Loosening up
Dukes roll out welcome mat to County minor hockey players It is difficult to distill significance from early exhibition games. The play is ragged. The skaters mostly unfamiliar. Everyone is learning new roles. Some are just trying to stick with the team. Certainly the Kingston Voyageurs presented little resistance to the Wellington Dukes in a pair […]
Scrapping
Working into the Dukes roster Acooler bite to the morning air in recent days signals the return of hockey season in Wellington. Though one doesn’t directly cause the other, it is another reminder that summer days are fading and another season is around the corner. In preparation, about 73 players skated in the Dukes’ training […]
Busy off-season
Dukes fundraising, community relations and developing hockey talent Despite a months-long off-season, running a hockey club requires attention all year round. It affords few breaks even during the sunny days of July. The Wellington Dukes are no exception. In recent weeks, the team has signed eight new players, is getting ready to lead a development team at […]
The future
Dukes prospects showcase their talent this weekend in Wellington Junior hockey returns to Wellington this weekend as the Dukes host the team’s annual spring tournament on Saturday and Sunday. The team is welcoming a larger roster of prospects this weekend than in past spring camps. Action gets underway at 9 a.m. on Saturday and extends all […]
Too much
Dukes bow out of the OJHL playoffs In the end, there was simply too much stacked against the Dukes in 2016. Injuries had depleted every position— from the goaltender, through the defence corps to the forward lines. Some watched from the stands, some played hurt. Still, the Dukes played hard. Stayed close. A bounce this […]
Roller coaster
Dukes look to tie series tonight in Wellington It is a great spectacle. Whatever else happens in this series, fans in both Trenton and Wellington have been treated to some thrilling, heart-pounding hockey over the past week. The Trenton rink has been packed to capacity for two games—the larger Wellington arena very nearly full on Friday […]
Heart pounding action
Dukes take game two in thrill ride in Wellington. Not every seat was taken—but almost. The few gaps left along the railing that surrounds the ice surface were quickly filled in. Ninety minutes before the puck dropped, hundreds of fans were milling about the arena—staking out preferred seating or their place along the rail. […]
Thriller in Trenton
Dukes fall in game one It was a capacity crowd at the Trenton Community Gardens on Wednesday night as the Wellington Dukes and Golden Hawks gave the folks lucky enough to get into the game, everything they could have hoped for—thrilling end to end action, heart-stopping plays and an ending that was in doubt to […]
Bruised but unbroken
Dukes have little time to recharge for Trenton series It was a tough series. Aurora isn’t blessed with an abundance of great playmakers or scorers. The Tigers make up for a lack of skill by playing tough, inyour- face hockey. It is a game of grinding down opponents. A game of attrition. The Dukes’ skilled lineup […]
Fortitude
Dukes take two-game lead in quarterfinal series Patience is a virtue. We know this to be true. But when time is running out, the game is tied and your opponents are outshooting your team by a wide margin, patience can be a frayed and slippery rope to which we cling. Yet, with time running out and […]