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Sports

Whalers Earn a Point in Shootout Loss to Windsor

Plymouth, now 9-6-2-1, plays in Saginaw on Sunday.

PLYMOUTH – Nick Czinder’s goal in a shootout gave the Windsor Spitfires a 3-2 victory over the Plymouth Whalers in an Ontario Hockey League game played Saturday night before a crowd of 2,207 at .

Plymouth has earned points in six of its last games and is now 9-6-2-1, good for 21 points and fourth place in the Western Conference race. Windsor broke a seven-game losing streak and is now 9-10-1-1.

The game featured no more than a one-goal differential. Garrett Meurs (5th) and Rickard Rakell (7th) scored for Plymouth; Alexander Khokhlachev (6th) and Brady Vail (6th) scored for Windsor.

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Plymouth goaltender Scott Wedgewood stopped 32 of 34 shots; Windsor goaltender John Cullen was named third star in stopping 37 of 39 shots.

Saturday night's game seemed like three contests in one. Referees Craig Spada and Ryan Hutchison awarded Windsor four power plays in the first period, as the Spits outshot Plymouth, 19-4. The Whalers penalty killers and Wedgewood were sharp in keeping the game scoreless, until Khokhlachev scored on a back hand at the hashmarks through traffic on a rebound at 17:07.

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Plymouth turned the game around in the second period in outshooting Windsor, 23-7. Plymouth had four power plays in the second period and tied the game on Meurs’ goal at 9:55. Beau Schmitz had the puck at the right point and moved deeper into the Windsor zone. Schmitz – at the top of the right circle – fed the puck across to Meurs, who scored from the lower rim of the left circle.

The third period was more evenly played, with Plymouth forcing the issue and outshooting Windsor, 10-6. Vail gave Windsor a 2-1 lead at 11:52 of the period, scoring with a quick shot from the top of the right circle. With time winding down in regulation, Rakell took Meurs’ pass on the right wing in the Windsor zone, skated to the lower rim of the right circle and snapped a shot by Cullen, who was back in his blue crease, to tie the game at 2-2 with 1:58 left in regulation.

After a scoreless overtime, Noesen opened the shootout by scoring on a backhand for the Whalers past Cullen. Khokhlachev tied the shootout with a low shot, five-hole. Plymouth center Andy Bathgate was poke-checked by Cullen and Wedgewood stopped Kerby Rychel with a pad save.

J.T. Miller then tried to deke and go wide left on Cullen, but lost the puck.  Czinder then won the game, skating to the hashmarks and scoring with a low shot.

Plymouth hits the road Sunday, playing in Saginaw at 4 p.m. (3:50 p.m., plymouthwhalers.com).

 

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