Whalers Rebound, Hammer Sault Ste. Marie, 8-0

It would make sense that the Plymouth Whalers would be sluggish Saturday night against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. After all, the Whalers – coming off a lackluster 3-0 loss in Brampton on Thursday - were playing their fourth game this week and sixth game in nine days.

Think again.

The Whalers bounced back from a two-game losing streak emphatically on Saturday night, scoring four goals in the first period and four more in the second to shut out the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, 8-0, in an Ontario Hockey League game played before 3,008 at .

The Whalers improve to 31-12-2-1, good for 65 points and first place in the OHL West, second place in the Western Conference.  Sault Ste. Marie - fighting for their playoff lives - is 19-23-2-2, good for 42 points.  The 'Hounds sit eighth and in the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Offensive balance is the template for most Plymouth victories this season.  First-star Stefan Noesen scored a goal (20) and added two assists; second star J.T. Miller scored twice (14-15) and added an assist; Rickard Rakell scored twice (21-22) and Alex Aleardi (team-leading 26th), Andy Bathgate (15) and Beau Schmitz (12) all scored one goal each.  Defenseman Curtis Crombeen contributed three assists as the game's third star.

Plymouth played with energy and customary skill over the first two periods, winning one-on-one battles all over the ice.

“We’re playing our game tonight,” said Whalers defenseman Colin MacDonald in the second intermission after Plymouth led, 8-0.  “We’re doing all the little things right and playing Whaler Hockey – we’re getting puck deep, finishing our checks, driving to the net and finishing our chances.

Getting a day off on Friday helped to re-charge the Whalers compete level.

“You have to come prepared to play every game in this league,” MacDonald said.  “In this past road trip (losses to Owen Sound and Brampton) we weren’t prepared and we knew it.  We have to get better and that’s why we came out hard tonight. 

“We had the day off yesterday and it was huge to get some rest.  It shows tonight.”

Three different Plymouth lines scored a goal each to give the Whalers a 3-0 lead.

Aleardi started the scoring at 2:38 of the first period, breaking in past Soo defenders with customary speed and buried a back hand past ‘Hounds starting goaltender Matt Murray.

Rakell finished a three-way passing play with linemates Garrett Meurs and Noesen, snapping a low shot from the left wing past Murray at 13:21.  1:17 later, Miller completed a two-on-one break, scoring from the left circle past Murray after accepting Mitchell Heard’s pass from the right wing. Bathgate finished the scoring in the period at 17:12, taking Aleardi’s pass from behind the goal and scoring through traffic on the right side of the Soo goal.

The Whalers kept coming in the second period, scoring three straight power play goals and an even strength marker.

Miller scored his second of the night at 4:38 of the period.  Noesen – stationed at the left circle – threaded a laser-pass to Miller, who tapped home the puck into the empty net.  44 seconds later, Schmitz hammered a shot from the high slot through traffic at 5:22 to make the score 6-0.  At 10:02, Rakell scored his second of the night when Dario Trutmann’s shot from the high slot was knocked down but caromed to Rakell, who snapped a low shot from the left circle past Murray.  Noesen made it 8-0 at 13:35, tipping Crombeen’s low shot from the left point from the left hashmark past Murray.

Whalers goaltender Scott Wedgewood was not seriously tested in stopping 34 shots enroute to his third shutout of the year and sixth in his career.

The Whalers outshot the Soo, 37-14, over the first forty minutes.  Wedgewood had to stop 20 shots in the third period when the game was not in the balance. Wedgewood was solid all night and allowed few rebounds.

Plymouth hits the road next week, playing in Barrie on Thursday, Sudbury on Friday and Sault Ste. Marie on  Jan. 29.  Plymouth's next home game is against Windsor on Feb. 4 at 7:05 p.m. at Compuware Arena.