2004-05: YOUNG GUNS PROVIDE EXCITEMENT

The season started abruptly off the ice when Whalers assistant general and associate coach Alex Roberts resigned in August of 2004 to pursue private business and spend time with his young family.

Plymouth President, General Manager and Head Coach Mike Vellucci named Todd Watson the team's new assistant general and associate coach and Greg Stefan the Whalers' new assistant coach/director of player personnel.

“I've worked with Todd Watson for nearly ten years, both in the North American Hockey League and now in the Ontario Hockey League,” Vellucci said. “He's a quality young coach who brings passion to the rink. Greg Stefan brings the same passion and enthusiasm to the rink, too. We're excited to have them both on board in their expanded roles.”

As with every season, there were questions on the ice to be answered.

Goaltender Ryan Nie had an excellent training camp and earned the number one job in goal for Plymouth .

“He earned the opportunity,” Vellucci said. “He's worked hard, was outstanding in the playoffs last year and was excellent in backing up Paul Drew.”

“I've been handed a big role this year,” Nie admitted in training camp. “I worked real hard this summer to get ready for the season. I was in the gym every day to get bigger, faster and stronger for the season.”

“Nie's a great team guy who has paid his dues,” said Stefan. “He didn't complain about his lack of ice time during his first two years here. The guys like him and they want to play well for him. You have to give Nie credit for coming in and preparing like a professional and being ready for his opportunity.”

Veteran John Vigilante looked forward to the season as a potential leader.

“It's a totally different circumstance for me this year,” said Vigilante. “I came in the last two years with guys like (Ryan) Ramsay, (Chad) LaRose and (Karl) Stewart as the leaders, and I looked up to them and learned from them. Now, you come in as one of the older guys and you want to try to set the same example.”

Although the Whalers took defenseman Michael Kolarz in the 2004 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, he was traded during training camp to Kingston for future considerations. With Imports Jonas Fielder and Vaclav Meidl already filling the Whalers' quota of two Imports, Kolarz found a home with the Frontenacs.

With the graduation of Canadian Hockey League Defenseman of the Year James Wisniewski , Plymouth needed to find a couple of defenseman. The week the season started, Vellucci acquired Mike Looby from Sault Ste. Marie for a conditional draft choice and Steve Ward from Sarnia for Jordan Grant.

Steve Ward (above) played very well after being

acquired from Sarnia for Jordan Grant.

Plymouth started the season without leading scorer John Mitchell, who injured his back at Toronto Maple Leafs' pro camp, but got a lift in the home opener from the line of young guns Vaclav Meidl, James Neal and Dan Collins in a 5-1 victory over Saginaw Sept. 25. The line scored three goals and five assists between them to break the game open.

“Our average age is just under 18, so we're a real young team compared to some around the Ontario Hockey League,” said Vellucci. “Just because you're young doesn't mean you're notgoing to be good. We have a lot of skill with our young guys. The skill is what's going to make us a better team.”

“Collins and Meidl are both a year older and they need to be ready to play every night and score for us. Andrew Fournier and Neal played their 10 and nine games for us last year and did well for us. The grind of a long season's going to take hold of these guys and they have to learn to be consistent. We're counting on young guys to produce. It's going to be a long haul here and we need to just get better and better as time goes on.”

Young players Collins (25 goals with 21 assists for 46 points), Neal (18-26-44), Meidl (12-16-28),

Fournier (6-9-15 in 34 game before getting hurt), Ward (5-13-18) and Ryan McGis (0-6-6) all played major roles the Whalers in 2004-05 and are expected to improve in 2005-06.

Plymouth also got good work in 2004-05 from overages Jonas Fiedler (19-18), Tim Sestito (14-18) and Mike Knight (8-40-48).

Jonas Fiedler drives hard to the net to score against Guelph.

Fiedler and Sestito completed their respective careers with the Whalers as fan favorites.

“Fiedler brings so much character and stability to the locker room,” Vellucci said. “He's just a

 quality individual – he played hurt all of last year and never complained once even though you

could the pain in his eyes. He would go out and get into a fight or score a goal or make a big hit, even though he was hurt. Sestito brings the same thing to the team

“With a young team, what do you need? You need character and leadership and those two guysare going to be our leaders.”

 “Jonas earned the respect of his teammates right away because he's of those players who gives everything he has on every shift. He works hard on and off the ice and other players feed off that.”

Rookie goaltender Justin Garay made his OHL debut against the eventual league champion and Memorial Cup - winning London Knights Oct.1 before a sellout crowd of 8,792 at the John Labatt Centre. Although the Whalers lost, 5-4, in overtime, Garay's debut was a success.

