Great start

Dukes go home to rest and prepare for the stretch drive

Former NHLer Rick Meagher (centre) gets ready to drop the ceremonial first puck, with former Dukes Tod Lavender (left) and Bryan Helmer (right) at his side.

The Wellington Dukes used the two-thirds portion of the regular season well. After 34 games the Wellington Dukes enjoy a nine-point cushion over the rest of the contenders in the east. This includes Kingston and Peterborough tied for second and Cobourg a point back in fourth.

The Dukes managed to navigate a schedule that was frontloaded with road games, though many of these turned out to be against teams in the South Division, widely viewed as the weakest division in the OJHL this season. Yet the Dukes had to win these games to position themselves well in January and, mostly, they did.

But as they head into an extended Christmas break the team knows January will likely be the month that determines if they can stay on top of the division. The Dukes will play 12 of their final 16 games in January (in a span of 24 days), plus an exhibition match against a very strong Russian squad to kick off the new year. All but one of these 12 January games is against divisional rivals, meaning potentially big swings in point totals as the season winds to a close. The Dukes will welcome the Kingston Voyageurs to the new arena twice in January, in what many expect to be a precursor to the divisional championship.

Anine-point advantage will help. So will the fact that all but four of the 12 games in January will take place in the friendly confines of the DukeDome. But nothing is for certain in the New Year. Past successes are simply that—in the past. When the puck drops on Jan. 7 it will likely be a sprint to the finish.

LEGENDS HONOURED

The Dukes opened the new arena with class on Friday night. The Dukes alumni were well represented players such as Bryan Helmer, Jeremy Franklin, Chris Brown and Tony Rizzi filed along the boards. The politicians and dignitaries were there. And impressively, about 1,400 fans were there settling into their new seats and ready to shake their Fosterholm maple syrup cans in anticipation of a historic night.

Former NHLer Rick Meagher dropped the ceremonial first puck with former Dukes Tod Lavender and Bryan Helmer at his side. (After 982 games, the most by defencemen in the AHL, Helmer is hoping to land with another team before the season is out.)

A TRIUMPHANT BEGINNING

With the game underway it became clear the Whitby Fury had intentions of spoiling the Dukes’ opening game celebrations. The Fury came out hard in the first few minutes, but the Dukes’ tough defence bent but did not break. The game’s turning point came early as The Fury’s Chris Raguseo was sent to the penalty box for slashing.

Then in what will likely be the answer to a trivia question years from now, Zach Blake scored on the ensuing power play. The first goal of the game—the first goal in the brand new Wellington and District Community Centre.

Blake has toiled quietly in his final year as a Duke; yet the skilled forward has steadily racked up points along the way, never far from being the top point getter on his team. It was an important goal and it felt right that Zach Blake was the one to score it.

The goal, a power-play marker at four minutes and 40 seconds into the game, took much of the fire out of the Fury. Over the next period and a half Whitby barely managed a dozen shots on net, most handled easily by Dukes netminder Jordan Ruby.

Just over midway through the second the Dukes line of speedsters Brian Bunnett, Darcy Murphy and Steve Evans forced the Fury to start running around. Bunnett found Murphy on a slick cross-crease pass and a tap later the Dukes had opened up a two-goal lead.

The third period saw Whitby turn up the intensity a notch or two. As the period began winding down the Fury’s Cole Watkins picked up a rebound and swatted the puck underneath Ruby.

But moments later Steve Evans tallied on a set from Brendon Barletta and Sean Rudy to seal the win, the Dukes’ first win in their new home.

GOALIE GOES HOME

Ryan McDonald had a decent record with the Dukes, winning 10 of the 12 games in which he appeared. He had had a couple of wobbly outings, however, when given the starting role in November as Ruby backstopped Team Canada East’s silver medal team. Another questionable start against Streetsville late in November knocked him out of the everythird- game rotation.

As a 19-year-old playing behind the best goaltender in the OJHL McDonald likely didn’t see his prospects getting brighter in Wellington. So last week he packed up and went home to Sault Ste. Marie, where he has accepted an electrician apprentice position.

COLLEGE BOUND

Meanwhile another Duke’s star was rising. Curtis Leonard, Wellington rugged blueliner, signed a scholarship deal with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York over the weekend. The deal will see Leonard suit up along with former Dukes player Marty O’Grady next fall at the Division I school. RPI plays in the Eastern College Athletic Conference where Leonard is likely to face off against old teammates such as Nick Maricic (Yale), Marc Senecal (Brown) as well as David Pratt and Paul Karpowich (Clarkson).

DUDLEY HEWITT?

OHA commissioner Brent Ladds was in town on Friday to recognize the league’s newest rink. The Wellington Dukes brass used the occasion to begin making the case for Wellington to host the Dudley Hewitt Cup in 2013. Team owner Michael Mulvilhill described the discussions as positive.

RUSSIA V. WELLINGTON

There are plenty of good seats still available for the January 4 match between the Russian Red Stars and the Dukes in the comfortable new Wellington and District Community Centre. The Russian squad is made up mostly of players who for a variety of reasons didn’t make junior team playing in the IIHF World Junior Championship which gets underway in Buffalo on Boxing day.

It will be a chance to see how the Dukes fare against some of Russia’s best.

ADVERTISING AT THE ESSROC

The Wellington Dukes are offering advertising opportunities at the new Essroc Arena, part of the Wellington and District Community Centre. Those interested in seeing their logo on the ice, boards or elsewhere in the arena are urged to contact Dukes general manager Marty Abrams at 613-399- 2924 or mabrams10@sympatico.ca.