Sports
Whalers Finish Preseason With 3-1 Loss to London
Plymouth starts the 2012-13 season Sept. 21 in Sault Ste. Marie
ST. THOMAS - The London Knights built a 3-0 lead into the second period and withstood a late Plymouth charge to defeat the Whalers, 3-1, in an Ontario Hockey League preseason game played Saturday night before 1,118 at the Timken Centre.
Plymouth finishes the preseason at 2-2. The Whalers open the 2012-13 regular season on Sept. 21 in Sault Ste. Marie and will host Belleville in the home opener on Sept. 22 at 7:05 p.m. at Compuware Arena.
Former Plymouth goaltender Jake Patterson has a history of playing well in the Timken Centre and stopped 40-of-41 shot to backstop London to the victory. Last season, while playing for the Whalers, Patterson stopped 45-of-48 London shots in a 3-3 tie at the Timken Centre on Sept. 11, 2011.
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Tonight, Alex Broadhurst and Chris Tierney scored first period goals for London and Matt Rupert added a power play goal for the Knights in the second period. Tom Wilson - who scored twice last season at Timken Centre - scored the lone Plymouth goal on a power play in the third period.
Riley Corbin started in goal for Plymouth and stopped 13-of-16 London shots in 29:35 of work. Alex Nedeljkovic took over for Corbin and stopped all 14 shots he faced the rest of the way.
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Broadhurst started the scoring at 4:41 of the first period to give London a 1-0 lead when he tucked abackhand shot inside the right goal post. The goal was the first Corbin had allowed and snapped his modest shutout streak in the preseason at 63:46.
The Knights took a 2-0 lead on a power play at 11:02 on Tierney's goal. Matt Rupert connected with Tierney on a pass left side-to-right and Rupert scored just outside the blue ice.
The game stayed 2-0 until the third period, when the Whalers came on offensively to outshoot London, 19-5, in the third frame. Wilson re-directed Gianluca Curcuruto's shot from the high slot past Patterson for the only Plymouth goal of the game.
As the London Free Press reports, there were seven fights in the game.
Plymouth outshot London, 41-30.
Plymouth scratches included Matt Mahalak, Curtis Crombeen, JT Miller, Michael Whaley, Mitchell Heard and Simon Karlsson (all healthy), along with Mitch Jones, who was hurt Friday night in London and will be reevaluated by doctors on Monday.
London scratches included Olli Maata, Scott Harrington, Max Domi, Seth Griffith, Brett Welychka, Josh Anderson and Jacob Jammes.
