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 playing junior hockey in Georgetown since 1975. They’ve won the Dudley- Hewitt Cup twice and are regularly placed in the top echelons of the OJHL. Always competitive.

The Dukes had Ethan Morrow back in net for this game, having returned from a stint with the OHL Sudbury Wolves. A closely contested first period gave way to a more wideopen second. Wellington was getting chances, but giving up just as many. On one odd-man rush, the Raiders beat Morrow to take the lead. But seconds later, Jaxen Boyer beat the last defender down the wing and shot. Stopped. Connor Hunt picked up the puck behind the Raiders’ net. Out to 15-year-old Jared Langdon, who potted his first OJHL goal.

Later in the second, Corbin Roach broke past the defence, but his shot glanced off the post. The Raiders collected the puck, raced down the ice, and regained the lead. The Dukes tied the game early in the third when Zander Latreille scooped up the puck from the scramble behind the Georgetown net. Dangled out to the face-off dot. He found a lane he liked. Fired. Goal.

But the Raiders responded, regaining the lead just seconds after Latreille’s goal. Another empty-net marker sealed the win.

Some good, some great, and some forgettable.

UP NEXT: LINDSAY, GEORGETOWN
Wellington welcomes the Lindsay Muskies on Friday night in the regular season opener. On Saturday, the Dukes travel to Georgetown. For real.