THREE-GOAL THIRD PERIOD THE DIFFERENCE IN PLYMOUTH’S 6-5 WIN OVER WINDSOR

Whalers and Windsor Meet on Labor Day at 2pm at Windsor Arena

PLYMOUTH – Tied with Windsor at 3-3 after two periods, the Plymouth Whalers scored three goals in the third period to upend the Spitfires, 6-5, in the first preseason game for each team played Saturday afternoon at Compuware Arena. A good crowd of 1,500 saw a see-saw game that featured reasonable flow.

Whalers Joe Gaynor (left) and Ryan Hayes (right) celebrate the Whalers 2nd goal in a 6-5 victory over the Windsor Spitfires.

Veteran Chris Terry (1-3) led the Plymouth attack with a four-point afternoon, while Vern Cooper scored twice and Ryan Hayes (1-1), Beau Schmitz (Howell, MI) and Kaine Geldart scored one each. Eric Wellwood (2-1) scored twice for Windsor and Andrew Yogan, Greg Nemisz and Tyson Issac each had one goal.

Schmitz scored an unassisted goal at 6:10 of the third period to give the Whalers a 4-3 lead – a lead they held the rest of the way. On the play, Schmitz (Plymouth’s first round pick in 2007) skated from neutral ice into the Windsor zone on the left wing, cut to the Windsor net from the left goal line and stuffed the puck past Windsor goaltender Stephen Gleeson. Terry then gave the Whalers their first two-goal lead of the afternoon at 5-3 at 8:32 of the period when he redirected a rebound from a shot by RJ Mahalak (Monroe) past Gleeson.

Trailing 5-4 in the final minute of regulation, Windsor head coach Bob Boughner pulled goaltender Gleeson, but the Whalers broke up a Windsor rush in the Plymouth zone and Terry found Geldart breaking into Windsor territory for the empty-netter at 19:24. Isaac came back just 10 seconds later with a goal for the final score of 6-5.

Plymouth outshot Windsor, 52-43.

The Whalers and Spits meet again Monday afternoon at 2pm at Windsor Arena.