With just two minutes left in overtime and the Dukes on the power play, Pat McEachen fired a blast through traffic that beat Newmarket’s ace puckstopper Jimmy Sargeant top shelf, to give the Wellington Dukes a dramatic win against the West Division’s second place Newmarket on Sunday. It was the Dukes’ second win in two games. Two wins that soundly and definitively ended the team’s five-game losing skid.

As of Tuesday the pair of weekend wins had been sufficient to give the Dukes a share of first place with the Bowmanville Eagles (the outcome of Tuesday night’s Bowmanville – Peterborough game was not known at press time). With two games left in the regular season, first place is still possible, but the path to first now requires a stumble or two by the Eagles in their final three games.

WELLINGTON 5 – STOUFFVILLE 1

The last time these two teams met, a fluke goal rolled over Jordan Ruby’s back and into the net with just a minute left in the game — forcing the game into overtime and eventually a shootout in which Wellington could not beat Kori Coelho.

Inexplicably, when the Spirit skated out onto the ice on Friday in Wellington, rarely used backup Joseph Chemello stood between the pipes; Coelho stayed on the bench. Inexplicable because Coelho is a premier netminder and possesses among the best stats in the CCHL. It was a call made even more baffling when you consider that Stouffville remains locked in a battle with Peterborough for the fourth playoff spot and home-ice advantage in the first round.

Six minutes into the game Sean Rudy was the beneficiary of an elegant cross-ice saucerpass from Jeremy Franklin. Rudy scored into an open side, giving the Dukes the lead. Rudy and Franklin combined in the next period to extend the Dukes’ lead. Rudy won the draw and dished back to Franklin. The Dukes’ leading scorer moved to his left until he found the right screen and fired a shot through traffic.

Later in the period, rookie Scott Simmonds was buzzing around the net, just missing a chip shot into an open net. But as the Spirit moved the puck out of their zone, Jeff Carroll forced a turnover. Simmonds picked up the loose puck and skated down the wing. His shot fooled the Spirit netminder squibbing through his pads and into the net.

Late in the frame, Stouffville put a bit of a scare into jittery Dukes fans as Declan Gunovski caught the Dukes running around in their own end — one of the few lapses in an otherwise solid game.

Just a minute into the third’ Jeremy Franklin scored from a near-impossible angle, finding a tiny seam above the netminder’s shoulder. The goal restored the Dukes’ three-goal lead — but more significantly, it was Franklin’s 100th junior A career goal — all scored with the Dukes.

Later Mitch Rosborough showed veteran experience rolling down the wing, waiting for the Stouffville defenceman to drop in an attempt to block the shot, then firing a laser from the face-off circle. It was his seventh goal on the season.

According to the Wellington Dukes’ statistician, Dave Brown, the win on Friday night win clinched home ice advantage for at least the first round in the CCHL East Division. This marks the 11th consecutive season the Dukes will have hosted the opening game of their playoffs dating back to the year 2000.

Rich Virtanen earned the win in nets for Wellington — his third win in four games since joining the Dukes in January.

DUKE 2 – NEWMARKET 1 SHOOTOUT

The game was nearing the midway point when Adam Zamec scooped up the loose puck, a rebound from Cole Murduff’s point shot, and fired it past Sarjeant — giving the Dukes a 1-0 lead. The Dukes had started off strong — outshooting the Hurricanes 14-4 in the first period — but couldn’t beat Sarjeant.

It was redemption for Zamec. For weeks, Dukes Coach and General Manager Marty Abrams has urged his forwards to drive to the net with purpose — to create screens, pound home rebounds and manufacture goals. It is likely to be this variety of goals that will determine how far the Dukes go in the upcoming playoffs.

In the third period Newmarket tied the score at 1-1.

In overtime, the Spirit’s Mitch Taylor was called for holding, setting up the power play. Blueliners David Pratt and McEachen lobbed the puck back and forth until McEachen saw the shot he liked, fired and scored.

Newmarket Coach Brian Perrin exploded at the official — an indiscretion that is likely to cost the coach a $500 fine. The Dukes meanwhile celebrated a well-earned victory and went home for a day off.

UP NEXT: PICKERING AND TORONTO JC

All the Dukes can do now is win their final two games and hope for the best. The team can finish no lower than second place in the East. First remains a slim possibility.

In any case the Dukes will want to continue their winning streak into Pickering on Friday night.

The Panthers won’t be playing in the post-season — but it is often treacherous facing a team with nothing to win or lose. Even in recent losses the Panthers have managed to light up the red lamp — though not as frequently their opponents.

On Sunday night the always entertaining Brian Cameron will bring his Toronto Junior Canadiens to the DukeDome for the final game of the regular season. The Junior Canadiens may still be in a battle for fourth in the West Division and home-ice advantage in the first round. Though unremarkable in most stats, as the season winds down, Cameron’s team reigns in the league with the most penalty minutes — averaging 27 minutes of punitions per game. On the other end of the spectrum, the Dukes are managing just fewer than 11 penalty minutes per game.

THE MAN IN JANUARY

Forward Joe Zarbo has been named the Dukes’ player of the month for January. The 18-year-old forward had 11 points in 12 games including six points picked up on the power play. He was acquired by the Dukes in mid-December from the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL. The Grand Island, N.Y. native stands 6’1”, weighs 180 lbs and has an NCAA Division I commitment to Clarkson University in 2011. The Clarkson Knights already feature former Dukes goaltender Paul Karpowich on their squad. Current Dukes David Pratt and Patrick McEachen will also skate for Clarkson next fall.