Massive promise
Composure is still a work in progress Judgements made in week one can prove fragile. Players are still trying to make their mark, to understand their role. The team has yet to form an identity. So it can be a trap to make grand observations based on the first week of the regular season. However, […]
Exorcising demons
Time to bring on the regular season The final match of the Dukes’ exhibition action offered a tidy sampler: some great action, high-speed transitions, some brilliant individual efforts, along with a hefty supply of mistakes, misplays and missed opportunities. It is pre-season. Now it gets real. Georgetown is a worthy adversary. The Raiders have been […]
Back to normal
Dukes prepare for a new season It felt odd to be back in the rink—to size up the current iteration of the Wellington Dukes. It is always slightly dissonant heading into the arena when it’s 30 degrees outside. But this oddness was accentuated by the fact that it felt normal. After two years of Covid-disrupted […]
Done
Dukes exit playoffs in the first round So it’s over. Victims of a brutal playoff structure, the Dukes lost two games, so they are out. The season is done. The best-of-three format was always going to make it a crapshoot. There is no leeway. No forgiveness. A stumble—or in the Dukes’ case, a slightly hungrier […]
East Division Champs
Dukes to face Cobourg in a best-of-three playoff series Consider the Lindsay Muskies this morning. The Kawartha junior hockey franchise had struggled over the past decade, but not this season. The 2021-22 iteration of the Muskies was a solid team. They beat the Dukes and the Trenton Golden Hawks three times each. They kept games […]
Nail-biting finish
Dukes head into the final weekend in first place Nothing is certain. Nothing is nailed down. With just two games remaining in the regular season, the race is so close that any of three teams, Wellington, Trenton or Haliburton County, may emerge as the East Division regular-season champion. While a tight race, it is still […]
First place
Dukes rounding out the regular season in a winning way Four Wellington wins combined with three Trenton losses has propelled the Dukes into first place in the East Division. Wellington has a three-point buffer over the Golden Hawks, but Trenton retains a pair of games in hand. These cross-bay rivals seem determined to crank up […]
Into the vise
Wellington misses an opportunity but stays on track for post-season success The Dukes had an opportunity to slide into first place in the East, but allowed it to slip from their grasp on Sunday. With just eight games left in the regular season—just one more against Trenton—the window is closing. Not yet closed, but narrowing. […]
Contenders
A winning effort in Trenton is spoiled by an overtime loss An encouraging week in Dukes land— proving to any and all that Wellington belongs in the conversation for the top spot in the East and, indeed, the OJHL. While still hobbled by a depleted lineup, the Dukes showed that when—if— everyone gets back on […]
The grind
Dukes plough through schedule with key bits on the sideline It was a sideways week for the Dukes as they skated to a thrilling win against Trenton, but lost a couple of games to lesser teams. Perhaps a lack of practice, of injuries or perhaps it is just the toll taken from playing so many […]