Jolt

After romping to victory on Friday, Dukes find adventure in Lindsay rematch

The Wellington Dukes narrowed the gap between themselves and firstplace Trenton with a pair of wins over Lindsay on the weekend. The Golden Hawks’ lead is now just seven points, while the Dukes have five games in hand.

Dylan Massie was at the back door and diverted Frank Vitucci’s pass to put the Dukes on the board in the second period. The Lindsay Muskies had accumulated a 2-0 lead by then.

The Dukes romped through Lindsay on Friday night, opening up a 2-0 lead in the first, and then blowing the game wide open in the second period. Frank Vitucci led the way with a pair of goals as the Dukes thumped the Muskies 7-0 on the road. Lindsay generated some chances early in the game, but the Dukes tightened up defensively. Matt Keeley earned the shut-out, his first this season.

On Sunday the Muskies travelled to Wellington. (After losing to Wellington on Friday night the Muskies played again, and lost, the next night in Brampton.) Yet it was Lindsay that got off to a faster start on Sunday afternoon in Wellington.

On the very first play of the game, Muskies Curtis Trolley split the Dukes’ defence, skated in alone and backhanded the puck over Matt Dunsmoor blocker shoulder.

Midway through the first period, Trolley again found open ice between him and Dunsmoor. Same shot. Same result. The Muskies had the lead. Dukes fans were imploring their team to respond.

And they did.

In the second, Dylan Massie scored on the Muskies’ second minor infraction in the game— tapping home a terrific goal-mouth pass from Frank Vitucci. Early in the third, Daniel Panetta fed Dawson Ellis with a pass up the middle of the neutral zone. Ellis had to shake off the Lindsay defender, but was unencumbered when he slid the puck five-hole. Tie game.

A couple of minutes later there was fish blood in the water and the Dukes were swarming. Jake Gagnon skated away from the frenzy, out past the blueline. Then he made a beeline through the slot. Vitucci found him with a pass five feet inside the blueline. Clear lane. Shot. Goal. It was very nice. The creativity. The set up. The execution. The Dukes were operating on another level.

Dylan Massie added another later in the period, while Panetta scored into the empty net while killing a penalty.

Justin Paul had a strong game on Sunday, working hard at both ends of the ice. There were moments when a combination of Dukes’ penalties and Muskie perseverance might have turned the outcome of this game. It was at those moments the work of Paul, along with Ryan Smith, Panetta and Ellis, kept the Lindsay resurgence at bay.

With a pair of goals on Friday and a couple of assists on Sunday, Frank Vitucci is nipping at Jake Gagnon’s team-leading points total. Always good to sniff out a scoring opportunity, and armed with the skills to seize his chances, Vitucci’s game has become more intense and responsible since the Christmas break. His work is being reflected on the scoreboard.

The Dukes were without the three Bens—Woodhouse, Addison, and Evans. Woodhouse and Addison are banged up. Evans was serving the third game of a four-game suspension incurred in Cobourg earlier this month.

UP NEXT: AURORA, COBOURG, LINDSAY AND WHITBY
It was bound to come. Trailing the pack in terms of games played was going to mean a busy few weeks of work for the Dukes at some point. That point is now. The Dukes will face three opponents in Wellington in four days.

Aurora is in town on Thursday night. The Tigers defeated Georgetown in overtime on Friday. It was their first win in 2020. Then they acquiesced to Markham on Saturday. In their only other meeting this season, the Dukes edged Aurora 3-2 in overtime— with Ben Addison getting the winner in the late-September Governor’s Showcase game.

Cobourg comes to Wellington on Friday. The East Division Cougars are a hard team to peg. Since the new year, they have won four and lost five in nine games. But along the way they have soundly thumped the Golden Hawks and eked by St. Michaels. A study in contrasts, Cobourg is among the leaders in killing penalties but fourth-worst in the OJHL in capitalizing with the man advantage. They also lead the league in shorthanded goals.

On Sunday, Lindsay makes their final trip to Wellington. This game should play out much as the previous six games have done—particularly if the Dukes don’t take these Muskies for granted. As Lindsay demonstrated on Friday, if given an opening they will make opposing teams pay.

Then on Tuesday the Dukes head to Whitby—the last of seven matches between these teams. Wellington won all previous games, but the Fury plays tighter at home. Whitby has won five of their last six games. The Fury’s forward Oliver Tarr is on a tear in recent weeks, scoring 13 points in his last nine games.