Eight Games Remaining; 10 Points To Go!

With the Whalers beating the Kitchener Rangers on Tuesday, Plymouth is on the right track for securing another visit to the playoffs. The Whalers are hosting the Barrie Colts who have lost their last two games. While the Rangers are in Saginaw trying to keep their playoff hopes alive against the Spirit.

The only thing in Plymouth’s control is the eight games they have left. Now that they don’t face the Rangers anymore this season, they need to not think about Kitchener, look forward and don’t stumble.

Episode 010 – John Vigilante

Keith and Ken talk about the previous Whalers games including two matchups with Kitchener as Plymouth is trying to secure the eighth seed in the west.

Our guest this podcast is former Whalers captain John Vigilante. Find out what he has been up to since moving on from the Whalers.

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Nine Game Remaining; 14 Points To Go!

If there ever was a do-or-die game for the Whalers this season, this game would be it. The Whalers hold a five point lead in the standings going into this game and winning tonight will widen the gap.

No if Plymouth fails to win the game, their playoff chances are not over, they will just be harder to obtain. They would need 14 points in the last eight games of the season and with two of those games being against Erie and another two being against Windsor, the Whalers would have to hope for Kitchener to bomb their final eight games. That is possible as they face Guelph twice and London as they finish of the season. Simply put, the Whalers are in the drivers seat and only they have the power to keep themselves there.

Plymouth has beaten Kitchener twice this season, but neither of those times were at the Aud, but now it the time to take the season series. It would be one more tie-breaker that the Whalers would hold if they have to play a game 69.

@WhalersOTM I think the chances of seeing him tonight are slim. But I'll update as soon as I know for sure.

— Mike Farwell (@farwell_ohl) February 25, 2014

Interesting: OHL Teams Rebranded

Here’s an interesting link. A user at SportsLogos.net submitted his version of  an OHL rebrand. User _nxche went through all twenty teams and also gave an explanation of his thought process for each team. His thoughts on Plymouth’s design?

You will see that I have relegated the Saginaw Spirit and rebranded them to a Canadian city, leaving but one team in Michigan! I’ve simplified the logo substantially, getting rid of clutter and giving the Whale stronger facial characteristics. The jerseys are clearly Hartford inspired, with a bit of a twist. Mainly, the home sleeves have a Red Wing-esque contrasting sleeve- which is fitting since Plymouth is a Detroit suburb. From what I’ve heard, the Whaler fans are very fond of their club and represent their city and state with pride over the border. So I thought it would be a clever idea to put something that symbolizes Michigan on their road jerseys, and opted to put a slight render of their state shield on the shoulder.

It’s different, I’ll say that, but I think I like the third jersey a little bit better. You can take a look at the forum post here.

Eleven Games Remaining; 20 points remaining!

Kitchener is not going away. Their wins against Erie and Windsor are proof that they are fighting to take a playoff spot from the Whalers. The Whalers have not backed down. While Plymouth did have a brutal game against the Storm on Monday, they were able to regroup and pull off a 5-1 win over the Greyhounds on Wednesday.

The magic number is down to 20 points. I have had some questions about how I have come to this number. It is really quite simple. Take the  points of the ninth place team (N), look at the games remaining and multiply that number by two. (R*2). Add those two numbers, plus one to get the number of points that it would take to beat the ninth place team (=P+1=B). Take that number and subtract the number of points that the eighth place team  has (E) and you have your magic number. (B-E=M) The math formula looks something like this: N+(R*2)=P+1=B

To put it in use let’s look at Kitchener. They have 47 points with 11 games remaining. 47+(11*2)=69 points. That means that 70 is the number of points needed to clinch a playoff spot. The Whalers have 50 right now and just need another 20 points to clinch a spot. Everytime Kitchener loses  means that another two points come off the number needed to get that final playoff spot.

Take away the game Kitchener and Plymouth still have against each other and it could boil down to the Whalers winning five games and Kitchener losing five games. Which might just be what happens. I see Kitchener losing to Guelph twice, Erie, London and Windsor. Also I can see that Plymouth will win tonight against the Sting, and also put up two points when they face the Colts, Ice Dogs, Spirit, and the Attack.

Plymouth does not need to win every game the rest of the season, but they cannot sit back and wait for the Rangers to do their dirty work for them. Tuesday night will be the most important game remaining in the season for both teams. That’s Tuesday however, the Whalers and Kitchener both have two games this weekend before they meet. let’s take a look at tonights matchups.

Plymouth @ Sarnia
The Sting have only been able to get a point in the past ten games. This, however, does not mean the Whalers can take it easy. If they can play like they did in the Soo, they will walk away with two points.
Prediction : Plymouth 6 – Sarnia 3

Owen Sound @ Kitchener
The Rangers have been doing well on home ice and have been 5-0-1 in the past six games. No reason to expect that Kitchener will lose this game.
Prediction: Owen Sound 3 – Kitchener 4 OT

Thirteen Games Left; 22 Points To Go!

The Whalers  came out with a 2-1 overtime win against the Rangers on Saturday lowering the amount of points needed to clinch a playoff spot by three. The Whalers take on the league-leading Guelph Storm this afternoon in a Family Day matinee game. Plymouth holds a 1-2 record against the Storm this season. Interesting note that this could be a potential first round matchup for the Whalers, so it would be interesting to see how well this team plays against a hot Storm team.

Kitchener also plays today, against the Otters, who have the second most points in the league. Erie holds the lead in the season series 3-1 going into this afternoon’s game.

Like always, the best case scenario would be for Plymouth to win, regardless if they have to go to overtime or the shootout to do so, and for Kitchener to lose to Erie. That would lower the number of points to clinch down to 18.

 

Happy 19th Birthday Danny Vanderwiel

Fourteen Games Remaining; 25 Points To Go!

The Whalers were able to pick up a point last night in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Saginaw Spirit, while the Rangers were able to pick up two points while shutting out the Steelheads in a 5-0 win.

Tonight the Whalers host the Rangers in the second to last meeting this season. If the Whalers can win this game in regulation, that would lower the number of points they need to clinch by four.

Side Note:

The Spitfires play at the Soo tonight. If they pick up at least a point, they will be the fifth team in the west to punch their card for the post season dance.

Hang on tight Whalers fans. These next few weeks are going to be a edge of your seat, nerve-wracking, wild ride. Plan accordingly.

Nick Malysa Tribute Video

Podcast: Episode 009 – Malysa and Magic Numbers

In this episode Keith and Ken talk about the recent Whalers games, the magic number to clinch a playoff spot and interview Nick Malysa on his milestone of playing 280 regular season games as a Whaler, the most of any Whaler player.
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