December drive

STORY AND PHOTO: KEVIN SCANLON
Dukes are searching for that killer instinct

The calendar has just flipped to December with Christmas weeks away, but it is not too early to be thinking of the Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs. There is an old hockey adage that early season games count as much in the standings as those in the final weeks. Perhaps there is less urgency in November games, where it sometimes appears a team is not quite playing the full 60 minutes their coach had envisioned. Almost two weeks ago, the Dukes took an early lead over North York, then allowed the lowly Rangers to force an overtime— which fortunately Wellington won. On Friday, the Dukes stormed out to a 5-1 lead, which held until the final buzzer—but not without some trepidation along the way.

There are six games before the Christmas break, with four of them against teams with fewer points than the Dukes. Claiming the majority of those points would position the team well heading into January when eight of their 13 games involve teams below them in the standings. February is a tougher schedule with six of the eight opponents ahead of Wellington. The playoffs await in March when the games will really mean something.

DUKES 5 – OAKVILLE 1
At the end of the first period on Sunday night, some wag might have predicted that Wellington goalie Colby Booth- Housego was going to be the first star of the game. Fans nearby would have snorted at the suggestion. The Dukes were up 5-1 and had outshot the Blades 20-8. What could possibly go wrong? The wag would probably have been told to avoid imbibing too many refreshments in the lounge in future. But, as impossible as it sounds, Booth- Housego was named the first star and he fully deserved it, stopping 36 of 37 shots in a game that was much closer than the score indicated.

In the first period, the Dukes were all over the Blades. Zach Carrier potted the first goal at the 3:12 mark as he finished a perfect give-andgo with Vince Albanese.

Wellington’s pressure around the Oakville net led to two penalties on the Blades and a Zach Mascard goal at 6:01 when the Dukes forward slapped in a rebound of a point shot. Less than two minutes later, defenceman Tristan Williams fired a shot from the blueline that found the back of the net. Nine minutes into the game, the Dukes were outshooting the Blades 10-0.

At the midway point of the period, Landon Marleau took a pass from the point and deked the Oakville goalie to give the Dukes a 4-0 lead. Three minutes later, Oakville’s Lucas Tye scored his team’s only goal on a scramble around the Wellington net on a power play. But soon the Dukes had another two-man advantage and Mascard scored his second of the game and 14th of the season after two perfect passes found him alone at the top of the crease. Before the period ended, Dukes defender Carson Albert made a great defensive play chasing down an Oakville player on a breakaway and thwarting a shot on goal. That was it for the scoring.

The second period turned into an end-to-end battle with Oakville taking advantage of three consecutive Wellington penalties and outshooting the Dukes14-8, although nothing got by goalie Booth-Housego. In the third, the Dukes again took three consecutive penalties, including a five-minute major and game misconduct to defenceman Noah Smith for a check to the head. But Booth-Housego continued to keep the Blades at bay, stopping 15 shots. Just after the final buzzer, the first star was announced. Who else but Dukes netminder Booth-Housego?

UP NEXT: HALIBURTON, AURORA AND NORTH YORK
On Friday, Haliburton plays in Wellington at 7:30 p.m. The Huskies are just ahead of the Dukes in the East Division. On Sunday at 1:30 p.m., Wellington hosts the Aurora Tigers. On Tuesday, the Dukes visit the basement-dwelling North York Rangers for a 4:30 p.m. game.