News Release

Saturday, April 28, 2007

 PLYMOUTH DRAWS SUDBURY IN ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

PLYMOUTH – The Plymouth Whalers will play the Sudbury Wolves in the best-of-seven Rogers Ontario Hockey League Conference Championship Series, starting Friday, May 4 at 7:05 p.m. at the Compuware Sports Arena in Plymouth. 

The complete schedule is as follows:

Game 1 - Friday, May 4 at Plymouth, 7:05.
Game 2 - Sunday, May 6 at Plymouth, 3:00.
Game 3 - Tuesday, May 8 at Sudbury, 7:30.
Game 4 - Wednesday, May 9 at Sudbury, 7:30.

If Necessary:
Game 5 - Friday, May 11 at Plymouth, 7:05.
Game 6 - Sunday, May 13 at Sudbury, 3:00.
Game 7 - Tuesday, May 15 at Plymouth, 7:05.

Tickets are available by calling the Compuware Sports Arena box office at (734) 453-8400 or by going to Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com.

Plymouth – 49-14-2-3, 103 points during the regular season and second overall in the OHL – swept Guelph in four games, Kitchener in five games and London in five games to advance to the OHL Championship Series. Sudbury – 29-30-3-6, 67 points and sixth overall in the Eastern Conference – has caught fire in the playoffs, defeating Mississauga in five games, sweeping top-ranked Barrie in four games (winning three in overtime) and advancing to the finals in eliminating Belleville in six games. The Wolves have won six games in overtime in the playoffs.

Plymouth – coached by OHL Coach of the Year Mike Vellucci – has perhaps the deepest team in the OHL, led by eight National Hockey League draft choices – forwards James Neal (Dallas), Tom Sestito and Jared Boll (Columbus), Evan Brophey (Chicago), Daniel Ryder (Calgary) and Dan Collins (Florida), defenseman Ryan McGinnis (Los Angeles) and goaltender Michal Neuvirth (Washington). Neuvirth leads the OHL playoffs with a .942 save percentage.

Sudbury – coached by former Red Wing Mike Foligno – features Marc Staal (a first round pick of the New York Rangers) and Adam McQuaid (Columbus) on defense and center Nick Foligno (Ottawa). Goaltender Sebastian Dahm has played well in the OHL playoffs with a league-leading 12 wins, a 2.23 goals against average and .937 save percentage.

Plymouth and Sudbury split two games during the regular season, with the Whalers winning, 5-3, on December 8 at the Compuware Sports Arena and the Wolves winning, 4-2, on February 16 at the Sudbury Community Arena. Plymouth holds a 21-11-2 edge over Sudbury in the all-time season series dating back to 1990.

The Whalers and Wolves have met one other time in the playoffs. Plymouth – known then at the Detroit Jr. Red Wings – defeated Sudbury in seven games in the 1995 OHL semi-finals before winning the OHL Championship in 1995.

Plymouth has advanced to the Ontario Hockey League Championship Series five times in its 17-year history - 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001 and now 2007. Sudbury played in the OHL Championship Series previously in 1976.

The winner of the OHL Championship Series advances to the Canadian Hockey League’s MasterCard Memorial Cup Championship May 18-27, in Vancouver, BC.