Home-ice disadvantage
Trenton leads conference final 2-1 The Wellington Dukes will have to win in the Dukedome if they hope to advance from the OJHL’s South/East Conference. So far, neither Trenton nor Wellington has managed a home win in this series. That must change for Wellington. The Dukes might be forgiven for suspecting the Golden Hawks might […]
Now what?
Dukes to tangle with Bay of Quinte rivals for the South/East Conference finals The most important news in Dukesworld on the weekend didn’t involve the Wellington squad. The Trenton Golden Hawks had jumped out to a three-game to none lead in their best-of-seven series against the top-ranked Toronto Junior Canadiens. But then Toronto mounted a […]
Moving feet
The Dukes’ relentless speed and aggressive forechecking provide the advantage in the semis The Dukes have taken a firm grip on another playoff series—leading Haliburton County three games to none in the OJHL South/East Semi-finals. After two comeback wins in the first pair of games, the Dukes demolished the defensively-minded Huskies in game three in […]
Onto the semi-finals
Dukes set to take on the Haliburton County Huskies Home ice advantage is why the Dukes worked so hard in the regular season. The Haliburton County Huskies had held a firm grasp of second place in the South/East Conference all season. But in the new year, the Dukes began closing the gap. In a pivotal […]
Depth
Dukes subdue St. Mike’s with numbers Among the frailties of a weekly Dukes column is that the outcome can get upended between the deadline and the moment you read these words. And so, we are going to go out on a limb and assume the Dukes won last night in Toronto, closing out their first-round […]
Final weekend
Dukes get set for the playoffs Now it gets interesting. Just a couple of games remain in the regular season, and the Dukes cling to a slim single-point lead over Haliburton County for second place in the South/East Conference— with a game in hand over the Huskies. Haliburton needs a win in North York to […]
Statement
Dukes take five of six points on the weekend It may prove to be a defining weekend in the Dukes’ 2022-23 campaign. Three games in three nights. The first against a reconstructed Trenton squad and hundreds of their boisterous fans. The next night in the bowels of Downsview against the league-leading Junior Canadiens. And finally, […]
Nine games to go
Dukes in the final stretch It was one step forward, one step—let’s call it—sideways. The Wellington Dukes handily managed the Haliburton Huskies on Friday after giving up a loss in Minden four days earlier. It was a terrific rebound game and an important signal to Dukes’ fans. But on Saturday, Wellington gave up two points […]
On the move
Buoyed by four-game winning streak and bolstered lineup, the Dukes set their eyes on second place With four wins, the Dukes have moved within striking distance of taking over second place in the South/East Conference. Wellington is now just one point back of the Haliburton County Huskies and 14 points back of the league-leading and […]
Setting a tone
A tough loss sets up a pair of critical wins It was a cautious beginning to the game on Monday night—each team trading a goal in the first period. But Wellington broke the game wide open in the second with four goals. I expect Connor Roach does everything in life at top speed. Full-on energy. […]