Learning to live without the Dukes Lockers were cleared out. School transfers arranged. Some quick goodbyes and the boys of winter were gone. Shaking the dust from Wellington’s Main Street from their heels the Dukes headed to their respective homes last week—not even pausing for a team photograph. It was a brutal and sudden end [...]
Dukes prepare for playoffs With Cobourg’s disputed shoot out win over the Kingston Voyageurs on Monday night, the playoff picture for the Dukes became a little clearer. Cobourg, with the win, locks up either first or second place in the East Division. Cobourg and Trenton will continue to scrap for the regular season title likely [...]
Hope fades for preliminary playoff round bye The path to first or second place in the East just got a lot tougher. After winning seven of their previous eight games the Wellington Dukes were making a serious charge to be one of two teams to earn a bye in the preliminary round of the playoffs. [...]
Dukes within a point of second place Both teams were sharp—sticking tightly to the game plan—each player following his role. The first five goals in the game were scored with a man advantage. Fortunately three of them were scored by Dukes (Guillaume Naud with a pair, Elliott Richardson with the other). But the Whitby Fury [...]
Dukes closing the gap The last time the Dukes faced St. Michael’s, their highly touted netminder and a pair of the team’s top forwards were away in Langley skating for Team Canada East. The Dukes won that game in Wellington 5-3. But would they fare as well if St. Mike’s had had their full roster [...]
Dukes push through tough part of schedule Penalties, or more precisely three power play goals scored while short handed, erased what was another strong performance on Friday as the Wellington Dukes skated back into action for the first time this season. Winners in their last four meetings the Dukes were ready to make it five [...]
Weekend games to provide a key test The Wellington Dukes were back on the ice on Monday afternoon getting ready for the final stretch. Just 15 games remain in the regular schedule and first place seems a stretch at this point. For that to happen both Trenton and Cobourg would have to stumble badly over [...]
Dukes head to winter break on an untidy note It was a strange spectacle. More childish than intimidating. After submitting themselves to an 8-2 drubbing at the hands of the Dukes on Friday night in front of a large contingent of Wellington fans, a dozen or more Golden Hawks players stared down the victors as [...]
Dukes battle hard in ultra-tight division race As the Wellington Dukes prepare for their final weekend of action in advance of the holidays, the tightness of the race for first place in the East Division could not be more pronounced. After earning just a single point in their overtime loss against Whitby on Friday, the [...]
Dukes winning streak ends at 10 Acommitment to back-checking—forward skaters wheeling around and battling for the puck from the rear— is a hallmark of great hockey teams. As a rule the teams that work hardest to regain the puck they’ve given up, win. Nowhere was this more on display than during the Wellington Dukes’ defeat [...]