"When they told me the first game I was going to play was in London, I was really excited,” Garay said. “I was pretty nervous, but once you get out there and make your first save, the nervousness gets behind you and you just go out and play. My teammates were out there to help me out. It was good to get out there.”

Corey Perry was the first star of the game for London, figuring in on all five Knights goals with two goals and three assists. On both goals, Perry – an Anaheim draft choice – used his long reach to work around Plymouth defenders and then stuffed the puck by Garay. "At first, the crowd was a little intimidating, but once you make the first save and get into your zone, you don't hear anything,” he said. “All you do is concentrate on the puck. You're so into the game you really can't hear anything.”

The Whalers came back 1-0, 2-1 and 4-2 deficits to tie game three times, only to lose. Tim Sestito scored twice for Plymouth, while Neal and Mike Letizia scored single goals.

“My teammates really supported me, so it makes it a lot easier for you, knowing the team's behind you,” Garay explained. “When they come back every time, it give you a lot of confidence, because once you give up a goal, the team will help you out. It helps you a lot.”

The Whalers' first winning streak of the season came in dramatic fashion. After defeating Kitchener, 4-1 on Oct. 9, Mike Knight's goal 0:52 into overtime (see picture below) proved to be the game-winner in a come-from-behind, 5-4 victory over Saginaw.

Good Knight, now! Whalers win in overtime, 5-4, over Saginaw Oct. 9

With Mitchell returning that weekend, Plymouth 's roster was starting to take shape. Nie led the OHL in goals against and save percentage through the first month of the season and Collins emerged as the Whalers' leading scorer early on.

“Collins is going to be one of our go-to guys this year,” Mitchell said after the Saginaw victory. “He's got a great shot, good speed and all the tools to become a great player. If he keeps plugging away, he'll be great for us.”

The following weekend, Plymouth got a foreshadowing of how good rookie Cory Tanaka could be, when he made his first OHL goal a game-winner in a 3-2 victory over Kingston Oct. 16. Tanaka scored on a breakaway on Kingston goaltender Dayne Davis with 7:04 remaining in regulation.

“I got the puck at center ice and used my speed to go wide on the defenseman,” said Tanaka. “I took it to the net and waited for the goalie to make a move and put it top shelf.”

Plymouth pelted Kingston with a season-high 48 shots on goal.

After losing three games on an Eastern Ontario road swing, Plymouth got back on track with a 2-1 win Oct. 29 against Ottawa. Collins scored the game-winner on a partial breakaway midway through the second period for the win, while Nie stopped 32 of 33 shots for his sixth victory of the season.

The Whalers decided to rotate the team captaincy, with Mitchell and Tim Sestito each wearing the “C”. Sestito seemed to thrive in the role and was tied with Collins for the team lead through the first half-month of the season with five goals. He worked well on a line early in the season with fellow Americans Collins and Vigilante. “I never came into the year thinking I'd put up five goals as quick as I did,” Sestito said. “I'm not a gifted scorer like a Chad LaRose or a Stephen Weiss. I have a decent shot here and there, for all the chances I get."

Mitchell and Vigilante broke slumps Nov. 17 in Owen Sound in a 2-2 tie with the Attack. Both veterans scored their third goals of the season in the tie.

Plymouth started to pick up the pace offensively in 3-1 victories over Erie and Sault Ste. Marie Nov. 19-20.

Vigilante and Collins scored in each game and Fournier and Neal also scored. Nie was a star in each game as the Whalers moved into second place in the OHL West with a record of 8-9-4-2.

Neal's game-winner against the Soo was a beauty, as he walked out of the right wing corner and beat goaltender Kyle Gajewski.

“I beat the first defenseman behind the net and Gino (Pisellini) picked the other defenseman,” Neal said. “That left me with the other centerman. But they gave me a lot of room and I was able to see a lot of the net.”

Plymouth picked up left wing Ryan Stephenson from Kingston Nov. 23 for a future draft choice.

Moving into December, the Whalers continued to chase Sault Ste. Marie at the top of the OHL West. After spotting Mississauga an early 1-0 lead Dec. 3, the Whalers came storming back to beat the IceDogs, 5-1. Mitchell and Tim Sestito scored shorthanded goals in the first period to give the Whalers their first lead of the game. Fiedler, Meidl and Vigilante scored later in the game to ice the victory.

The win was dedicated to Looby, who returned home to Brampton to attend the funeral for the death of his father. A number of Whalers – including Vellucci – made the mid-week trip to Brampton to attend the funeral.

