Crunch-crunch time

Dukes rounding out season

With only seven games left in the season, it’s crunch-crunch time for the Wellington Dukes as they battle to hold onto second-place in the Eastern Division of the OJHL and also prepare for the opening round of the playoffs in March. Four of their upcoming games are against lesser teams in the standings, but three will be against Western Division leaders Collingwood and Leamington and, of course, Eastern leader Trenton in a Friday tilt in Wellington. But there is only a 10-point gap between second place and ninth place in the Eastern Division, so every game is important as the playoffs loom less than a month away.

DUKES 11 – NORTH YORK 4
The Dukes came storming out of the gate at home on Thursday night, scoring on their third shot of the game at 1:42 when Ryan Schaap picked up his own rebound for his 22nd goal of the season. But less than four minutes later, the Rangers tied it when Michael Dion’s screened point shot found the top corner. Still, the Dukes continued to dominate with William Mitchell and Zander Latreille scoring just 12 seconds apart before the halfway mark of the period. At that point, the Dukes had outshot the Rangers 15-1. Connor Hunt then scored his 21st of the season just seven seconds into a power play to give the Dukes a 4-1 lead.

When the Dukes took their feet off the gas in the second frame, North York took advantage with a goal a minute and a half into the period. The teams then traded goals with Cory Jewitt notching his 24th of the season before Ben Vreugdenhil and Caleb MacDonald pretty much put the game away, giving the Dukes a 7-3 lead. After bombarding Rangers goalie Matteo Porporino with 21 shots in the first period and getting only four goals, the Dukes found scoring success in the second and third with nifty passing plays to the open man.

In the third period, the relentless Dukes went ahead 8-3 on a goal by Colin Smith before the Rangers scored their fourth and final goal of the game with a two-man advantage. Just past the 11-minute mark, Mitchell shoved a Rangers player who went down like a toddler at naptime. That Emmy-worthy performance put the Dukes forward in the penalty box for the alleged crosscheck. After killing the penalty, Wellington again pressured the Rangers as Connor Loerzel and Austin Montgomery-Parsons scored before Loerzel made the final entry on the scoresheet with 44 seconds left.

The Dukes outshot the Rangers 44-23 to secure their 29th win of the season. After their 35th loss of the season and 13th in a row, it was a long bus ride home for North York.

DUKES 4 – COBOURG 1
After their one-hour bus ride along the lake, the Dukes peppered the Cobourg net with 41 shots on their way to a 4-1 win on Monday night. The first period was scoreless, but Wellington broke out in the second with a goal from Tzaferis and another on a power play from Hunt, his 22nd marker of the season. Logan Sitlani put the Dukes well in front with a power play goal at 7:56 of the third before Cobourg’s Kaiden Harmon broke Wellington goalie Jack Lisson’s shutout bid with just over seven minutes left. Jewitt later scored his 25th goal, an empty-netter, while the Dukes were shorthanded.

The game was a chippy affair with several offsetting minor penalties for roughing before the final minute when Wellington’s Loerzel and Cobourg’s Michael De Sousa had a fight that resulted in minor penalties, five-minute majors and game misconducts. Peace was restored for the final 20 seconds of the game.

UP NEXT: TRENTON
The Dukes face the first-place Golden Hawks in Wellington on Friday at 7:30 p.m.