Sellout Crowd Sees Whalers Beat the Soo, 8-0

PLYMOUTH-The Plymouth Whalers defeated the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 8-0 in an Ontario Hockey League game played Saturday night at . The Whalers broke open a scoreless game with two goals in 21 seconds late in the first period and extended the lead with two more goals in 53 seconds early in the second period.

The first sellout crowd of the season—3,915 people—saw the Whalers move into sole possession of third place in the Western Conference race with a record of 12-6-2-1, good for 27 points, one point ahead of Sault Ste. Marie (13-8-0-0). 

Plymouth has won three in a row, and five of its past six (5-0-0-1 during that span). The team is now 7-2-0-1 in its past 10 games.

The forward line of Mitchell Heard, J.T. Miller and Tom Wilson did much of the offensive damage for Plymouth, and the linemates were named stars in the game. Heard scored two goals (10-11) and added two assists. Miller scored two goals (10-11) and added one assist. Wilson scored the first goal of the game (4) and contributed two assists.

The Heard-Miller-Wilson combination received plenty of help from other Whalers. Dario Trutmann (4), Garrett Meurs (7) and Alex Aleardi (10) scored single goals for the Whalers, and netminder Scott Wedgewood recorded his second shutout of the season and fifth of his career.

The Soo came into the game shorthanded with injuries and with four members of the team suspended due to fighting last night at the end of a 4-3 victory in London. Defensemen Joe Rogalski and Colin Miller and forwards Alex Morgan and Nick Cousins (the Soo's leading scorer) all missed the game due to suspensions, while forwards Andrew Fritsch, Chad Thibodeau and Michael Kantor were injured. The Greyhounds dressed nine forwards and five regular defensemen with captain Carson Dubchak (normally a center) helping out on the Soo blue line.

The Whalers—playing with a normal rotation of 12 forwards and six defensemen—wore down the 'Hounds.

It took 18 minutes of the first period, but the Whalers broke through on Wilson's goal at 18:11 to take a 1-0 lead, which was set up by Heard. Wilson accepted Heard's pass at the right circle and buried the puck past Sault Ste. Marie goaltender Jack Campbell from the lower rim of the circle. Trutmann scored 0:21 later at 18:32 on a scramble in front of the blue paint with a shot that caromed around the inside of the net and back out. After a video review by referees Joe Celestin and Joel Washkurac, the goal stood.

Plymouth took a 3-0 lead at 0:18 of the second period when Miller skated to the Soo slot and blew the puck past Campbell, who did appear to be set for the shot. Fifty-three seconds later, Meurs accepted Rickard Rakell's pass from the slot and lifted the puck, top-shelf, past Campbell at 1:11. Miller kept things rolling at 3:24, batting home a rebound on a backhand shot for his second goal of the night.

Aleardi got his 10th of the season at 13:36 to give the Whalers a 6-0 lead on a nifty play by Whalers captain Beau Schmitz, who skated to the right circle in the Soo zone and found Aleardi camped at the left wing side of the 'Hounds goal. Aleardi made no mistake on a tap-in at the side of the goal. Heard completed the scoring in the period at 15:42 on a power play. His shot from the high slot went off a Soo stick and deflected, five-hole, past Campbell.

Matt Murray took over in goal for Campbell at the start of the third period and Heard completed the scoring at 7:17.

Plymouth outshot Sault Ste. Marie, 38-30.

The Whalers remain home Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., hosting Erie (1:50 p.m.,www.plymouthwhalers.com) at Compuware Arena.

FRIDAY: Plymouth 8, Guelph 4.

Whalers race to a 5-2 lead after twenty minutes in Guelph.