Heart pounding

Dukes netminder Daniel Potter defends the blue paint, getting his blocker in the face of charging Trenton forward Loren Ulett.

Dukes rally from loss to win two big games

For the fans scattered among the many empty seats of the Essroc Centre on Sunday afternoon, this surely was among the most exciting hockey games seen in the building in a while. Not since the Dudley Hewitt Cup championship game have fans been so intensely behind their team.

Armed with a 2-0 lead, the Dukes took charge deep in Buffalo’s zone in the second period. The Junior Sabres are a better team than their record suggests. They are both big and fast, with an ample quiver of skill. They will be a handful for their opponents in the playoffs.

But after Abbott Girduckis scored the first of two goals in the period, snapping a shot top corner short side, the Dukes turned up the heat 11 notches. For the next five minutes, the Dukes corralled the puck in the Buffalo end. It began with the line of Luc Brown, Ben Sokay and Josh Supryka, Andrew Coupland and Jacob Hetherington cycling the puck, moving it to a shooting lane, firing, then recovering the rebound and doing it all over again. Over and over again. After three minutes, fresh legs came on from the Dukes’ bench. The Junior Sabres were trapped. The pressure continued until the Buffalo netminder at last snatched the puck and held on. The weary defenders fled to the bench. The hometown crowd was on its feet, cheering and applauding noisly, the clang of maple syrup cans echoing through the rafters.

For a team that has, at times, seemed resigned to its fate—this was a defining game. One they will look back upon for inspiration in the final stretch of the regular season.

This win, along with a solid thumping of Orangeville on Friday, helped erase the memory of a lopsided loss in Trenton a week ago. After Trenton had jumped out to a 2-0 lead before two minutes had elapsed in the game, the Dukes steadied the ship and began to mount a comeback. Midway through the second period, the Dukes had clawed back to within a goal, on the strength of a pair of markers from Will Cook and another from Girduckis. They were behind 4-3, but within striking range. Then it all went into the toilet. Trenton scored six unanswered goals. Three on the power play. Another short-handed. It was ugly.

But with a dwindling regular season schedule, the Dukes could not wallow. On Friday night they welcomed the Orangeville Flyers to Wellington. Orangeville holds second spot in the West division, but trails first-place Georgetown by a wide margin. The Dukes, on the other hand, needed the two points.

Captain Joe McKeown (9) looks for the pass on Sunday as the Dukes downed the Junior Sabres 3-1.

The good news was defenceman Coupland was back in the Dukes’ lineup.

The game was never in doubt. Late in the first period Cook weaved through traffic until he found a shooting lane and buried his shot. It was the first of three goals of the night for Cook. Supryka scored two on a line with Sokay and Brown.

The Flyers scored late in the third, spoiling a terrific shutout performance by Dukes netminder Daniel Potter.

Sunday’s match against Buffalo built on the momentum established on Friday. Although the Junior Sabres started fast, it was the Dukes who struck first. Brown stuffed home a rebound, giving his team the lead. Wellington dominated the second period. Girduckis scored short side. Then he got a stick on Jacob Panetta’s hard shot from the point, redirecting the puck into the net.

The Dukes outshot Buffalo 19-6 in the second. A Buffalo goal early in the third period signalled a renewed surge by the visiting Junior Sabres, but it didn’t amount to anything. The Dukes patiently settled into a defensive mode, keeping the shooters to the edge and not giving up odd-man advantages.

By the time Buffalo was considering pulling their netminder in favour of an extra attacker, the visiting team was gassed. The Dukes wouldn’t allow them to escape their zone for a sustained attack. The buzzer sounded with the Buffalo goalie still in his net.

Fans were on their feet to celebrate a well earned victory.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Jacob Panetta had six points in 10 games while continuing to look after matters in his own end in January. The defenceman recently turned 19 and was twice named Defensive Player of the Month, as well as being named a second star.

Two years ago, Panetta made the Empire B League Picton Pirates as the lone 16- year-old to make the team, and ended up being part of the Schmalz Cup Champions as well as being named the team’s Rookie of the Year. Last season, he made the jump to Junior A with the Dukes and was again named the team’s Rookie of the Year. This year, he made the Team Canada East roster and was named alternate captain.

UP NEXT: WHITBY AND MISSISSAUGA
With Pickering still in the hunt, the Dukes need to continue to rack up points in order to secure a playoff spot. Currently, Wellington is tied with Newmarket at 46 points in the North East conference.

On Friday, the Dukes host the Whitby Fury. The Dukes will be looking to erase the memory of an 8-3 drubbing they took in Whitby just two and a half weeks ago. The Fury have lost their last two games—to Pickering and Cobourg.

The Dukes travel to Port Credit on Saturday to face the Mississauga IceHawks. Mississauga is a woeful competitor, allowing an average of five goals per game and has had just two wins since Christmas. The key for the Dukes in Mississauga is to stay focused, stay healthy and come home with two points.

WILL COOK WATCH
The talented forward from Port Stanley Ontario is on a tear in this new year. Since January 11, Cook has earned at least one point in each of nine games. Indeed, he is averaging nearly two points per game in this stretch.