Dukes and Tigers

Dukes forward Luc Brown was simply the best player in the OJHL this season—topping all players with 91 points.

A rivalry renewed

The Wellington Dukes emerged with wins in all four meetings against Aurora in the regular season. But the playoffs are a brand new season. All points are erased. The ice is levelled, and the campaign begins anew.

Well, except for one important advantage: the Dukes begin the playoffs on home ice. If the series were to go seven games—the ultimate game would be settled in Wellington.

So on Friday night, the Dukes welcome the Aurora Tigers to Wellington for game one.

Wellington and Aurora have storied playoff history between them.

RIVALRY
In 2004, on their way to the Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Dukes fans got under the skin of the Aurora goaltender and some say it cost the Tigers the game and the series. In 2007, it was the Tigers’ turn to hand the Dukes a major disappointment.

Both teams had emerged through four rounds of playoffs to compete for the OJHL championship. The Dukes had won the first game in Aurora. Aurora took the second game in Wellington. Both games had been decided by a single goal.

It was a Tuesday night in early April—too cold for that time of year. A great many Dukes fans had travelled from Wellington for the game. Everyone knew it was a pivotal match. After three periods, the score was tied at three goals apiece. Dukes goals came from Marc Senecal, Joe Hall and Zach Morbeck. The first overtime failed to produce a winner.

In the intermission between the first and second overtime periods, the Zamboni operator was a bit too aggressive in mopping the ice. Even after the teams returned from their dressing rooms, large puddles of water pooled on the ice. The puck dropped. The Dukes won the face off. The centre passed back to the Wellington defenceman. The puck never made it. Instead, it stopped dead in a puddle of water. In the slot directly in front of Dan Dunn, the Dukes’ extraordinary netminder that year. Aurora’s Mark Mayea scooped up the puck and made a move on the surprised and undefended netminder. Bing. Bang. The game was over. Just like that.

That was it. Aurora had both the momentum and the luck in their favour. The Tigers came back to Wellington two nights later and won that game 4-1. They finished the Dukes off the next night, winning 5-1.

It was just a formality after the game three loss. The Dukes had given everything they had to give—but it was a puddle of water that beat them. The Tigers went on to win the Dudley Hewitt Cup and were crowned the RBC Cup champions. It was the last time an OJHL team achieved such heights.

Surprisingly, the Dukes and Aurora have not met in the playoffs since. The Dukes managed the Tigers efficiently this season, winning all four games. In mid-October Shaw Boomhower scored just his second goal 90 seconds into the game.

Dukes winger Matt Adams (28) is buried under a horde of Fury looking for his third goal of the final regular season game against Whitby on Friday.

After Aurora jumped ahead with a pair of goals in the second period, Luc Brown and Ben Sokay combined to tie the score in the third. Sokay scored the winner 23 seconds into the second over time period.

Olivier Lafrenière was solid in the Wellington net when the Dukes travelled to Aurora in mid-November. Jacob Panetta set up all three Dukes goals from Austin Labelle, Chase St. Aubin and Justin Bean. Lafrenière stopped 38 shots.

A week later while back in Aurora, the Dukes defeated the Tigers by the same score. Luc Brown had a pair of first-period goals. Dylan Mascarin added another in the second.

The final pairing between these two teams was played just two weeks ago in Wellington. Luc Brown and Ben Sokay scored in the first period and the Dukes never looked back. Brown would add another along with goals from Nic Mucci, Tyler Burnie and Boomhower.

The Tigers do a good job of protecting their own end of the ice—ensuring that netminder Josh Boyko can see the shots coming in. Aurora allowed the fewest goals in the league after Trenton and Georgetown.

CHAMPION
Luc Brown won the OJHL scoring championship with 91 points. He scored the league’s most goals with 42 and was second only to Georgetown’s Patrick Kudla for assists. Brown was consistently strong all season long—in only 8 of 51 games did Brown fail to register a single point.

HOME ICE
The Dukes secured home ice advantage through at least the first round with a convincing win over Whitby on Friday night. Brody Maracle scored on his first shift, jamming in a pass from Chase St. Aubin. When a few moments later Whitby scored and then ten seconds later the Dukes’ Matt Adams regained the lead, it seemed this might be a game of first to ten goals.

But the Dukes settled down in the second period with three unanswered goals—another from Adams and two from Sokay. Whitby scored another in the third but the outcome had already been decided. Lafrenière went the distance, stopping 39 shots.

SCHEDULE
Game # 1
FRIDAY, March 4
AURORA @ WELLINGTON
7:30 p.m., Essroc Arena

Game # 2
SUNDAY, March 6
WELLINGTON @AURORA
7:30 p.m., Aurora Community Centre

Game # 3
WEDNESDAY, March 9
AURORA @ WELLINGTON
7 p.m., Essroc Arena

Game # 4
FRIDAY, March 11
WELLINGTON @AURORA
7:30 p.m., Aurora Community Centre

Game # 5*
SUNDAY, March 13
AURORA @ WELLINGTON
2 p.m., Essroc Arena

Game # 6*
MONDAY, March 14
WELLINGTON @AURORA
7:30 p.m., Aurora Community Centre

Game # 7*
TUESDAY, March 15
AURORA @ WELLINGTON
7 p.m., Essroc Arena

(*if necessary)