News Release

       Contact: Pete Krupsky                                                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

       Phone: (734) 453-8400                                                Sunday, March 2, 2008

              PLYMOUTH VETS LEAD WHALERS TO A 5-2 VICTORY OVER SAGINAW  

PLYMOUTH – It’s often said that for teams to be successful, they have to be led by their best players. That’s what happened for the Plymouth Whalers this afternoon in a 5-2 victory over the Saginaw Spirit in an Ontario Hockey League game played before 2,841 at Compuware Arena.

Plymouth is now 33-24-2-3, good for 71 points and fifth seed in the tightly packed Western Conference playoff race. Saginaw is now 31-24-2-3, good for 69 points and sixth spot in the Western Conference playoff race. Guelph – tied with Saginaw – lost Sunday afternoon in Brampton, 3-1, and remains tied with Saginaw, also with 69 points. Sarnia – currently the eighth seed in the Western Conference with 68 points – hosts Kitchener tonight and could move ahead of Guelph and Saginaw if they can pick up at least one point against the top-ranked Rangers.

Leading scorer Chris Terry led the Whalers attack with two goals and two assists as the game’s first star and now has 43 goals with 53 assists for 96 points, fifth in scoring in the OHL. Terry now has 74 goals with 116 assists for 190 points in 194 career games for Plymouth, moving to 13th on the Whalers’ all-time list, ahead of former captain and current Chicago Blackhawk James Wisniewski (52-135-187). Overage center Andrew Fournier scored twice (33rd and 34th of the season) as the game’s second star. Overage right wing Joe McCann – celebrating his 21st birthday – scored a goal (12) and an assist as the game’s third star. Kyle Tront (4) and Jack Combs (40) replied for Saginaw.

Plymouth used the power play to jump out to a 3-0 lead after one period of play. After Combs was sent off for elbowing at 0:17 of the first period, Fournier batted home a rebound from the right doorstep nine seconds later to open the scoring. McCann scored another power play goal at 6:03 of the period when he redirected a rebound from the left doorstep past starting Saginaw goaltender Edward Pasquale. Terry then scored from center ice at 18:18 of the period when he wired a shot that handcuffed Pasquale.

Pasquale was replaced by Ryan Daniels at the start of the second period and Saginaw cut into the Plymouth lead on Tront’s goal at 13:50 and Combs’ re-direct off a rebound from a Ryan McDonough shot at 16:57. But Terry came right back give the Whalers a 4-2 lead at 18:17. Michal Jordan’s shot from the right point was knocked down in front of the Saginaw net, but Terry pounced on the loose puck and beat Daniels. Plymouth led, 4-2, after forty minutes.

Fournier completed the scoring at 1:43 of the third period after accepting Terry’s pass from behind the Saginaw net and burying the puck from the slot top-shelf past Daniels.

Saginaw outshot Plymouth, 38-35.

The Whalers play in Guelph next Friday and in Erie on Saturday. Plymouth’s next home game is Saturday, March 15 against Sarnia. 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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