Movin’ on up

Craig Campbell and Erick Delaurentis have a combined 29 points in their last five games including 11 goals and lead their team in scoring.

Dukes surge past Kingston to take over second place

November can be a tough month for a hockey club. It is the doldrums of the season—no longer fresh and new, yet still a long road to the playoffs. Spirits sag and energy is in short supply in this dark month.

Not so for the Dukes—not at least in 2012. The Dukes have won five of eight games in November. And in doing so have moved up the ranks, past Kingston, into second place in the East Division. In two if its three losing causes the Dukes lost by just a goal, in a shootout against Trenton on Friday night.

Wellington’s success has been propelled by the emergence of two players in particular. Craig Campbell, with 20 goals, is ranked second overall in the OJHL. He has earned 17 points in his past five games—a better than three-point-per-game pace. The crafty forward is always in the right spot and knows what opposing players will do before they do. He knows too, instinctively, where his linemates are and where they will go next.

Opposing netminders can rarely anticipate whether the Strathroy native will pass, deke or shoot. Their mistake is setting for one— then he pounces and does the other.

Matt Larose has been exceptional in the Dukes net since coming from British Columbia early in the season. He has the second best save percentage in the league and has given up the third fewest goals per games played. As great goaltenders must, Larose has salvaged games for the Dukes’ and kept his team in the game until the Dukes offensive weapons found their stride.

Of course, no team that enjoys success does soon the back of a couple players—the Dukes are getting a full effort on a consistent basis, each and every game. This is why suddenly the Dukes are the team to watch in the OJHL.

Brian Bunnett continues to progress since returning from a long absence—using his size to be an effective forechecker.

DUKES 6 – NEWMARKET 0
Newmarket was in first place in the North Division when the Dukes arrived on Thursday night; when the weekend was over, the Hurricane had slipped to third. The bad news started arriving when the Dukes bus pulled into Newmarket.

The outcome was determined early. The game wasn’t three minutes old when Erick Delaurentis scored on the power play—his first of a pair goals in the game. It would prove to be the game winner. Campbell scored twice and assisted on three others as the Dukes romped to a 6-0 rout of the Hurricane. Josh Gervais earned three assists in the game. Hayden Lavigne, freshly back from the Prospects Tournament in Nova Scotia, stoned the Newmarket shooters, turning way 28 shots.

TRENTON 3 – DUKES 2 SHOOTOUT
The Dukes came home with the wind at their backs on Friday, ready to take on the East Division- leading Trenton Golden Hawks.

The Golden Hawks are a bigger and older team; the Dukes are quicker and have more stamina. Trenton’s game plan was obvious even to the kids clutching teddy bears in anticipation of tossing them on the ice: pound the Dukes, grind them into the corners and bully them off the puck.

For a while it worked, as the Dukes’ young defence were battered and bruised in the early going. Yet Larose kept the puck out of the Dukes net. Soon the Golden Hawks lost intensity in their forechecking. They earned a lazy slashing penalty late in first period. On the power play Mike Soucier, playing well out on the point, stretched to keep the puck from leaving the offensive zone— leaving himself prone and exposed to a punishing check. Gathering the puck, Soucier found Delaurentis on the near wall, who swiftly swung a pass to Campbell set up just outside the crease. Up and over—the Dukes had the lead.

Early in the second, Trenton finally beat Larose, knotting the game at one. Late in the period Kyle Paat was caught retaliating against a perceived injustice and sent to the box for two plus ten minutes. It would prove a costly mistake. Trenton scored on the ensuing power play and the Dukes remained without the services of its veteran defenceman—when he was needed most.

With the lead for the first time in the game, Trenton tried to seal up the neutral zone by filling it with oversized white jerseys. But a careless slashing penalty put the Dukes on the power play. Josh Gervais made a crisp cross-ice pass to Campbell. Faking a shot Campbell fed Delaurentis waiting by the back door. A redirection and the game was tied. That is how regulation time ended. Same with overtime.

On the shootout the Golden Hawks’ first shooter Shawn Hulshof beat Larose low. The Dukes snipers suddenly fell quiet. The large contingent from Trenton travelled back up the Loyalist Parkway pleased, and somewhat relieved, to have salvaged a win against the red hot Dukes.

DUKES 4 – WHITBY 0
Matt Larose and the revival of the Dukes’ moribund power play were the stories of the game on Sunday as the Dukes subdued the Fury in Whitby.

Although Whitby sits in fourth spot the team is playing well, possessing an array of weapons and working hard to move up the ranks. For a period the Fury pushed hard, outshooting the Dukes 18-10 in the first frame. Matt Larose knocked them all aside. Then in the second period, with a two-man advantage, Craig Campbell capitalized on a pass from Delaurentis to give his team the lead. Whitby struggled to maintain its composure. Midway through the period a Fury player was penalized for roughing after the whistle—a useless brand of penalty. The Dukes made Whitby pay. Evan Erickson, back from a mauling in Newmarket, scored on the ensuing power play.

Joe McKeown and Parker Wood each scored in the third period to round out the victory, although by then, the outcome was already clear. Whitby’s shot total trailed off as they steadily conceded the game to the Dukes.

UP NEXT: WHITBY, AURORA (FAN BUS) AND COBOURG
Whitby will have plenty of motivation stirring inside them this week as they prepare to visit the Essroc Arena on Friday night in Wellington. The Dukes meanwhile will be looking to extend their winning ways with a view to the top spot in the East—suddenly within reach.

On Saturday the Dukes travel to Aurora to face the Tigers for the sixth time this season. The Dukes won just a two of these matches but are riding a wave of confidence. Aurora, however, has won four of their last five games and now sit atop the North Division.

A Dukes fan bus is set to travel to the game. The bus leaves the Wellington and District Community Centre at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The cost is just $20 return. For information about getting on board contact Doug Robinson at toni.doug@sympatico.ca or call him at 613.476.2823.

On Monday the Dukes head down the 401 to Cobourg to take on the suddenly red hot Cougars. Cobourg was always too good a squad to languish in last place in the East Division and in recent weeks the Cougars have begun to show their claws, winning all five of their last games. They are winning against good teams like Aurora and Kingston.

The Dukes will have their hands full in Northumberland on Monday.