The Duke objective

By Mike Wobschall Special to the Wellington Times

Photo: Dukes defenceman Curtis Leonard wrangles with Kingston forward Joey
Wilson out of harm’s way Friday night.

The Wellington Dukes have secured the top seed in the OJHL’s East Division, but the Dukes know it only gets harder from here.

The Dukes have two games remaining in their regular season before heading into the playoffs. The team was riding an eight-game winning streak until dropping Sunday’s game against the Pickering Panthers in a shootout.

Head Coach Marty Abrams says the three main objectives are to maintain solid game plays, make sure the players are healthy, and keep themselves well rested. Abrams says that no one in the organization had any idea where they’d be this year but the coach credits his entire team for the season outcome.

“We are as good as our leaders, and our leaders have been outstanding all year. Our veteran players have really carried the ball for us. So when your best players are your best players you have a really good opportunity. For us I think it starts from the back end out. We’ve had outstanding goaltending from Jordan Ruby all year long. We’ve had real strong defensive play and our forwards have a lot of depth. We have five guys close to 20 goals, so we’ve got some depth on the front lines.”

Sean Rudy is the Dukes captain and he also credits his teammates on a great season, but he also acknowledged Coach Abrams and his staff.

“We wouldn’t be the team we are without Marty. He’s a great coach, he’s hard on us. He really emphasizes the team part of the game. There are no individuals on our team, you play it his way. He knows how to win, and how he coaches shows it.”

If the Dukes can maintain their objectives and win the Dudley Hewitt Cup they will automatically qualify for RBC Cup in Camrose, Alberta. However, players know that they need to stay focused on right now and use the RBC Cup as a goal set. “The RBC is in our foresights. Wellington had a great team in ‘03 when they went to the RBC Cup and we’re trying to follow those footsteps,” says goaltender Jordan Ruby. “We know it’s a battle and that decent teams can go very far. It is a battle for survival. We’re trying to stay healthy now and with a couple games left we can rest some guys. We have the skill set and the mindset to get there. Our guys are very strong mentally and I believe we can do it with our great coaching staff and trainers.”

The Dukes will travel to Kingston on Thursday before finalizing their season at home on Friday against Cobourg. The team respects the fan base in Wellington and they hope fans will support them from here on in.

“The fans that have been following us know that we are a good team and we’re top seed,” says Ruby.

“We’ve been consistent throughout the whole year. We had a three-game skid and that was it. So fans should be expecting a fun and entertaining game in playoff hockey. Considering what we did last year coming back from Markham, when we were down 3-0 in the series, and then winning it in game seven in overtime. If that doesn’t want to make you come and watch I don’t know what would. We’re an interesting team. We do whatever it takes to win and we win those close games. So you’ll get your money’s worth. I’ll guarantee you it’ll be a good game and of course our new facility the Essroc Centre is a great place to play and it’s a great place to watch. So we need some fans to fill up that seating area and we’ll be doing the rest for you.”