Fair to middling

A pair of losses drops the Dukes to the middle of the pack

Eight games into the regular season, the Wellington Dukes have four wins and four losses. They sit smack dab in the middle of the eleventeam South East conference. Not bad. But not good either. Average.

But average is hardly what athletes strive for. Hardly the rousing momentum that gets fans into the rink. The Dukes on paper, however, seem better than this.

They appear loaded with skill—from the veterans to the youngsters breaking in. They may be a bit light—but Dukes’ teams have succeeded with speed, tenacity and hard work. These qualities have appeared at times in September—but not consistently.

Moreover, the 2022/23 Dukes seem inclined to make mistakes—to some poor decisions that result in opposing team goals. It is early. This squad may yet work through these challenges. It may find a way to put a middling September behind them. Or, this extraordinary franchise will remain average.

HALIBURTON 4 – DUKES 2
Wellington skated with the Huskies for a couple of periods in Minden. Haliburton is a good team, second in the conference. Midway through the second, they beat Ethan Morrow in the Dukes’ net to snatch the lead. A power play goal put them ahead by a pair.

In the third, Captain Jacob Vreugdenhil teed up David Campbell on the power play, and it was a one-goal game. Wellington had some momentum. Against one of the stingiest netminders in the OJHL (Tyler Hodges owns a GAA of 1.41).

But two minutes later, the Huskies scored. The Dukes responded with a goal from Lucas Lapalm. So the Dukes pressed. And pressed. But with the Dukes’ tender out of the net in favour of an extra attacker, the Huskies sealed the win.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda.

BURLINGTON 5 – DUKES 4
A bad penalty. A missed floater. A giveaway. All resulted in goals against the Dukes on Sunday. It was the difference. There was no shortage of energy or of hard work. Effort couldn’t overcome the mistakes.

The Dukes had the momentum against a very good Burlington squad. But a giveaway in the Cougars’ zone resulted in an odd-man rush. The Dukes’ defencemen raced to get back—bent over, pushing as hard as he could. Another few feet, he might have caught him. A Burlington give-andgo, and the puck was behind Jacob Osborne in the Dukes’ net. Midway through the first, the Dukes were on the power play. Connor Hunt dug the puck out of the corner and found Corbin Roach in the mid slot. One-timer. The game was tied.

Before the period was over, Osborne made a spectacular post-to-post save, keeping the score even.

The Dukes had a two-man advantage early in the second. Vreugdenhil playing near the blueline teed up Julien Jacob perfectly. A brilliant onetimer found the top corner. Dukes were on top. Moments later, Campbell made a spirited rush down the wing and slung the puck accoss the goaltender’s crease. Hunt was waiting at the back door.

But a moment later, a tough goal. The Cougar defencemen lofted a pillow toward the net that floated over Osborne’s glove. Then a Dukes’ slashing penalty. It ends up in the net. Through traffic. Redirected. Osborne had no chance. The game was tied.

Late in the second, an uncharacteristic giveaway behind the Dukes’ net, is converted instantly to a goal and a Cougars lead.

The Dukes would get more chances. The Cougars gifted Wellington with seven power plays. In the third, Burlington was just back to full strength when they created a two-on-one on the transition. Goal.

The Dukes kept digging. Edward Moskowitz won the battle along the wall, throwing the pass to Vreugdenhil. No mistake. Wellington was within a goal of tying the match.

The Cougars gifted the Dukes with a power play with two minutes remaining in the game. But even with a two-man advantage (Osborne on the bench in favour of another forward), the Burlington defence held.

UP NEXT: TORONTO PATRIOTS AND MISSISSAUGA
On Friday, the Dukes welcome the Patriots to Wellington for the first of four meetings this season. As of Monday, Toronto had won just two of their first ten games. Suffering from an anaemic offence, the Patriots have scored the fewest goals in the OJHL save for Brantford 99ers, which has yet to log a victory.

On Saturday, the Dukes travel to Port Credit to take on the Mississauga Chargers. The Chargers are having another awful season with just two wins in 11 starts.

It may be the thanksgiving recipe for a Dukes team still looking to discover who they are.