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Sports

Plymouth Whalers Grind Out 3-1 Win Over Kingston

Whalers Improve to 8-6-2-0

Rickard Rakell's goal at 1:20 of the third period snapped a 1-1 tie and the Plymouth Whalers went on to defeat the Kingston Frontenacs, 3-1, in an Ontario Hockey League game played Saturday night at .

The Whalers improves to 8-6-2-0; Kingston is now 2-11-2-1.

Stefan Noesen - Rakell's linemate - assisted on all three goals in the game, while Dario Trutmann (3rd) scored a power play goal in the first period and Garrett Meurs (4th) added an empty-netter with 0:30 left.

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Plymouth goaltender Matt Mahalak stopped 34-of-35 Kingston shots to lower his goals against average to 2.10 and raise his save percentage to .928.  Mahalak is 4-2-0-0 in seven appearances this season.

The game-winning goal started in the Plymouth zone when Trutmann hammered Kingston's Ryan Spooner off the puck with a heavy check on the right wing half-wall.  Meurs - on the right wing - hit Noesen with a cross-ice pass as center.  Noesen skated from neutral territory on the left wing into the Kingston zone and found Rakell breaking at the right circle.  Rakell accepted the pass and beat Kingston goaltender Igor Bobkov with a backhand shot.

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Rakell talked about the game-winning goal.

"We've done that three-on-two in practice so many times, every day," he explained.  "When Noesen stopped (just inside the Kingston zone on the left wing), I was thinking to drive to the net.  He gave me a great pass.  I haven't had much luck shooting over the last couple of games, so I was thinking to deke.  It worked this time."

Rakell, Noesen and Meurs played together as a line last season and all were selected in the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft - Noesen in the first round (21st overall) by Ottawa, Rakell in the first round (30th overall) by Anaheim and Meurs in the fifth round (123rd overall) by Colorado.

Rakell talked about the success of his line.

"We're three good players who do not throw the puck away," Rakell said.  "As long as we have the puck, the other team can't score."

The Whalers had pressured Kingston in the first period, outshooting the Frontenacs, 15-13.  Plymouth broke through on the power play on Trutmann's goal at 19:41.  Rakell had the puck at the lower rim of the left circle ion the Kingston zone and found Trutmann breaking in from the point. Trutmann scored with the shot on the right side of the Kingston goal.

Trevor Morbeck tied the game for Kingston at 1-1 on a power play at 6:30 of the second period.  Petr Beranek took the shot from the right-wing half wall and Morbeck deflected the puck past Mahalak for his second of the season and first with Kingston.  Morbeck was acquired earlier in the week in a trade with Sault Ste. Marie.

That set the stage for Rakell's game-winner.

Kingston head coach Todd Gill pulled Bobkov with 1:10 left for the extra attacker, but Meurs scored on the empty net to ice the game.

Kingston outshot Plymouth, 35-33.

Plymouth remains home next Friday against Barrie and Saturday against Windsor.  Both game start at 7:05 p.m. at Compuware Arena.

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