On Dec.7, Plymouth dealt veteran defenseman Erik Lundmark to Saginaw for a 7th round draft choice in the 2006 OHL Draft.

The Whalers went into December winless on the road, but broke the streak with a 3-1 victory in Sarnia Dec. 10. A new forward line of Ryan Stephenson, John Armstrong and Tanaka led Plymouth offensively in the win, with Stephenson and Armstrong scoring a goal each and Vigilante adding some insurance.

Ryan Nie's great save on Sarnia's Michael Haley late in the third period helped the Whalers

to their first road win in 2004-05, Dec. 10 in Sarnia.

The next night, Tanaka scored on another breakaway on Teddy Bear Night at the Compuware Sports Arena in a 6-3 loss to Owen Sound. Officially 514 teddy bears were picked up at the game and donated to charity.

Plymouth finished the first half of the season winning three out of four on the road and stood 14-14-4-2 at the Christmas Break.

Although it was Kids Day Dec. 28 against Brampton, veterans led Plymouth out of the Christmas Break in a 6-2 victory over Brampton. Mitchell was the game's first star with a pair of goals, Fiedler figured in a couple of goals and Knight added two assists and a strong defensive effort on the Plymouth blue line. The victory gave Plymouth a three-game winning streak and put them in a temporary tie for first place with the Soo.

Fournier suffered a season-ending injury with a sliced Achilles' tendon in the Brampton win when he collided with Brampton defenseman Phil Oreskovic.

Plymouth opened the New Year with a 6-3 victory in Saginaw to move into first place in the OHL West with a record of 16-14-4-3, one point ahead of Sault Ste. Marie. Neal's goal 18 ticks into the period snapped a 3-3 tie and stood as the game-winner. Fiedler, Collins, Mitchell, Looby and Meidl all added singles for Plymouth. Looby's goal in the game was his third in three games.

Veteran John Mitchell set the Whalers' franchise record for games played with 258.

He is the seventh on the all-time scoring list with 230 points.

Plymouth won two out of three on their annual Northern Ontario road swing. After losing, 3-1, Jan. 6 in Barrie, the Whalers beat Sudbury, 3-2 in overtime the next night and then shut out Sault Ste. Marie, 3-0, before a sellout crowd at the Sault Memorial Gardens.

Trailing 2-1 in Sudbury, Plymouth tied the game midway in the third period on Meidl's goal and then won it in overtime on Collins' spectacular end-to-end rush when he beat Wolves' goaltender Patrick Ehelechner top shelf. Nie pitched his first shutout of the season in the Soo as the Whalers got goals from Stepehenson, Letizia and Vigilante. Mitchell was excellent going head-to-head in defending Soo star Jeff Carter.

The Whalers made one deal at the annual OHL trading deadline, sending defenseman Craig Cescon to Mississauga along with a draft choice in exchange for Ryan Lee and a second round draft choice in 2005.

Plymouth padded its lead in the OHL West with a 7-4 victory over Guelph Jan. 15 before 3,672 at the Compuware Sports Arena. Collins' power play goal at 2:41 of the third period was the game-winner; Meidl and Fiedler scored two goals apiece, while Stephenson and Tanaka added singles. The seven goals in the game was a high water mark for the Whalers in 2004-05.

Nie was voted to the OHL All-Star game, played Feb. 2 in Owen Sound. At the time of his selection, Nie had played 37 games, was fifth in the OHL with a 2.45 goals-against average and fifth in the league with a .919 save percentage. Neal and Collins were named to the 2005 Canadian Hockey League Home Hardware Prospects Game, played in Vancouver. At the time, Neal had 15 goals with 18 assists for 33 points in 42 games; Collins 15 goals with 12 assists for 27 points through 43 games.

After losing home games to Owen Sound (3-2) and Barrie (2-0), the Whalers needed a lift and got it from Collins, who scored his first-ever hat trick for Plymouth in a 5-3 win over Sarnia Jan. 22. Vigilante and Mitchell also scored in the victory while Garay relieved the starter Nie midway through the game and pitched a shutout the rest of the way.

Whalers celebrate Dan Collins' first of three goals Jan. 22

See-sawing back-and-forth with Sault Ste. Marie, the Whalers moved backed into first place Jan. 28 with a 5-0 win over Saginaw. Nie stopped 33 shots en route to his second shutout of the season. Mitchell scored twice and added three assists for a five-point night. Vigilante scored his 16th goal of the season and added three assists while Ward scored twice.

