Self destruct
Dukes drop game three The lesson of the Dukes 3-1 loss against the Pickering Panthers was clear: Don’t fall behind against this disciplined, defensive team. And if you do, try to stay out of the penalty box. Don’t give games away. Nothing went right for the Dukes in front of the hometown crowd on Tuesday […]
Playoffs
Action begins this Friday night in Wellington It’s playoff time in Wellington. On Friday the Wellington Dukes host the Pickering Panthers in Game 1 of the best of seven series. On paper the matchup appears to favour the East Division Champions. The Dukes won all four games against the Panthers this season. And Wellington had […]
Weak habits
Dukes continue to be hobbled by lazy penalties This should have been a happy story. It could have been the story in which we told you the Wellington Dukes had clinched the East Division Championship. Instead, it’s another story about how penalties cost the Dukes a valuable two points—points they should have won. It had […]
Final stretch
Dukes face Pickering in a potential preview of the playoffs After a layoff of 11 days, the Wellington Dukes get back to competition on Friday—the first of five games to be played in just over a week. The final four games will be on the road. It’s one way to finish the regular season. Not […]
Reflection
Dukes have 11 days to reverse losing skid It’s time for a break. Time to regroup. Time for the Wellington Dukes to ask themselves what they want to achieve this season. How far do they want to go? From the opening weeks in September, the Dukes led the East Division standings, occasionally flirting with a […]
Flailing
Dukes in search of character and discipline It was just one game. Another oddity in a particularly screwy Dukes schedule this season, had Wellington playing a single game last week. Still, they didn’t show up. When the opposition found another gear, the Dukes responded with angry words. Useless words. It is an odd thing. Dukes […]
Thin wins
Recklessness portends an early exit in the playoffs The radio ad for the Verdun Dragons of the Ligue nord-américane de hockey came to symbolize the league. “The puck drops at 8 p.m. The gloves drop at 8:05,” proclaimed the excited radio voice. More than 60 teams flowed in and out of the mostly goon pro […]
Winning ways
But team discipline continues to elude the East Division leaders With the Dukes’ win over Newmarket on Saturday, the team assured itself entry to the playoffs in March. Perhaps this is not utterly surprising as the Dukes are in first place in their division—where they’ve been all season long. The truly astonishing bit is that […]
Upside down
East Division leaders clear house over the holidays That was some kind of Christmas break. The number one team in the East Division returned to find their entire coaching staff had been jettisoned. Ryan Woodward, just months into an odd role as general manager and associate coach, was gone. So was Kyle Hawkins- Schulz as […]
Back
Together again, the Dukes aim to start the new year with all guns blazing The Wellington Dukes get back into action with two games at home this weekend—Trenton on Friday night and Lindsay on Sunday afternoon. With just 17 games left in the regular season, the Dukes have a solid grip on the number one […]