Rookie
center Garrett Meurs scored two goals with three assists and veteran
defenseman Beau Schmitz scored twice to lead the Plymouth Whalers to a
7-2 victory over the Saginaw Spirit in the opening Ontario Hockey
League preseason game for both teams.
The game was played before an enthusiastic crowd of 683 at the
Kensington Valley Ice House in Brighton.
Rookies Austin Mattson and Mitch Heard and veteran defenseman
Josh Bemis all scored one goal apiece for Plymouth. Tyler Murovich and
rookie Dylan Fitze replied for Saginaw.
Although the Whalers won the game, the real winners were members
of the Kensington Valley Hockey Association -- the recipient of the
game's proceeds.
The Whalers jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first 6:08 on a
power-play goal by Schmitz at 2:56, an even-strength lamp-lighter from
Heard and a Meurs tap-in.
Saginaw cut the Plymouth lead to 3-1 at 12:12 on Murovich's
deflection of a Joe Underwood (Canton) point shot. Meurs replied three
minutes later, jamming a shot through traffic in front of Saginaw
starting goalie Anthony Peters.
Starting Plymouth goalie Matt Hackett stopped 23 of 25 shots in
29:48 of action.
Ed Wright can be reached at
[email protected] or (734) 453-1980.