Outworked

Evan Erickson looks for a loose puck against Whitby on Friday night.

Dukes struggle to get pucks near opposing net, lose three straight

The Dukes stumbled badly on the weekend, losing all three games they played. It was a dismal stretch from beginning to end. The Dukes learned, if wasn’t already clear, that without speed and willingness to be first to the puck, they are an ordinary team. Along the way they skidded from second place to fourth place in the East Division before bouncing back into a tie for third, on a point earned in the overtime loss on Monday night.

The good news is the Dukes get to pick themselves up, brush off the losses and get ready to take on a pair of East Division rivals. The race in the East remains so close, more than halfway through the regular season, that a couple of wins could put the Dukes right back into the hunt.

On Friday night Whitby came to town looking to avenge their 4-0 drubbing at the hands of the Dukes five days earlier. Whitby did this well. They skated faster. Hit harder. And scored more often.

Hayden Lavigne got the start in net for the Dukes. Midway through the first period Dukes defenceman Josh Finklestein was checked hard into the boards. He was clearly injured and looking to get off the ice but the Fury were swarming the Dukes zone.

It was a game that saw pucks bounce off goal posts at both ends. Here Hayden Lavigne and centre Jake Marchment can only look on as the post saves a goal.

In desperation he grabbed the puck with his hand and flung it up ice. This is against the rules and earned him a penalty.

While Finkelstein served his two minutes, a Whitby shot from the blueline drifted through traffic and past Lavigne. More worrying, Finkelstein failed to return to the ice for the remainder of the game. Nor did the sturdy defenceman dress for his team’s next two games.

The Dukes are a young team—particularly so on the team’s blueline. Without the reliable play and calming influence of a veteran like Finkelstein, the team’s confidence sags markedly.

The Fury added another in the second period, after which the Dukes’ leading scorer Craig Campbell swatted a puck out of mid-air past the Whitby netminder giving his team, and fans, a muchneeded lift.

It wasn’t enough. Lacking an extra step or another gear the Dukes were pounded by the bigger and older Whitby squad. The Dukes managed to ring a couple of goal posts but that was as close as they would get. The Fury added two more goals, sealing the Dukes’ loss. They managed a paltry 23 shots on net. Whitby had 37.

AURORA 4 – DUKES 2
Matters didn’t get any better in Aurora on Saturday. Despite the support of a fan bus that travelled with the team, the Dukes were outshot again—this time by more than 20 shots.

Yet it was the Dukes’ Josh Gervais who got on the board first. But as the period wore on the Tigers gained the upper hand—scoring an even strength and then a power play goal as two young Dukes defenders sat in the penalty box after taking a pair of undisciplined penalties. They could only look on as their team battled, and eventually lost, a five-on-three disadvantage.

The Tigers extended their lead to 3-1 midway through the second period. Then Kyle Paat scored to draw the Dukes within a goal of tying the game—even as his team was being badly outshot by the Tigers.

Hard working forward Joe McKeown has had trouble getting his mojo working after the Prospects Tournament in Nova Scotia—earning just a single point since his return to the Dukes lineup.

In the third the Dukes simply ran out of gas—managing to post just seven shots on net. Aurora tallied late in the game to finish the scoring.

COBOURG 3 – DUKES 2 OT
With the back-to-back losses the Dukes knew they had lost ground in the East— making the outcome of the game in Cobourg even more important. Despite residing in last place in the East, the Cougars have been on a tear in November—winning four of their previous five games.

The Dukes knew their task would be hard. And it was. Once again the Dukes allowed a lesser team outshoot them—particularly in the early going. The Cougars jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the first period had reached the midway point.

In the second period the Dukes found their legs. Brian Bunnett scored to put the Dukes on the scoresheet. Then in the early going of the third, Josh Gervais tied the score on the powerplay. By now the Dukes had regained the game’s momentum and seemed as though they might bring the win back to Wellington.

But the Cougars hung on. And in overtime Cobourg’s Dylan Goddard beat Matt Larose to steal the win for his team.

UP NEXT: TRENTON AND WHITBY
On Friday the Dukes travel to Trenton. The Golden Hawks haven’t lost a game in their last six. The last time these teams played, the Golden Hawks eked out a win in a shootout.

On Sunday the Dukes get back on the bus and travel to Whitby for a rematch against the Fury. Whitby is currently in second place with a pair of games in hand compared with the Dukes. Earning points against the Fury will be a critical mid-season test for these young Dukes.