Good goal

Dukes drop one to Trenton, pick up 22nd win on Sunday

It was a wild and, ultimately, disappointing ride in Wellington on Friday night, marred by some mild controversy.

The Golden Hawks were in town for the first time this season to take on the surging Dukes. The arena was packed. Vehicle access was a free-for-all due to lane closures and indecipherable traffic flow management around waterworks construction.

But on the ice, the Dukes were a match for the East Conference leaders. Big Ben Vreugdenhil scored early in the game, circling the Trenton zone and finding a shooting lane. Wrister. Through traffic. The hometown crowd erupted.

But moments later, the Golden Hawks responded. The entry was too easy. Shot. Tie game.

Later in the period, the Dukes were on a power play. Riley Noble sniped a shot from the point. Goal. But again, Trenton responded to tie the game moments later.

The Golden Hawks took the lead on the power play in the second period. They were carrying the play in the frame, vastly outshooting the Dukes. But then Ryan Schaap gained the Golden Hawks zone. He then expertly sprung the puck loose from the wall, through a pair of defenders and carved a path with the puck into the low slot. Dangle around the Trenton netminder. Goal.

It was not to be, however. One ref signalled goal, the other waved it off, claiming the net was off its moorings. Readers can judge for themselves. The ruling was appealed to video replay (who knew a camera was installed for such a purpose in Wellington?).

The referees upheld the original call, and the Dukes were assessed a twominute minor as an extra insult. The Dukes, however, fed off the energy. In the third, Wellington scored three unanswered goals (Kyle Kavc, Ethan Murray and Jared McNeill) to give the Dukes a 5 – 3 lead.

Trenton pulled their netminder with over three minutes remaining in the game. The teams were playing with four skaters a side when the Golden Hawk’s Cooper Matthews scored to draw within a goal.

Twelve seconds later, the referees called Ryan Schaap for tripping. Trenton pulled their netminder to set up a long two-man advantage. Trenton scored on the power play to tie the game.

In the second overtime—3 on 3— Trenton’s David Fournier broke up a Dukes pass. He skated, head down, charging to the Dukes’ net. Low shot. Goal. Trenton win. It was a bad way to end a great game for the Dukes and netminder Dario Cantini.

This was a game in which the referees’ choices played an outsized role in the outcome. Referees are part of the game. They are human and make mistakes. It is pointless worrying about what might have been—but this was a game in which less would have been more.

DUKES 2 – HALIBURTON 1
The last time these teams met resulted in a sloppy 8-5 win for the Dukes in Minden. Both teams seemed eager to banish such play on Sunday in Wellington.

The visiting Huskies carried much of the play in this game, outshooting the Dukes 31-15. Netminder Jacob Brown and the Dukes’ defence turned in a solid performance. Meanwhile, Captain Cory Jewitt scored in the first to give his team the lead. Sacha Trudel buried his shot with three seconds remaining in the second period—just the Dukes’ fourth shot in the frame.

Haliburton finally got on the game sheet late in the third, but the Dukes skated away with the win, their sixth in eight games.

In doing so, the Dukes tightened their grip on second place in the East, though the teams nipping on their heels—Toronto JCs and Haliburton— have two and three games in hand, respectively.

UP NEXT: COBOURG AND MILTON
The Northumberland Cougars travel to Wellington on Friday night—their third outing with the Dukes this season. The Dukes have won both, the most recent a tough 4-2 battle in Cobourg earlier this month. The Cougars have won three of their last five games.

The Milton Menace are in the hunt in the West Conference, currently sitting fourth with 19 wins in 31 games. This game will be the first meeting between Wellington and Milton this season. The Menace are currently riding a four-game winning streak.