News Release

 

Contact: Pete Krupsky FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Phone: (734) 453-8400 Saturday, January 6, 2007

RELOADED SAGINAW DEFEATS PLYMOUTH, 6-2

 

PLYMOUTH – Jan Mursak scored twice and the Saginaw Spirit never trailed in defeating the Plymouth Whalers, 6-2, in an Ontario Hockey League game played Saturday night before 3,296 at the Compuware Sports Arena.

 

The loss was Plymouth’s first in regulation since Nov. 18 when Kingston defeated the Whalers, 5-2. Plymouth went 13-0-1-2 during that time frame and remains in first place in the OHL West with a record of 25-11-1-2, good for 53 points. Saginaw (now 25-12-0-2) is right behind Plymouth in second place with 52 points.

 

Mursak scored twice and has 16 goals on the season. Ryan McDonough (22), Patrick McNeill (16), Nigel Williams (12) and Patrick Asselin (17) scored one each. Saginaw newcomers Cody Bass (three assists), Andrew Hotham (two assists) and Mitch Maunu (two assists) – all playing their first game first Saginaw in OHL trade deadline deals – all had an impact. The Final OHL Trade Deadline is 6:00 p.m. on January 10.

 

Andrew Fournier (8) and Tom Sestito (24) scored for Plymouth. The Whalers trailed 5-0 after two periods of play and scored twice in the third period.

 

Saginaw outshot Plymouth, 42-30, with Spirit goaltender Ryan Daniels picking up his 23rd victory over the season, third in the OHL. Michal Neuvirth started in goal for Plymouth and had his shutout string snapped at 164:18 after Mursak opened the scoring at 8:16 of the first period. Neuvirth came into the game with two consecutive shutouts. Neuvirth’s shutout streak is the second longest in Whalers history, behind Ron Zepp’s 182:13 from Jan. 21-29, 2000.

 

Neuvirth was lifted after McDonough gave Saginaw a 3-0 lead at 5:48 of the second period. In all, Neuvirth stopped 12-of-15 shots. Jeremy Smith played in relief of Neuvirth and went the rest of the way, stopping 10-of-12 shots, with Asselin’s final goal for Saginaw on the empty net.

 

Plymouth plays in Windsor Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. and plays in Saginaw on Friday before returning home to host Windsor next Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at the Compuware Sports Arena. Tickets are available by calling the Compuware Sports Arena at (734) 453-8400 or by going to Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com.