News Release

       Contact: Pete Krupsky                                                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

       Phone: (734) 453-8400                                                Saturday, February 16, 2008

             TOP-RANKED KITCHENER DEFEATS UP-and-COMING WHALERS, 2-1

PLYMOUTH – Mikkel Boedker scored a pair of third period goals as the Kitchener Rangers defeated the Plymouth Whalers, 2-1, in an Ontario Hockey League game played Saturday night before 3,337 at Compuware Arena.

Kitchener – the top team in the Ontario Hockey League and the number one ranked team in the 62-team Canadian Hockey League – improved its record to a league best 43-9-1-2, good for 89 points. In winning, the Rangers showed why they are the top team in the Canadian Hockey League.

The Kitchener-Waterloo Record also has a game story.

But the young Whalers – last year’s OHL champions – showed why they aren’t far away from the veteran Rangers in losing. 

Plymouth gave Kitchener all they could handle over the final two periods and is now 31-22-2-2, good for 66 points.

Chris Terry scored the lone Whaler goal (his team-leading 37th of the year), also in the third period.

The game was scoreless through the first two periods and was a goaltenders' battle between Plymouth’s Jeremy Smith and Kitchener’s Josh Unice. Smith – from Brownstown and a Nashville Predators Draft – emerged as the game’s first star in defeat, stopping 36-of-38 shots. Unice – from Holland, OH and a Chicago Blackhawks draft choice – was the game’s second star, stopping 23-of-24 shots. Boedker was the game’s third star with two goals.

Smith was particularly sharp in the first period when Kitchener outshot Plymouth, 13-2. The Whalers started to turn the game around in the second period, but Unice stopped all nine Plymouth shots in the second frame.

Boedker gave Kitchener a 1-0 lead at 3:05 of the third period when he skated with speed on the left wing into the Plymouth zone, cut to the left goal line and deflected the puck past Smith. The Whalers tied the game at 1-1 at 5:12 of the period on a power play on Terry’s one-timer from the left wing on an empty Kitchener net after Unice stopped Brett Bellemore’s shot from the right point but allowed a rebound.

Boedker scored the game-winner at 8:16 of the third period when linemates Justin Azevedo and Mike Duco kept the play alive and Boedker redirected Duco’s shot past Smith. Smith got most of the shot, but it trickled over the goal line.

Kitchener outshot Plymouth, 38-24.

After playing in Windsor on Thursday, Plymouth hosts Brampton on Friday and Sault Ste. Marie next Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at Compuware Arena. Tickets can be purchased for all Plymouth games by calling the Compuware Arena at (734) 453-8400 or by going to Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com.

About the Plymouth Whalers

The Plymouth Whalers are the only Metro Detroit team in the Ontario Hockey League, a developmental league for National Hockey League players. The Whalers all range in age from 15-21 years-old and are consistently one of the top teams in the OHL. In 2006-07, the Whalers won the OHL Championship.   www.plymouthwhalers.com

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