SAULT STE. MARIE, ON - David Miller's goal at 11:47 of the second period snapped a 2-2 tie and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds went on to defeat the Plymouth Whalers, 4-2, in an Ontario Hockey League game played Sunday before 4,230 at Essar Centre.
MORE COVERAGE - Peter Ruicci, Sault Star
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Connor Chatham (8th) and Matt Mistele (11th) scored for the Whalers, who had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 at different points in the game.
Besides Miller's 15th of the season, Patrick Watling (12th), Tyler Gaudet (18th) and Andrew Fritsch (21st) scored for Sault Ste. Marie, now 33-11-1-4, first place in the West Division.
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Plymouth is 17-25-0-5, good for 39 points and eighth place in the Western Conference race. The Whalers are three points ahead of Sarnia (15-27-1-5, 36 points), who lost, 8-7 in a shootout to Windsor, on Sunday.
Chatham scored the only goal of the first period to give Plymouth a 1-0 lead. The goal was set up by Vince Scognamiglio, who carried the puck the the lower rim of the right circle in the Soo zone and found Chatham the hashmarks, who made no mistake with the shot.
The Soo came back in the second period to tie the game. Watling - who missed on a 2-on-1 one-time earlier - did not miss on a second attempt as he was set up by Gaudet at 3:50.
Mistele regained the Whalers' lead to 2-1 at 8:55 of the second period, accepting Bryce Yetman's pass from the lower rim of the right circle and scoring just outside the Soo blue past Soo goaltender Matt Murray.
But Gaudet (the game's first star) tied the game at 2-2 at 10:55, wiring a shot from the left circle past Plymouth goaltender Zack Bowman. That set the stage for the eventual game-winner, as Jorgen Karterud controlled the puck through traffic at the left circle in the Plymouth zone and found Miller breaking to the hashmarks. Miller scored to give the Hounds their first lead at 11:47.
Plymouth had a golden oppotunity to tie the game late in the second period when the 'Hounds Tyler Ganly received a double minor for high sticking at 16:37 and Soo captain Darnell Nurse was also called for high sticking 17:34. But the Whalers didn't score on the five-on-three power play.
The Soo outshot Plymouth, 13-4, in the third period. Whalers head coach Mike Vellucci pulled Bowman for the extra attacker with about 1:10 remaining, but Fritsch scored on the empty net with 16.5 seconds left to ice the game for the Soo.
Sault Ste. Marie outshot Plymouth, 39-30, in the game.
Irregardless of the outcome of the games this weekend, the Whalers' First Star over the weekend was Plymouth bus driver Harold Doherty of Bianco Trials, who drove the team safely to Kitchener on Friday and Sault Ste. Marie and back on Saturday and Sunday evenings.
Plymouth is home next weekend, hosting Kingston on Friday and Belleville on Saturday. Both games start at 7:05 pm at Compuware Arena.
