Sting fall to Whalers

By DAVE BORODY
PLYMOUTH – A five-goal first period powered the Plymouth Whalers to a convincing 7-2 win over the Sarnia Sting in Ontario Hockey League action, Friday night at the Compuware Sports Arena.
Sarnia has now lost three straight and dropped back to the .500 mark overall with a 9-9-1-0 record.
Last night’s game was the first of six meetings between the two clubs this season. Plymouth held a 4-1-0-1 edge last year while they are 11-3-2-0 against Sarnia at the Compuware Centre over the last five years and 18-9-3-1 vs Sarnia overall during that time.
The Whalers scored 36 seconds into the game and never looked back as they scored five goals in the opening period on 18 shots. Plymouth led 6-1 after 40 minutes.
Sting head coach Dave MacQueen didn’t think it was a 7-2 game.
It was more like 4-2 at the most,” said MacQueen. It’s tough to say what the score should have been when we get goaltending like that. The bench was destroyed after 10 minutes and never recovered. At the end of the night we had the chances at 10-8 for them. We needed a save early and didn’t get it.”
MacQueen added, Plymouth is a heck of a hockey team and there’s no doubt we need to be better. But you can’t get down 5-0 to a team like that. It was an even game at 2-2 for 40 minutes, but obviously you can’t judge a game by the last 40 minutes.”
Myles McCauley led the Whalers while Austin Levi, Tyler Seguin, Stefan Noesen, A.J. Jenks and Josh Brittain added singles.
Seguin, who has 19 goals so far this year and projected to be a top five pick in the 2010 National Hockey League draft, left the game late in the second period following a collision at center ice with Ben O’Quinn. Seguin appeared to suffer a lower body injury.
Kyle Neuber had a goal, his second, and an assist while Kale Kerbashian scored his sixth of the year to account for the Sting scoring. Neuber also had a first period fight.
Rookie forward Craig Hottot of the Sting will be out six to eight weeks after suffering a broken jaw on Thursday night.
Hottot broke his jaw in a third period fight with Saginaw’s Mitch Fillman.
Hottot, a third-round pick of the Sting back in May, saw a specialist in London on Friday.
As a result he will not have to have his jaw wired shut.
Hottot has played 18 games this season with two goals and four assists and 36 penalty minutes.
“He’s a tough guy to lose because he’s been playing very well of late,” said Sting head coach Dave MacQueen. “But it sounds like the break is not as bad as first suspected and he won’t have to wire his jaw shut.”
Hottot did not go on the team bus to Plymouth, but attended the game.
I knew it was broke when I was sitting in the penalty box,” said Hottot. I’ve never had a broken jaw before and it’s painful. The doctor said we are going to try and let it heal naturally. Hopefully it will only be six weeks.”
Forward Jesse Drydak was called up from the Sarnia Legionnaires junior B team and played a regular shift.
Shayne Campbell started in goal for Sarnia and allowed the five goals in the opening period before giving way to Adam Courchaine. Together they faced 46 shots. Sarnia fired 42 shots at winning goalie Matt Hackett.
The Sting return home on Sunday when they host the Ottawa 67s beginning at 2 p.m. at the RBC Centre.
STING NOTES
– Sarnia was zero-for-three with the man advantage and are two-for-31 over their last five games. Plymouth was one-for-three on the power play.
– The only other scratch for the Sting was defenceman Daniel Broussard who was serving the second of a five-game suspension.
– Sarnia is now 5-5-0-0 on the road. Plymouth is 6-2-2-0 at home
Dave Borody is a freelance writer who covers Sting games both and home away for the Sting website.