Bruised
Lafreniere shines as Dukes muddle through short-handed games It gets harder from here. The Wellington Dukes, with nine games remaining in the regular season schedule, enjoy all but two of these matches at home. But each one—barring Sunday’s afternoon game with Lindsay—is against a bona fide contender. Markham twice more. Trenton. Aurora. Even Stouffville, Newmarket and […]
Where there’s a will
Dukes win big game, fade in lesser match David Brown has a good head for numbers. It’s a talent more associated with baseball, but numbers offer a telling insight into most sporting stories, including hockey. On a scrap of paper, the Dukes’ stats guy has encapsulated the Wellington Dukes’ season in two rows of numbers. The […]
Resurrection
Dukes finding offensive balance as opponents target Brown and Sokay Dylan Mascarin figured his junior hockey days were finished. He had bounced around four different leagues—including eight games with the Wellington Dukes last season. But nowhere did his performance match the output of his minor midget season back home in Thunder Bay. That season, he notched […]
Shake up
Dukes make changes in preparation for the playoffs The Wellington Dukes battled to a hard-fought draw on Friday and clobbered Milton on the road on Saturday to edge within six points of second place in the OJHL East. It was also a weekend in which GM and head coach Marty Abrams shook up the Dukes line-up […]
Thriller in Trenton
‘Best game of the season’ According to one fan who trekked to Trenton on Wednesday night—it was the best game he’d seen all season, perhaps a few seasons from the Wellington Dukes. “Our guys dominated Trenton both in speed and physical play,” said Bill Wightman. “The smart kind of toughness,” he added. By the end of […]
Junior A wrap up
Familiar combatants faced off in the final of the World Junior A Challenge on Saturday in Cobourg, as Team Canada West beat Russia 2-1 to claim the championship for the fourth time since the tournament was formed. Team Canada East lost the bronze medal game to the US by a 7-1 score. The Dukes’ […]
Worldly
Dukes factor in a variety of junior hockey action over the past week Judging by the exhibition game against the U.S. squad in Wellington last Friday night, and subsequent loss to the Russians on Monday, it looks to be another tough tournament for Team Canada East in the World Junior A Challenge this year. The tournament […]
Tough luck
Winning streak ends rudely Some losses are deserved—either through lack of effort, discipline or talent. But the Wellington Dukes had plenty at their disposal on Friday night— certainly more than their visiting opponents the Pickering Panthers. Yet, the Dukes dropped a 5-4 decision—their first loss in nine games. To Pickering. Sometimes it is just bad […]
Four lines
Every player is contributing to the Dukes winning streak Make it eight games. The Wellington Dukes have returned to their winning tradition in November—winning eight games in a row. They are doing it with speed, tenacity, and determination. It starts in net and flows through four lines. And that is the difference. For while the Dukes […]
Making things happen
Dukes move into third place on the back of a five-game winning streak Luc Brown and Jacob Panetta are making their college recruiters look like geniuses. Both are having breakout seasons in their final year of junior hockey. Both are headed to NCAA Division I hockey programs next season. Brown with Union College, Panetta with Colgate. […]