News Release

       Contact: Pete Krupsky                                                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

       Phone: (734) 453-8400                                                Saturday, February 23, 2008

              SOO CLOSE – GREYHOUNDS DEFEAT PLYMOUTH, 2-1, IN SHOOTOUT

PLYMOUTH – The Ontario Hockey League playoffs do not start for another month.  But the Plymouth Whalers and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds played a game with a playoff atmosphere Saturday night before 3,211 at Compuware Arena.

Brandon MacLean’s shootout goal gave the first place Sault Ste. Marie (now 38-15-2-4, 82 points) a 2-1 victory over Plymouth (now 32-22-2-3, 69 points).

There was no scoring through the first two periods as Plymouth goaltender Jeremy Smith and Sault Ste. Marie Kyle Gajewski hooked up in a netminder’s duel.  In the end, Smith was the game’s first star in stopping 46-of-47 shots (including Matthew Lyall’s penalty shot at 13:00 of the second period) and Gajewski the second star in stopping 35-of-36 shots.

Plymouth took a 1-0 lead at 10:18 of the third period on Vern Cooper’s 17th goal of the year. Gajewski stopped Ryan Hayes’ shot from the right wing and Cooper batted home the rebound into an empty net from the left circle.  Michael Fine tied the game at 11:21 of the period with his eighth goal of the season as he redirected Wayne Simmonds’ pass from the right boards in the Plymouth zone past Smith at the right doorstep.

Sault Ste. Marie outshot Plymouth, 48-36, through 65 minutes.

After a scoreless overtime, the Greyhound sandwiched shootout goals by Matt Caria and MacLean around Smith saves on Dustin Jeffrey, Fine and Simmonds.  Plymouth got a shootout goal from Hayes, but Gajewski denied Chris Terry, Andrew Fournier, AJ Jenks and Joe McCann.

After playing in Sarnia next Friday, Plymouth in home next Saturday against Belleville at 7:05 p.m. and Sun. Mar.2 against Saginaw at 2:00 p.m. 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

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