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PLYMOUTH,
Mich. – The Sarnia Sting is probably glad they
aren’t going to see the Plymouth Whalers anymore
this
season.
The Sting blew a 3-0 first period lead and lost 7-3
to the Whalers, Saturday night at the Compuware
Sports Arena. It marked the second time in as many
games against Plymouth that the Sting has watched a
three-goal lead evaporate. On Thursday night the
Whalers scored four times in the third period to
wipe out a 5-2 deficit and won 6-5.
The loss on Saturday night was Sarnia’s sixth
straight and 10th in their last 11 games in the
Ontario Hockey League.
They are now eight games under the .500 mark at
18-26-4-2.
Sarnia jumped put to a 3-0 first period lead only to
see the Whalers storm back with four goals in period
two to take a 4-3 lead after 40 minutes. Plymouth
put the game away with three goals in the third
period.
“We came out hard and ready to compete,” said Sting
head coach Dave MacQueen. “We had a good feeling and
it showed
in period one. But in second period all of a sudden
they started to control the tempo Their big forwards
controlled the play and beat us to the net. They
mandhandled us.
“We were okay when it was 3-1, but when they got
their second goal, they had us back on our heels. We
got away from
doing everything we did well in the first period.”
Rookie Brandon Hope got his second straight start in
goal for the Sting and he was peppered with 60
shots.
“He played well,” said MacQueen. “You certainly
can’t fault him.”
Sting got off to the quick start they wanted scoring
two goals in 54 seconds early in period one.
Nail Yakupov got the ball rolling at 2:28 on the
power play with his 39th of the year. He sped around
the Whalers defence and scored on a quick low shot.
Brandon Francisco increased the lead to 2-0 at 3:22
with his 11th of the year. He took a pass from
Brandon Alderson and
wristed a shot into the top scorer.
That goal chased Whalers starting netminder Scott
Wedgewood after he faced just five shots. Matt
Mahalak took over.
The Sting took a 3-0 lead at 10:57 when J.C.
Campagna banged home a centering pass from Yakupov.
It was Campagna’s
eighth goal of the year and third in the last two
games.
But the second period was a complete reversal as the
Whalers outshot the Sting 26-9 and were rewarded
with four unanswered goals to take a 4-3 lead.
Stefan Noesen scored the Whalers first goal at 3:20,
Rickard Rakell scored on the power play at 10:42,
Noesen’s second
of the game tied the game at 13:26 while Robbie
Czarnik gave Plymouth their first lead at 16:10.
The Whalers continued pour in on in the third period
with goals by Joe Devane at 2:16, Czarnik with his
second on the power play at 14 minutes and Tyler
Brown at 16:25..
It marked the sixth straight game the Sting has
allowed 40-plus shots in a game. In two of those
games the Sting has given up more than 50 shots.
Sarnia had 26 shots goal.
This coming weekend the Sting will play three games
in four nights. It begins on Thursday when Sarnia is
home to the London Knights for the third and final
time this season. Game time is 7:05 p.m. at the RBC
Centre. Friday night the Sting travel to Kitchener
to battle the Rangers and then are off to Windsor to
take on the Spitfires Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
STING NOTES
- Sarnia dressed 18 players, (two under the limit),
as Brett Ritchie and Anthony Donati are injured
while Craig Hottot was serving a suspension.
- Yakupov’s two points gave him eight points for the
week. He has moved into third place in league
scoring with 39 goals and 39 assists for 78 points.
Tyler Toffoli of Ottawa is the league leader with 86
points on 44 goals and 42 assists. Ryan Strome of
Niagara is second with 82 points on 26 goals and 56
assists.
Yakupov is now just three goals shy of the Sting
team record of 42 held by Steven Stamkos. The OHL
record for most goals by a rookie is 81 held by Tony
Tanti of the Oshawa Generals in 1980-81. Wayne
Gretzky had 70 goals for Sault Ste. Marie in
1977-78.
- Plymouth took the season series with Sarnia 4-2
after the Sting had won the first two games.
- Sarnia arrived just 40 minutes prior to game time
due to a snowstorm that snarled traffic in metro
Detroit.
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