The Dukes Luc Brown drives to the net on Friday night against the Toronto Junior Canadiens, while Josh Supryka looks for the loose puck.

Girduckis and McKeown step to the fore

The Wellington Dukes won both games on the weekend, yet continue to languish near the bottom of the East—a measure of just how competitive each team is in the division. So close that just two points separate the Dukes in fourth place from Cobourg residing in the top spot.

Nevertheless, the back-to-back wins were a welcome turn of events for the Dukes. Wellington has only won half of its last ten games—well off the pace set in September and early October.

Yet there were some good signs in the pair of victories on the weekend—the key being some much needed scoring from its second, third and fourth lines. Particularly noteworthy is the elevation of Abbott Girduckis and Joe McKeown. The pair combined for all three goals in the Dukes come from behind win on Friday. They scored another on Saturday in their 3-1 win over Stouffville.

Girduckis, in particular, has found the scoring touch many have predicted from the skilled young forward. Where once he was impetuous and prone to low percentage shots, Girduckis is now patient—using his abundant skills to elude checkers until the net opens up. Over and over again, Girduckis is creating the time and space to make high percentage scoring plays.

It helps that he is joined by the hard-working and powerful play of Joe McKeown. The pair have logged plenty of ice together—typically against opponent’s top lines—or killing penalties. But through these tough battles they have learned where each other is on the ice and where they will be in a split second. Now that experience is paying off as Girduckis and McKeown are the Dukes most potent scoring threat.

DUKES 3 – TORONTO JR.CANADIENS 2
It was a tough start on Friday, until the back half of the final period. The Dukes appeared slow and listless. Visiting teams are motivated when they come to Wellington, to play in front of the large crowd. And eager to topple this famed team. Through two periods it seemed the combination was leading to a miserable defeat for the home team.

Abbott Girduckis was named the Dukes player of the month for November. The crafty forward is on a point-game pace over his past five games-scoring a pair on Friday and assisting on another.

The Toronto Junior Canadiens scored a pair in the first period—one on the power play. Joe McKeown tallied to end the first, but the score did not reflect the domination by Toronto at every aspect of the game. The shot total after one period—15 for Toronto, four for Wellington—was a more accurate indicator of how the game was being played.

In the second period the Dukes mounted a bit more offence, and applied somewhat more of a defensive posture, but neither side managed to score. Most worrying was that the Dukes had four distinct powerplay opportunities in the second, but could not capitalize on any.

The third period seemed to be playing out much like the previous two. But then, inexplicably, the Dukes suddenly came to life midway through the final period. They began to force the play, winning battles along the wall and races to the puck. Suddenly the Dukes seemed as if they wanted to win.

With less than five minutes to play, Abbott Girduckis scooped up the loose puck—slid deep in on net until he saw an opening. He fired and the score was tied at two goals apiece.

The Dukes were fully awake now. They weren’t sitting back for overtime or a shootout. Wellington pressed hard. Toronto was on its heels. With just seconds left on the clock, Girduckis and McKeown combined to score again—stealing the victory from Toronto.

It was not a game Dukes fans will look upon warmly—too many giveaways, too little effort— but it was a win. And sometimes you just take the two points and move on.

DUKES 3 – STOUFFVILLE 1
After Friday night’s game it was critical for the Dukes to bring much more intensity to their play in Stouffville on Saturday night. The Spirit are in rebuilding mode with a lot of young talent. Though their record is below .500 Stouffville’s young squad has the potential to surprise a complacent team. They had done just that a few days earlier, defeating Buffalo, the West Division’s top team.

Wellington came prepared. And this night it was Josh Supryka’s night to shine. The 16- year-old has played sparingly in his first season with the Dukes. On Saturday night he made the most of his icetime.

Supryka scored his second goal of the season, late in the first period on a feed from Erick Delaurentis. Then in the second period Supryka, on a line with Mckeown and Girduckis, set up the Dukes’ second, goal. Stouffville narrowed the lead early in the second but the Dukes tightened up and kept the Spirit at bay. Chad Thibodeau scored his first goal as a Dukes— an empty netter—to seal the road win.

NOVEMBER PLAYER OF THE MONTH
The Dukes have named Abbott Girduckis its player of the month for November.

The Belleville, Ontario native has been used mostly in a checking role against the opponents’ top lines, but came through with a point-a-game average in the month with 12 points in 12 games. Despite a hectic portion of the schedule, the Dukes did manage to pick up at least one point in eight of their 12 games thanks in part to this 18-year-old forward.

UP NEXT: KINGSTON VOYAGEURS

When the Wellington Dukes started play in 1989 in the Metro Junior Hockey League, one of their divisional rivals was the Kingston Voyageurs, which had been in the league for approximately 15 years. In 1995 the Voyageurs moved over to what is now called the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), with the Dukes following them in 1998. From 2004 to 2008 the teams met four times over a five-year period in the playoffs with the Dukes coming out on top all four times. However, they have also met in the last two post-seasons with the Voyageurs winning both.

The current Voyageur team features a lot of firepower with number 13 Brett Seney leading the team in goals, while number 22 Alex Tonge is their top playmaker. Leading their team in power play goals is number17 Brandon O’Quinn, and their top offensive defenceman is number 39 Brett Dupuy. Alex Brooks-Potts has been getting most of the calls in net.