News Release

WHALERS EARN A 3-3 TIE WITH SARNIA ON LATE GOAL

Whalers Go to 2-0-2 on Preseason; Play in London Next Friday

PLYMOUTH – The Ontario Hockey League teams go to overtime and shootouts to decide games during the regular season, but the OHL goes old-school during the preseason and uses ties to decide games.

For the second straight game, the Plymouth Whalers came from behind in the third period to earn a tie with the Sarnia Sting. Jordon O’Neill’s goal at 15:09 of the third period proved to be the equalizer and the Whalers battled to a 3-3 tie against the Sarnia Sting in an OHL preseason game played Saturday afternoon at Compuware Arena. Plymouth is now 2-0-2 in the preseason; Sarnia is 1-1-2.

Plymouth and Sarnia played to a 2-2 tie Friday night at Sarnia Sports and Entertainment Centre using the same script when the Whalers’ Chris Terry scored the tying goal in the final minute of play.

On Saturday, Terry (3rd of the preseason) and Vern Cooper (team-leading fourth) scored the other Plymouth goals. Matt Martin, Ben O’Quinn and Nathan Chiarlitti replied for Sarnia in a game that featured no more than a one-goal differential the entire sixty minutes.

Martin (8:22) and Terry (17:29) traded power play goals in the first period. Sarnia sandwiched goals by O’Quinn (2:01) and Chiarlitti (14:04) around Cooper’s marker at 8:39 to lead 3-2 after forty minutes. Plymouth pressured the entire third period, outshooting Sarnia, 15-4, and capped good pressure to tie the game when O’Neill’s shot from the right circle through traffic beat Sting goaltender Johnathon MacQueen after it was knocked in by a Sarnia defenseman.

Plymouth outshot Sarnia, 39-28. Matt Hackett played the entire sixty minutes in goal for the Whalers, stopping 26-of-28 shots.  Shayne Campbell started in goal for Sarnia, stopping 18-of 20 shots through the first 31:06. MacQueen stopped 18-of-19 the rest of the way for Sarnia.

Plymouth scratches included Tyler J. Brown, Josh Bemis, Anthony Donati, Kaine Geldart, Austin Levi, Jeremy Smith (Nashville) and Tyler Seguin. Sarnia scratches included Andrew Perugini, Roman Bashkirov, Devin DiDiomete, Justin DiBenedetto, Steve Ferry, Mark Katic (NY Islanders) and Miroslav Preisinger.

The Whalers complete the preseason Friday, September 12 in London and then play the Knights on Saturday, September 13 in Strathroy, ON. Plymouth opens the regular season on Friday, September 19 at Kitchener and hosts Erie the next night at 7:05pm at Compuware Arena in the home opener.

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 and had seven players sign NHL contracts. www.plymouthwhalers.com

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