Photos by Rena Laverty - (1) Matt Mistele (white jersey, 22) ties the game in the third period. Will Bitten (white jersey, 41) scores in the second period.
The Whalers didn’t start or finish they game like they wanted to on Saturday night against Sarnia at Compuware Arena and it cost them the game.
Plymouth fought back to tie the game at 2-2 in the third period, only to see a turnover in their own zone end up behind Whalers goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic in an eventual 4-2 Sarnia victory.
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Plymouth is now 10-14-1-1; Sarnia has won four in a row and is 12-11-1-1.
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ADDITIONAL COVERAGE - Tim Smith, Plymouth Observer and Eccentric.
On the game-winning goal, Nikita Korostelev intercepted a clearing pass at the lower rim of the left circle and buried the puck past Nedeljkovic to regain Sarnia’s lead. The goal is Korostelev’s team-leading 14th of the year.
The Sting dominated the first period in building a 2-0 lead – both goals by first star Daniel Nikandrov.
His first goal came at 0:59 at the first period on a scramble around the Plymouth net. With bodies clogging the Plymouth blue crease, Nikandrov found the puck behind the Plymouth goal and stuffed it by Nedeljkovic.
Nikandrov’s second goal came shorthanded. He found a Plymouth pass up the middle and not at the point, skated through neutral territory and into the Plymouth zone and beat Nedeljkovic at 14:27 of the first period.
Sarnia had a wide edge in the play in the first period and outshot Plymouth, 10-5.
The Sting continued to roll at the beginning of the second period, but Plymouth slowly fought back. Bitten literally used his head to score for the Whalers at 8:36 to cut the Sarnia lead to 2-1.
The play started with Sonny Milano and the right-wing half wall and he passed to Josh Wesley at the right point. Wesley’s shot was stopped by Sarnia goaltender Justin Fazio, but the rebound pinballed off Bitten’s helmet and into the goal.
The goal seemed to spark Plymouth. Trailing, 2-1, at the start of their third period, the Whalers outshot Sarnia, 17-7 and finally tied the game at 2-2 at the end of a power play when Mistele capped constant pressure in the Sarnia zone with a shot from the right circle to tie the game.
That set the stage for Korostelev’s winner.
Plymouth didn’t quit. Both teams called time out at various points of the late stage of the third period – Plymouth with 1:33 seconds left and Sarnia with 42.8 seconds left. Milano had a glorious opportunity to score – going hard to the net off the faceoff – but shot the puck over the goal.
The Whalers continued to pressure, but Lindberg sealed the game for Sarnia with an empty net goal with six seconds left.
Plymouth plays in Mississauga next Friday (7:30 pm, 88.1FM, WSDP) and returns home next Saturday to host London in the Whalers annual Teddy Tear Toss game at 7:05 pm at Compuware Arena (7 pm, 88.1FM WSDP).
