Leader emerges
The Dukes get lift from blockbuster season start by Luc Brown When you meet him, you know instantly that Luc Brown is a singular individual. Smart, strong and patient. A firm, deliberate handshake tells you he is confident and focused. Ready for any challenge. On the ice, the Dukes forward has always looked the hockey prototype— […]
Unforced errors
Mistakes prove costly in loss to St. Mikes After 10 games in this new season, the Wellington Dukes remain a puzzle. They’ve won five games, lost five. No overtime decisions. Five hundred hockey. They deserve better. But this Dukes squad is an unpredictable lot. Winning games they shouldn’t. Losing others they really should have won. Friday […]
Uphill
Dukes struggle to turn speed advantage into wins over slower, bigger teams Mama said there would be days like this. The Wellington Dukes are a fast-skating, exciting team. They are, as a group, also quite a young team. Eager, enthusiastic, hard working. They are fun to watch and their exuberance is infectious. But when the Dukes struggle […]
PK troubles
Power play goals blunt a fast start to the season The Wellington Dukes’ penalty killing has been woeful in the early going of the new season—currently worst in the OJHL. Through four games, opposing teams are scoring a goal for every two opportunities with the man-advantage. In past years, this might have been less of a […]
Lopsided
Dukes split opening two games as lineup begins to congeal Alopsided loss on Friday was not as bad as the score indicated, while a lopsided win on Saturday revealed some work needs to be done. TRENTON 8 – DUKES 2 It was a depleted Dukes’ lineup that crossed the Carrying Place bridge on Friday night on […]
Fast and furious
Dukes in good shape to start another season The Dukes wrapped up a five-game preseason schedule with a 7-2 win over the Lumber Kings in Pembroke on Sunday night. Shaw Boomhower and Brodie Maracle each had a three-point game—both forwards scored twice and added an assist to set the pace for the win. It was much […]
Speed kings
Preseason Dukes show hustle and grit The Dukes were trailing by goal late in its first exhibition game. Playing at home, it would be great to at least tie the score. But when holding a lead, Cobourg is a skilled force at clogging up the neutral zone—throwing every skater between the bluelines to turn back even […]
Boys of winter
Schedule compresses Dukes’ training camp They arrive each summer. Flip flops on their feet. Dreams of skating in the storied Dukedome stirring in their heads. Sixteen or so years of hockey development has led them here. The weight of it all much more than the enormous equipment bags slung over their shoulders. It is time for […]
Four straight
Dukes battle to the end For the fourth season in a row, the Dukes have been ousted in the first round of the playoffs. Not since 2011, when the Dukes won the Buckland Cup and the Dudley Hewitt Cup, earning a berth in the RBC Cup national championship series in Alberta, have they emerged victorious […]
Unjust
Dukes better, faster, more physical, but trail series 2-0 The Dukes have come very close to upsetting the favoured Trenton Golden Hawks. Outworking. Outskating. Smarter. Faster. Yet after two games, it is Trenton with a pair of victories in the best-of-seven series. The Dukes have none. Not yet. It is a hole for sure. But the […]