Windsor specializes to 5-2 playoff victory over Plymouth

April 9, 2009 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


WINDSOR - Rob Kwiet and Scott Timmins scored power play goals in the second period to snap a 1-1 tie and the Windsor Spitfires went on to defeat the Plymouth Whalers, 5-2, in an Ontario Hockey League playoff game played Thursday before 6,496 at the Windsor Family Credit Union Centre.

Windsor leads the best-of-seven OHL Western Conference playoff series, three-games-to-two. Game Six will be played Saturday at 7:05pm at Compuware Arena; Game 7 (If necessary) will be played Monday at 7:00pm in Windsor.

Besides Kwiet (4th of the playoffs) and Timmins (2), Taylor Hall led the Windsor attack with a goal (9th of the playoffs) and two assists as the game's first star while Justin Shugg (2) and Greg Nemisz (6) added singles. RJ Mahalak (1) and Matt Caria (8) scored for Plymouth.

Similar to their victories in Games 2 and 3, the Spitfires enjoyed a territorial edge in the game, going two-for-eight on the power play and pelting Plymouth goaltender Matt Hackett with 61 shots on goal. Hackett - the game's third star - was outstanding in the game in stopping 55-of-60 shots.

Plymouth scored the first goal of the game, at 8:16 of the first period by Mahalak. Ryan Hayes set up the play, intercepting the puck with an effective forecheck along the right wing boards in the Windsor zone. Hayes found Mahalak at the right hashmark, who made no mistake with the shot over the shoulder of Windsor goaltender Andrew Engleage. The Whalers led, 1-0, after one period.

Windsor had a continual power play through much of the second period and outshot Plymouth, 29-4, in the frame. Hall tied the game on a scramble in front of Hackett at 3:27. Kwiet gave Windsor its first lead on a power play marker at 8:12, capping off prolonged pressure in the Plymouth zone with a back hand shot from the top of the left circle. Timmins increased Windsor's lead to 3-1 at 16:06 on another power play, scoring in a scramble on the left wing side of the Plymouth goal on a shot that Hackett got a piece of, but the puck trickled over the line.

In spite of all the Windsor pressure, Plymouth cut the Spitifire lead to 3-2 with 2:45 left in the third period when Plymouth captain Chris Terry held the puck in the Windsor zone at the left point and found Tyler G. Brown with a pass at the left side of the Windsor goal. Brown fed the puck across outside the crease to Matt Caria, who one-timed the puck past Engleage. But Nemisz came right back 22 seconds later, scoring from the lower rim of the right circle, top shelf and Shugg completed the scoring at 18:28, completing a two-on-one rush by scoring from the left wing.

Windsor outshot Plymouth, 61-22.



Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 9, 2009


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