Discovery

Fighting off a swarm of wild creatures, a cohesive team emerges

It was an angry bag of hornets that showed up from North York on Friday night to face the Wellington Dukes in a game in which the action was so intense that it was a challenge at times for fans to catch their breath. The North York Rangers are, generally speaking, a diminutive lot. But they are fast. And skilled. And mad as hell. They seem keenly motivated to prove that speed kills. Size is over-rated. It is an attitude familiar to Dukes fans.

But these North York Rangers were something else. Every shift, they rolled over the boards looking to swarm the Dukes with quickness and tenacity. Yet Wellington withstood the assault. Over and over again. And occasionally, they would catch the Rangers pushing too hard and create a break. But North York’s big rambling netminder James Gray was spectacular.

Jonathan Balah (11), the game’s lone goalscorer on Friday night, joins his linemates, working deep in his own zone, ensuring the pass didn’t get through to the slot. Meanwhile, defenceman Liam Whittaker (3) and forward Barret Joynt (15) ensure the intended target of the North York pass was jammed up before it arrived.

Midway through the first, the Dukes were on the power play. Jonathan Balah led the attack from his own end—skating the puck into the Rangers’ zone, weaving round mad hobbits to set up the power play attack. But the puck got loose, back down the ice. On the next rush, Jake Vreugdenhil gained the Rangers’ blueline, served it into Balah’s wheelhouse at the top of the slot. Brodie Mc- Dougall managed to get a stick on Balah’s hard low shot. Behind Gray.

That was all the scoring. But there were stunning chances at both ends of the rink for the next 50 minutes. Never did the Rangers relent on the forecheck. Neither did the Dukes break.

Instead, they managed to neutralize the attack. Keep the puck to the outside. Captain Emmet Pierce, in particular, held his head in the maelstrom. Slowing the pace in his zone—enabling his teammates to collect their thoughts. Leading the way out of the assault.

It was a game in which Wellington might have learned something of themselves. This game might have been a blowout if one Dukes player had been going at half speed on Friday. North York was counting on that. Instead, Wellington rallied over and over again.

It wasn’t a particularly pretty game—the break-out passes weren’t clean. The pace was pushed. But it is a game in which all the hours of practice became apparent. And were rewarded.

TORONTO JC 3 – DUKES 2
On Sunday, the Dukes mounted their attempted comeback just a bit too late. Toronto Junior Canadiens key offensive weapon, Eric Vitale, assisted on a goal in the first period and tallied in each of the following two frames. It was this third goal that seemed to get visiting Dukes motivated. Barrett Joynt scored to get the Dukes on the board shortly after Vitale had made it 3-0 for Toronto. Joynt’s goal was set up by Harrison Ballard. Not long after, it was Ballard from Corbin Roach and Joynt to move within a goal of tying the game. It never came.

ST. MICHAEL’S 5 – DUKES 4 OT
The Dukes were trailing by a goal against St. Mikes—a perennial powerhouse OJHL squad—with time falling off the clock. Just 72 seconds remained in the game. Barrett Joynt fed Graham Dickerson. His shot beat Cole Moore in the Buzzers’ net. The game was knotted at four goals apiece. Alas, in the overtime period, the Buzzers found a lane just a minute into the overtime and beat Matt Dunsmoor.

It had been that kind of night. St. Mikes scored early to take the lead. But the Dukes responded with two of their own: Harrison Ballard on the power play and new defenceman Jack Wolder. St. Mikes scored a pair to start the second. Ballard scored again. Then another Buzzers goal to make it 4-3 to end the period. It was tough, back and forth hockey through the third. Until Dickerson’s goal. Close, but…

UP NEXT, TRENTON, COBOURG x 2
On Friday, the Dukes cross the Murray Canal to visit the Golden Hawks.

On Sunday, Cobourg comes to Wellington for an afternoon tilt. Then on Monday, the Dukes return the favour, travelling to Cobourg for a 7:30 start.