophy (Western Conference championship), J. Ross Robertson Trophy (Ontario Hockey League championship) and Memorial Cup (Canadian Hockey League championship) to center ice.

When the cheering stopped and the game started, the Whalers ruined the party in upending the OHL champions, 6-5, in a shootout, before 6,501 at Windsor Family Credit Union Centre.

Plymouth built a 5-1 lead late in the second period before Windsor came roaring back to tie the game and send it into overtime and the eventual shootout.

Two of the OHL's top prospects put on a show and served notice they have a chance to dominate this season. Windsor's Taylor Hall scored the hat trick and added two assists as the game's first star, while Plymouth's Tyler Seguin scored twice with an assist as the game's third star.

Rookie Sean Myers (first OHL goal), Tyler G. Brown and Josh Bemis scored the other Plymouth goals. Austin Watson scored a pair for Windsor.

Although Plymouth goaltender Matt Hackett was back in the lineup after spending time with the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild at their training camp, Plymouth President, General Manager and Head Coach Mike Vellucci decided to go with Scott Wedgewood in goal.

Wedgewood - starting his second season with the Whalers - was steady in stopping 39-of-44 Windsor shots through 65 minutes and then stopped Hall and Justin Shugg in the shootout.

Windsor's Josh Unice was pulled 46 seconds into the second period after the Whales built a 4-1 lead on Bemis' first goal of the season. Rookie Troy Passingham went the rest of the way and stopped 10-of-11 shots in 44:02 of work.

After Seguin (5:57) and Hall (9:42) traded first period power play goals, Plymouth took a 2-1 lead when rookie Myers was left all alone in the slot and he buried a shot past Unice. Working on a power play 45 seconds later, Brown gave Plymouth a 3-1 lead, skating untouched in the Windsor slot and beating Unice with the shot.

After Bemis scored to give Plymouth a 4-1 when his shot from the left point tricked past Unice, Passingham came in. Seguin scored at 16:16 of the second period, following up his own rebound to beat Passingham from the left doorstep.

But Windsor came storming back. Trailing 5-2 in the third period, the Spitfires drew even on goals by Watson (16:39), Hall (16:59) and a deflection by Watson at 18:36 with the extra attacker on.

After a scoreless overtime, Plymouth iced the game when Seguin and Myles McCauley scored in the shootout on Passingham and Wedgewood stopped Hall and Shugg while giving up a goal to Greg Nemisz.

Ironically, Seguin and McCauley clicked together in a shootout win for Plymouth last season as rookies. Both scored in a shootout in a 7-6 Plymouth victory against Niagara in St. Catharines, ON on October 4, 2008.

Windsor outshot Plymouth, 44-23.

Both teams were missing significant players for different reasons. The Whalers have several injured players, including Colin MacDonald (shoulder), Ryan Hayes (shoulder surgery), Jamie Devane (broken hand) and Michal Jordan (knee). AJ Jenks was returned from the Florida Panthers, but was in transit from the airport and didn't get to the rink until 7:15pm.

The Windsor scratches included Ryan Ellis (Nashville), Adam Henrique (New Jersey), Richard Panik (Tampa Bay), Harry Young (New Jersey), Eric Wellwood (Philadelphia), Jesse Blacker (Toronto) and Adam Wallace.

Plymouth is back in action on Saturday at 7:05pm in their home opener at Compuware Arena against Oshawa.

For information on Whalers ticket packages or to plan a group event, visit plymouthwhalers.com or call 734-453-8400.

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