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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday April 20, 2007 - 43 Shepley, Whalers ready for Knights By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR A REAL PLUS: Zack Shepley (left), pictured checking a Windsor Spitfires opponent, posted a plus-27 rating in 44 regularseason games for the Plymouth Whalers this year. Facing the top-seeded London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League's Western Conference final won't intimidate Zack Shepley and the Plymouth Whalers. The Whalers, who finished a mere point behind London in the regularseason standings, are brimming with confidence after winning 24 of their past 28 games, including a five-game disposal of a solid Kitchener Rangers squad in the last playoff round. "We feel really strong in ourselves," said Shepley, a 19-year-old defenceman winding down his fourth year with Plymouth. "We've got a good defense, great goaltending and three solid lines up front. There's nothing to worry about, other than bringing it every game." Buoyed by the trade deadline acquisition of Daniel Ryder, who led the Peterborough Petes to the OHL title last year and was named the most valuable player in the playoffs, Plymouth finished the regular season with a 49-14-2-3 mark and has continued to roll in the postseason. After a first-round sweep of the Guelph Storm, the Whalers jumped to a 3-0 series lead on the 47-17-1-3 Rangers before finishing them off in five. Shepley has played a significant role in Plymouth's success as well. The Holy Trinity grad will never post eyepopping offensive statistics, having scored two goals in nearly 200 OHL contests, but takes great pride in the plus-27 rating he sported in 44 regularseason games this year. "It was nice to have a plus-27 season after having a harder season last year (minus-17 in 68 games). I don't put up a lot of points but I enjoy shutting the other team down," Shepley said. "It's mostly the improvement of the team. We had fantastic goaltending, we scored a lot of goals this year and we Carol Jones Sales Representative View slide show at have a great defencemen core." That core will be tested in the Western Conference final as London sends out such snipers as Patrick Kane, Sergei Kostitsyn and Sam Gagner -- first, third and fifth in OHL regularseason scoring, respectively. "My role is to shut down the top lines and that's what I enjoy doing," said Shepley. "I don't know if (coach Michael Vellucci) will put me on anyone in particular. He might just put me out there and tell me not to let them score, but I hope I get the top line." The Knights -- who feature local products of their own in goaltender Steve Mason as well as Gagner -- and Whalers opened their series last night in London. The series will continue tonight in Plymouth, with Game 3 slated for Monday in London. Aboutowne Realty Corp., Brokerage www.oakvillehomes.ca 2466 BLUE HOLLY CRES 905-338-9000 Dawson second in NLL scoring race Oakville's Dan Dawson finished second in National Lacrosse League scoring with a career-best 107 points for the Arizona Sting. Rochester's John Grant was all that stood in the way of Dawson claiming his first league scoring title. Grant racked up 14 points in two games on the final weekend of the regular season to finish the year with 111. Dawson also had a strong finish, wrapping up the regular season with an eight-point game in a 16-15 loss to Minnesota. Dawson was third in the league with 47 goals, one shy of his career-best total set in 2005. Arizona finished tied for second in the NLL's West Division with a 9-7 record. Arizona will open the playoffs tomorrow in Calgary against the Roughnecks, who edged the Sting 12-11 last Friday. OPEN HOUSE SAT & SUN 2-4 SPORTSBRIEFS Prix of Long Beach Atlantic Champ Car race. 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