OSHAWA, ON - It would have been easy for the Plymouth Whalers to pack it in on Friday after falling behind 3-0 in the first period in Oshawa against the top-ranked Generals.
But typical of the way fortunes turn quickly in the Ontario Hockey League, the Whalers fought all the way back to tie the game in the third period and then won, 4-3, in a shootout before 4,216 at Generals Motors Centre.
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Connor Chatham – who tied the game at 3-3 for the Whalers with a re-direct at 12:36 of the third period – scored the only goal of the shootout. Then Plymouth goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic took over, stopping Michael Dal Colle, Josh Sterk and Cole Cassels.
Plymouth breaks a nine-game losing streak and moves back into eighth place in the Western Conference with a record of 12-20-0-4.
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Oshawa remains the top team in the East Division and the top team in the Eastern Conference with a record of 24-9-0-3, good for 51 points.
And the Generals could have run the Whalers onto Highway 401 with the 3-0 first period lead. Depth player Justice Dundas powered the puck out the right corner in the Plymouth zone, bulled his way through traffic and jammed the puck home past Nedeljkovic at 2:20 for Oshawa’s first goal.
The marker – Dundas’ first of the year - was questioned by the Whalers coaching staff, but referees Ryan Carroll and Jason Goldenberg allowed the goal to stand.
Later in the first period, Oshawa extended the lead to 3-0 with a pair of goal 0:36 apart on separate power plays.
Leading scorer Michael Dal Colle scored his 24th of the year at 12:00, picking up the rebound after Plymouth defenseman Josh Wesley blocked his first shot and scored on the second attempt through traffic.
Hunter Smith scored his ninth of the year at 12:36 to give Oshawa a 3-0 lead after Mathieu Henderson was sent off, potting home a rebound in front of the Plymouth blue ice after Nedeljkovic made the first stop.
Plymouth could have quit there, but slowly found a way to start to get back into the game.
Zach Lorentz scored on a Plymouth power play with 17:43, scoring his 15thgoal of the season from the top of the right circle on a pass from Victor Crus Rydberg.
Trailing, 3-1, after one period, Nedeljkovic and the Whalers defense buckled down in the second period, which was scoreless but not uneventful with Plymouth outshooting Oshawa, 9-7.
Most goals are scored in the dirty areas around the blue paint and the Whalers re-discovered that fact in the third period to tie the game.
With Nedeljkovic stopping all 17 shots he faced in the period – and with Plymouth head coach Mike Vellucci mixing up his forward combinations – the Whalers cut the Oshawa lead to 3-2 on Francesco Vilardi’s fifth goal of the year at 8:51, set up by Lorentz and Hiddink. Oshawa goaltender Daniel Altshuller made the first stop, but Vilardi – following the play through traffic in front of the Oshawa goal – scored on a rebound with a backhand.
Another good fundamental play – winning a faceoff – led to Chatham’s equalizer at 12:36. Crus Rydberg won a draw in the Oshawa zone and Gianluca Curcuruto held the puck at the point. He found Matt Mistele deep in the Oshawa zone along the right boards. Mistele got a good shot off, but it changed direction on Chatham’s re-direct past Altshuller.
After a scoreless five minute overtime in which the Whalers outshot Oshawa, 3-1. Chatham and Nedeljkovic joined forces for the Whalers in the shootout.
Plymouth is off until Sunday, Dec. 29 at 5 pm at Comerica Park, hosting London (5 pm, CN-900 TV). After playing New Years’ Eve in Windsor in a 2 pm matinee against the Spitfires, Plymouth returns home at Compuware Arena on Thursday, Jan. 2 at 2 pm against Sault Ste. Marie and hosts Niagara on Saturday, Jan.4 at 7:05 pm at Compuware Arena.
