News Release
Contact: Pete Krupsky FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Phone: (734) 453-8400 Wednesday, January 9, 2008
WHALERS’ BLUE COLLAR EFFORT NETS 4-2 VICTORY IN SAGINAW
SAGINAW – Chris Terry scored a pair of goals in the first period, Joe Gaynor and Kaine Geldart added single goals in the second period and Matt Hackett stopped 31-of-33 shots as the Plymouth Whalers defeated the Saginaw Spirit, 4-2, in an Ontario Hockey League game played Wednesday night before 2,718 at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw.
Plymouth has won two in a row and improves to 22-13-2-2, good for 48 points and third place in the OHL’s West Division, four points behind second-place Windsor (22-10-5-3) and 11 points behind first place Sault Ste. Marie (28-10-1-2). Saginaw is now 18-16-3-1. The Whalers remain fourth overall in the Western Conference.
Jack Combs (28) and Ryan McDonough (25) scored second period goals for Saginaw.
Plymouth held a clear territorial edge in the first period, outshooting Saginaw 14-6. Terry gave Plymouth a 1-0 lead at 7:58 of the first period when he accepted Joe McCann’s pass from the right wing and beat Spirit goaltender Ryan Daniels with a one-timer from the left circle. Terry scored his second of the night and team-leading 28th of the year at 13:31 when he banked a shot from the right goal line off a Saginaw defender’s skate and past Daniels.
Saginaw picked up their play perceptibly in the second period, but the Whalers took a 3-0 lead at 9:17 of the period on good work by the line of McCann, Gaynor and Brett Valliquette when they kept the play alive deep in the Saginaw zone and Gaynor banked a shot from the left boards off Daniels for his third goal of the season. Saginaw cut into the Plymouth lead when Combs scored on a penalty shot at 10:45 and McDonough deflected Nick Crawford’s point shot at 12:36. But the Whalers came right back to re-establish a two-goal lead at 4-2 on a power play at 13:11 when Geldart tipped AJ Jenks’ shot from the right circle past Daniels for his eighth goal of the season.
The third period was scoreless. Saginaw outshot Plymouth, 33-30.
Hackett – playing in place of goaltender Jeremy Smith, who returned to Plymouth on Monday after playing for the United States in the World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic – won his third game over the last seven days.
Smith has been given some time off and is expected to be ready for action Friday night when the Whalers return to action in Sarnia against the Sting. Michal Jordan – who played for the Czech Republic in the WJC – played for Plymouth tonight and skated well with defense partner Christian Steingraber.
After Friday’s game in Sarnia, the Whalers are back home at Compuware Arena this Saturday at 7:05 p.m. against Erie. 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.
About Compuware Arena
Compuware Arena is home to the 2007 Ontario Hockey League Champion Plymouth Whalers, the Major Indoor Soccer League’s Detroit Ignition, the Compuware Arena Drive-In Theatres, the MHSAA Boys State Hockey Championships and eight AAA Compuware Hockey youth teams. Compuware Arena serves more than one million patrons each year, and is located in Plymouth, Michigan. www.compuwarearena.com
-END-