Fresh start

Hayden Lavigne lunges to make the stop in action on Friday night in Wellington.

Dukes look to rebound after two pre-Thanksgiving losses

The Wellington Dukes return to the rink this week thankful to have spent the weekend with family and friends. But after a pair of losses leading into the long weekend, they will have difficulty finding anything to be thankful for in the OJHL standings.

The Dukes slipped to fourth place with a .400 record after losses to Stouffville and Trenton on Thursday and Friday respectively. Only the woeful Cobourg Cougars, with one overtime win in 11 starts, have a worse record in the East.

Nor does it get any easier for the young squad in their immediate future—the Dukes kick off a three-game weekend series by welcoming the second-place Kingston Voyageurs to Wellington, followed by a road trip to Pickering on Saturday and back home to face Aurora on Sunday.

STOUFFVILLE 3 – DUKES 2
In Stouffville on Thursday the game began on the right footing as Erick Delaurentis continued his red hot pace, setting up Parker Wood on the power play in the first period. But before the period was done the Spirit scored to tie the game. Another power play goal midway through the second put the Spirit ahead. With the period near an end, Delaurentis set up Jan Kaminisky, tying the score at two goals apiece. Any momentum was shortlived however; Stouffville scored just minutes later. There were just 32 seconds left in the period.

The Spirit spent the third period shutting down the Dukes attack and skated home with the 3-2 win.

Dukes forward Parker Wood notched a goal Thursday evening against the Stoufville Spirit.

TRENTON 5 – DUKES 2
The largest crowd of the season greeted the Dukes on Friday as the Trenton Golden Hawks came to town.

The 2012/13 Trenton squad is physically quite distinct from the Dukes—while most Wellington players are still searching for stubble on their chins, the Golden Hawks could use a shave between periods. The Trenton team has no 16 year olds. No seventeen year olds. Most are 19 and 20 year olds; three are 18. That’s it.

What the Dukes lack in experience, they strive to make up with energy and speed. And for a time it was working.

Forward Cam Nicholl is making a strong impression as a relentless and talented terrier. On his first shift he skated hard into the corners looking for a loose puck. On his second venture he won the footrace and drew a sweet pass out to Evan Erickson, cruising into the slot. Erickson’s hard low shot fooled the Trenton netminder. The puck found the fivehole and the Dukes had the early lead. The Dukes continued to generate the better scoring chances but failed to widen their lead.

Sadly, minute breakdowns by the Dukes have come to overshadow earlier achievements so far in this young season.

And so it was that the Dukes got caught running around late in the period. The Golden Hawks would get three good scoring chances, the final one counting.

Midway through the second period the Golden Hawks were beginning to exert their superior size. They scored to take the lead.

A few minutes later Nicholl raced to win a loose puck and found Jake Marchment in the slot area. Marchment buried his shot—giving him his first goal as a Duke.

Then things started breaking down for the Dukes. A missed assignment resulted in an easy tip in, giving the Golden Hawks the lead. Then Trenton turned on the heat, trapping the Dukes in their own end. The Dukes iced the puck but lost the next face-off. Then the puck was in the net. Trenton was ahead by two goals.

They added another goal in the third—but by then the Dukes had little left in the tank.

It was time to go home. And be with family.

Jake Marchment scored his first goal as a Duke driving hard to the net on Friday. The tough power forward appears set to rack up many points with his size, speed and willingness to tough it out in the scrum.

UP NEXT: KINGSTON, PICKERING AND AURORA
Though the Dukes saw plenty of the Vees in August it has taken until mid October for these two rivals to meet in the regular season. Kingston has played well—good enough for second place in the East. After 12 games the Vees have seven wins and have seen three games decided in a shootout—winning just one of these. Pickering has a near identical record as the Dukes, which puts them second last in the North Division. They have a very poor record at home, however, having lost four games in front of their own fans so far this season. This is good news for the Dukes, who travel to Pickering on Saturday.

On Sunday the Dukes welcome the Aurora Tigers to Wellington for the second time this season. The Tigers haven’t lost a game since they visited Wellington, taking home a 5-3 win.

MEET THE DUKES
The Legion is welcoming one and all to join them for a Meet the Dukes Dinner on Tuesday October 16 at the Legion Banquet Hall. The entire team will be on hand. The Legion is serving barbecued chicken— $12 for adults, $6 for children under 12.