Finding their way

Injuries hobble the Dukes through a busy schedule

The Dukes put together another mixed weekend—winning decisively on Friday and coming up short in another one-goal game on Sunday. It didn’t help that four players—Connor Hunt, Mason Reeves, Corbin Roach and Cole McGuire—were out of the lineup with a variety of injuries. It helps not all that Wellington plays four games between yesterday (Tuesday) and Sunday. The Dukes will be challenged to weather this early-season test.

The Huskies of Haliburton County consist of the remnants of the former Whitby Fury and carry themselves with much of the same Fury approach. Fast. Skilled. Disciplined. They are a bit older—eight nineteen-year-olds—and a bit bigger than the average OJHL squad.

This mix meant a high-speed and energetic pace to the game. Especially in the early going.

Huskies forward Patrick Saini has Emmet Pierce in his sights—long after Pierce’s pass had been delivered. The resulting crash into the boards shattered the glass, delaying the game by about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, Pierce skated away unharmed and undeterred.

After a long opening bit without a whistle, Harrison Ballard found Brady Darrach in the mid-slot area. Darrach’s hard shot bounced off the netminder. William Mitchell buried the rebound.

Later in the period, Emmett Pierce moved deep into the zone. Foregoing a shot, he slid the puck through the crease missing his target. Liam Whittaker picked up the loose puck off the wall. Hard, low shot. Pierce slickly tipped the bullet past the Huskies netminder.

Yet the Huskies kept working. Fast and skilled, they found ways to enter the Dukes’ zone—but rarely for long. Wellington demonstrated over and over again tremendously skilled transitions out of their zone.

Seconds into period two, Barret Joynt rang a blistering shot off the net at the point where the crossbar meets the post. A moment later, a frustrated Huskies player rode Emmet Pierce into the boards where the Dukes’ bench meets the penalty box. The glass shattered. The clean up and plywood replacement was turned around in short order.

When play resumed, the Dukes regained command of the game. Gaining the zone, Darrach slid a point-to-point pass to Jonah Cochrane. Hard shot on net. Mitchell was again on the spot for the rebound marker.

Midway through the period, the Dukes got caught with too many players deep in the Haliburton zone. A lightning-fast Huskies break-out. Wellington couldn’t restore order quick enough. The Huskies were on the board.

With the Huskies pressing and having some momentum, Ethan Morrow had to come up with some truly athletic saves—swinging wildly from side to side kicking out sure-goals with his toe. On one such save, Morrow’s kick sent the puck up ice. Pierce picked up the pass and reflexively sent a long pass to Jake Vreugdenhil, streaking up the wall. The puck was barely on his stick before it was forwarded to Payton Schaly, who had slipped behind the defence. He picked his spot, and the Dukes were ahead 4-1.

Though the shots were close at the end of two periods, the good scoring chances were still much more in the Dukes’ favour.

Ethan Morrow displayed astonishing athleticism and flexibility on several occasions on Friday night—regularly stretching from post-to-post in a split second, thwarting near-sure Husky goals.

Matters tightened up in third. The Dukes cycling effectively in the Huskies zone, wearing down their opponents. Payton Schaly found Ethan Quick on the edge of the crease. A stiff whack and the Dukes’ win was secure.

ST. MIKES 5 – DUKES 4
On Sunday, in an afternoon match at the Lehigh Arena against the St. Michael’s Buzzers, Wellington gained the early lead as Cam Kosurko notched his first goal as a Duke. But in the second, the ice tilted. St. Mike’s scored a pair. Another in the third on the power play.

It was a deep hole. Yet the Dukes fought back. Quick converted a setup from Ballard and Darrach. But the Buzzers came back with two more goals. It was 5-2 with just over five minutes left in the game.

But it wasn’t over. Jake Vreugdenhil scored to narrow the deficit to two goals. The Dukes pulled their netminder, searching for another and an equalizer. With just four seconds remaining, Liam Whittaker buried his shot.

It wasn’t enough. The Dukes were handed their second loss of the season.

UP NEXT: NORTH YORK, TRENTON AND LINDSAY
The Dukes are on the road visiting North York this evening. The Rangers have won four of their first five games—losing only to the Haliburton County Huskies on Sunday. On Friday, in perhaps their most crucial test in the early going, the Dukes welcome Trenton to Wellington.

After clobbering Cobourg and Mississauga in their first two games, the Golden Hawks were subdued by the Lindsay Muskies. It is unclear whether this is a measure of Trenton or Lindsay. In any event, the answer will be revealed after this weekend, as the Dukes host the Muskies on Sunday for a 2:30 start.