Final weekend

Dukes get set for the playoffs

Now it gets interesting. Just a couple of games remain in the regular season, and the Dukes cling to a slim single-point lead over Haliburton County for second place in the South/East Conference— with a game in hand over the Huskies.

Haliburton needs a win in North York to stay in the hunt for the second spot. The Dukes, meanwhile, control their destiny—a win against Lindsay or Oakville this weekend will secure the number two spot.

That means the Dukes will likely face the St. Michael’s Buzzers—a team they have enjoyed an intense rivalry with in past playoff runs.

TRENTON 3 – DUKES 2
The Golden Hawks were playing for pride in front of their hometown crowd on Sunday night. For many Hawks, their junior hockey careers are winding down. And Trenton was riding a five- game winning streak. The Hawks came out ferocious on the forecheck.

Early in the game, a turnover in the neutral zone. A defensive miscue, and the puck was behind Jacob Osborne. The Golden Hawks had the lead. Midway through the period, the Dukes responded. David Campbell dug the puck out of the corner. Shot on net. The puck lingered in the blue paint. Captain Jacob Vreugdenhil swung by the crease, scooped up the puck, and lifted a backhander into the Trenton net. Tie game.

Luke Strickland won the puck battle behind the Trenton net early in the second, feeding Barrett Joynt in the slot. Shot. The Dukes had the lead.

But the Golden Hawks responded, on the power play, before the period was done. While Trenton had set the pace in the first, they had flagged in the second. In the third, however, they came out on fire. Still, the Dukes managed to control the marauding Hawks—but midway through the period, the Golden Hawk forward ripped a shot from outside the faceoff circle, high glove side. Tough goal.

The Dukes turned up the heat. The Golden Hawks were penalized with a minute and a half remaining in the game. The Dukes pulled Osborne. Two-man advantage. But nothing.

On this night, the Golden Hawks wanted it more.

WELLINGTON 3 – LINDSAY 2
The Muskies are fighting for their playoff lives. Any team heading into Lindsay had better come prepared.

And so the game unfolded on Friday night. Back and forth. Up and down the ice. The game was over halfway done by the time Corbin Roach beat the Muskie netminder. But early in the final frame, Lindsay’s Zach Lewis finished a play by Will Mitchell (recently a Dukes player) to knot the game at a goal apiece.

But two minutes later, Vreugdenhill tallied to take the lead back. Near the end of the game, Edward Moskowitz forced a turnover. No one back. Goal.

But Lindsay wasn’t done. One more goal with 45 seconds remaining. The Muskies pulled their netminder—but the Dukes closed the door.

UP NEXT: LINDSAY AND OAKVILLE
The Dukes host their final home game of the regular season this Friday as they welcome the Lindsay Muskies. It may or may not be a meaningful game for Lindsay, pending the outcome of their match in Caledon tonight. In any event, the Dukes are going to push to seal their grip on second place.

In four matchups this season, the Dukes won three, Lindsay just the lone win on December 17. Netminder Yacine Chermouk has the seventh-best save percentage in the league—he will keep the Muskies close.

Oakville will miss the playoffs this season. Typically a powerhouse franchise in the OJHL, the Blades have languished at the bottom of the North/East conference this season.