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Windsor Eliminates Plymouth With 4-2 Victory

April 11, 2009 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


PLYMOUTH - Adam Henrique scored the hat trick and the Windsor Spitfires built a 2-0 first period lead and never lost the lead to defeat the Plymouth Whalers, 4-2, in an Ontario Hockey League Western Conference playoff game played Saturday night at Compuware Arena.

A sellout crowd of 4,304 - and one of the biggest crowds in Compuware Arena history - saw Windsor advance to the Western Conference finals, starting next week against the London Knights.

Dale Mitchell scored the other Windsor goal, his OHL playoff-leading 11th of the post season. Ryan Hayes (5th) and Matt Caria (9th) replied for Plymouth.

Windsor took a 2-0 lead with a pair of goals 0:59 apart in the first period. Mitchell was set up in the slot by Andre Loktionov from the right corner and Mitchell snapped the puck past Plymouth goaltender Matt Hackett at 5:54. Henrique scored on a scramble at the Plymouth goal at 2-0 at 6:53. Windsor led, 2-0, after twenty minutes.

Plymouth cut the lead to 2-1 on Hayes' goal at 10:23 of the second period. Set up by AJ Jenks, Hayes followed up his own rebound and scored past Windsor goaltender Andrew Engleage from the lower rim of the right circle. Windsor led, 2-1, after forty minutes.

The Whalers appeared to tie the game early in the third period on a short handed goal by Tyler G. Brown, but the goal was disallowed because the referee stopped play when Mitchell was hurt. Henrique gave Windsor a 3-1 lead at 1:02 of the third period when Ryan Ellis' shot was knocked down at the hashmarks in the Plymouth zone, but the puck pinballed to Henrique and he scored from the lower rim of the left circle.

Plymouth cut the lead to 3-2 on a power play goal by Caria at 6:01, when he followed up his own rebound at the right side of the Windsor goal. The goal was set up when defenseman Brett Bellemore carried the puck from the left point in the Windsor zone to the left goal line. Plymouth continued to pressure and Whalers Head Coach Mike Vellucci pulled Hackett with 0:43 left for the sixth attacker. But the puck was cleared out of the Windsor and Henrique picked up the puck and scored from neutral territory.

Windsor - the top team in the Canadian Hockey League this season - outshot Plymouth, 44-34.

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