Fabulous beginning

Dukes overturn OJHL champions in season opener After an offseason of turmoil, it was a home-opening game that few expected. Much better than could have been hoped for. A large crowd greeted the Dukes as they skated on the ice for the first time. The new coaching team of Jacob Panetta and Darcy Murphy took their place behind the bench. Both had been stars on this team more than a decade ago—familiar to many of the Dukes’ faithful. In the stands were alum—Curtis Leonard, Luc Brown, Jacob Hethrington and Brody Morris—who had come to lend their support to Panetta and […]

Hockey time

Dukes begin a new campaign with question marks The Wellington Dukes are back. The team returned to the ice on Saturday in a woolly exhibition game at home. The Dukes hosted the Trenton Golden Hawks in a match that saw the lead go back and forth—as both teams scrambled to find recognizable form. Trenton held the upper hand through the first period, tallying a couple of goals along the way. But the Dukes rebounded with a goal later in the frame and two unanswered goals in the second. The large hometown crowd was thrilled. The Dukes had a chance to […]

Righting the ship

Dukes GM stresses transparency, culture and community in his debut In his three years as a Wellington Duke, Jacob Panetta anchored a hard and fast defence. He will need all of his toughness, determination and speedy decision-making as a playmaker in his new leadership role with the team. The Dukes are a storied name in junior hockey in Canada. The team has earned a berth in the playoffs in each of its 37 years in the league. The Dukes have vied for the national championship twice. It competes against hockey centres many times the size of the village. The Dukes […]