Amorphous

Dukes take two of three games in pre-season action

Colton Hayes bulls through traffic behind the Trenton net, with the puck and poised to make a play.

It’s hard to know what to make of preseason hockey. It’s a lot of talented strangers trying to make an impression in a finite number of shifts. It is hard, too, to know what to make of opposing teams —to know if this is this any semblance of the team that will suit up in September.

It must be profoundly difficult for netminders. For they are uniquely exposed in August. Forwards are mostly useless in their own zone at this point. And there is little defensive structure in front of these impression- forming goalies. Meanwhile the sole characteristic linking the assortment of players on the other team is that they have, by now, learned how to put the puck in the net.

So spare a thought for the netminders in August. For some it will become abundantly clear they are not yet ready for this level of play. Skaters meanwhile, can hide in the weeds a bit longer.

For the record, the Dukes won two, lost a third in three so far. They play two more exhibition matches—one in Cobourg on Wednesday and another in Trenton on Friday.

The snipers—Frank Vitucci, Evan Millar and Tanner Tolliver—showed they remember how to find the net. Stalwarts Ben Woodhouse, Jacob Panetta and Dawson Ellis dominated the middle of the ice. Hardnosed Brent Humberstone was solid moving the puck decisively out of the Dukes zone. Matt Keeley good enough against Trenton and Pembroke—though at least in Friday’s home game, Trenton struggled to mount any prolonged offensive threat.

There is huge promise in the Dukes dressing room this season. Whether it bears fruit is a story yet to be told. We look forward to telling you every bit of it.