Ward continued to play well against Saginaw when he scored the equalizer with 2:01 left in regulation Jan. 30 in a 4-4 tie. Mitchell finished a stretch when he scored his 20th of the season. In all, he figured on 8 of the 10 goals the Whalers scored on the weekend.

Plymouth moved into February still battling for first place, remaining tied with the Soo in spite of a 6-3 loss to Toronto Feb. 5. The Whalers rebounded then next weekend in a 5-1 win over Saginaw Feb. 11 and a 6-3 win over Windsor the next night – their first win over Windsor in six games during the year.

IInjuries hit the Whalers' defensive group in the that time frame, but Zack Shepley stepped up playing his best hockey of the season, scoring his first-ever OHL goal in the Saginaw victory. Shepley was a healthy scratch part of the season, but played well when given the opportunity.

“Zack's been good about his situation and has worked very hard,” said Vellucci. “He's been our most improved guy on our team since the start of the season. He's a great kid and deserves all the credit.”

Plymouth remained in a first-place tie with a 3-1 win in Guelph Feb. 18. Tanaka and Vigilante scored shorthanded goals 47 seconds apart to pace the victory.

The Whalers hosted Sault Ste. Marie in a first place showdown Feb. 19 at the Compuware Sports Arena. Brody Todd's hat trick paced the Soo in a 6-2 victory over the Whalers to give them a two-point lead in the OHL West.

Sault Ste. Marie would eventually pull away and win the West Division.

Plymouth's five-year unbeaten streak ended in Erie Feb. 27 in a 5-2 loss to the Otters. The Whalers had gone 16-0-3 in Erie since March 1, 1998 up to the game.

Rookie Cory Tanaka became a fan favorite with his hustle and scoring over the second half of the season. Put on a line with Tim Sestito and Fiedler, Tanaka scored six goals in eight games going into March to give Plymouth another quality scorer.

Cory Tanaka provided a spark over the second half.

"They all have speed,” Vellucci said about the line. “Cory's played very well of late. He's played well defensively and he's created offensive opportunities with his speed. He deserve the ice time.”

“Hard work does it for me,” Tanaka said. “I knew coming in the league this year I wouldn't get a lot of ice time to start. But I knew if I continued to work hard with ice time I got and gave one hundred percent in practice, the coaches would give me a chance.”

The Whalers' played their 1000th game in franchise history March 10, losing 5-2 in Windsor against the Spitfires, giving them a record of 542-356-86-16. They officially clinched a playoff berth with a 3-1 win in Erie Mar. 11 and a 2-0 shutout over the Soo Mar. 13.

Plymouth finished the regular season with perhaps the most exciting game of the season when a sellout crowd of 3,916 saw the Whalers beat the Canadian Hockey League's top team, the London Knights, 4-3. Vigilante, Sestito, Meidl and Fiedler scored the goals, while Garay earned the game's second star with a gutty performance.

The Whalers finished the regular season at 30-29-6-3.

Plymouth drew Owen Sound in the playoffs. In spite of the fact the Whalers played the Attack tough during the regular season, Owen Sound swept Plymouth in four games, eliminating the Whalers, 7-2 on March 31.

Plymouth's elimination from the playoffs didn't overshadow the face that the Whalers shattered an all-time attendance mark at the Compuware Sports Arena in 2004-05. Plymouth drew 109,699 fans over 34 regular season games for an average of 3,324 per game. The team drew 12 sellouts.

Plymouth held its season-ending Awards Banquet April 5. The following awards were handed out:

Regular Season Most Valuable Player – Ryan Nie – 2.56 goals against, .914 save percentage, 3 shutouts in 57 games

Regular Season Scoring Leader – John Mitchell – 25 goals, 50 assists for 75 points. His 258 regular season career games is a new franchise record. A draft choice of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mitchell was signed by Toronto and should play for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League in 2005-06. Mitchell's 230 career points put him 7th on the all-time scoring list.

Best Defenseman – Mike Knight, with 8 goals and 40 assists points in 64 games.

Scholar Athlete – Tim Sestito, who attended Schoolcraft Community College on a full-time basis while playing and maintained a 3.0 GPA.

Rookie of the Year – James Neal.

Most Improved Player – Dan Collins.

Labatt Blue Collar Player of the Year – Cory Tanaka.

Alice Iafrate Award (Overage Player of the Year) – Tim Sestito.

Whalers' Booster Club Player of the Year – Tim Sestito.

Whalers' Booster Club Grinder of the Year – Cory Tanaka.

Whalers' Booster Club Scholastic Player of the Year – John Vigilante.

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