Guillaume Naud backhands a rebound by Cobourg netminder Keinan Davis as linemate Craig Campbell (centre) drives to the net.

Dukes notch three big wins

We know we are the best team in the league,” said Wellington Dukes Captain Simon Bessette, “now we just have to prove it.”

The captain’s comments came off a gruelling weekend in which the team came away with three wins in three days—extending the Dukes’ current winning streak to six games.

“[Coach] Marty [Abrams] told us it would be a good weekend if we came away from it with 4 of the six points available. But it would be a great one to come home with six out of six. That is what we wanted and that is what we did.”

Bessette’s comments reflect a growing confidence on the team—a confidence that starts in net and extends through a talented and seasoned defence corps and four powerful lines of forwards.

Darcy Murphy leads all forwards in the OJHL by nearly every measure. Elliott Richardson is the league’s top scoring defenceman. And Tyler Marble, in six games, has put together a scintillating 1.83 goalsagainst average and a stingy .948 save percentage— numbers that make him the best netminder in the league.

“I love the team we have right now,” said Bessette. “We are really confident about our chances to go deep into the playoffs.”

Defenceman Kevin Swales will appreciate the shorter road trips in Wellington. The former Dawson Creek Rage player skated in a league stretching from Alaska to California to North Dakota. Road trips regularly involved 16-hour bus rides one way.

DISMANTLING COBOURG
For the Dukes players Friday’s game was about settling scores.

“It was clear in our mind that we wanted revenge against Cobourg,” said Bessette. “They beat us at home in our opening game of the season and when we went there, although we played a good game, weren’t good defensively and we lost by a big score. That was in the back of our minds. Even though we had three games to worry about we had plenty of incentive to focus on the game against Cobourg.”

It wasn’t even close.

Mitch McNiell powered a blast through traffic, open the scoring in the first. Then, while most of the crowd and some of the players watched as Cobourg stick flew up in the air and became entangled in the protective netting in the Dukes zone, Darcy Murphy and Jeff Stanton skated up ice—Stanton drilling the puck home for his ninth goal of the campaign.

In the second Anthony Taylor caressed the puck on an Elliott Richardson shot, tipping it past a helpless Cougar netminder. The Cougars got on the board when a bad angle shot slipped through Marble’s pads. With some daylight the Cougars pressed. The Dukes coach called a time-out to re-orient his squad.

Before the period ended, Guillaume Naud scored, sliding home a rebound shortside from a Craig Campbell shot. The wind officially left Cobourg’s sails.

Early in the third Cole Bolton found the top corner of the net, his second of the season. That goal made it 5-1 and chased Cobourg netminder Keinan Davis in favour of Emerson Verrier. But it wasn’t much longer before Darcy Murphy charged down the wing, sliding a pass back to Cam Yuill. Yuill napped home his ninth of the season. It was Murphy’s fourth assist.

TWO POINTS IN T.O.
“It is always tough to play in Toronto,” said Bessette. “After Friday’s game in which we were playing a good team, in front of a good crowd, it was tough to go into that rink in the middle of nowhere with nobody in the stands. It was Saturday night and maybe 25 fans.”

The Dukes have had trouble in the cold and empty Chesswood Arena in industrial Downsview over the years. Saturday was no different.

“The Junior Canadiens are a team that has to work to get motivated,” observed Bessette. “One night they lose by a big score and the next night win by an equally big score. I think with the Wellington Dukes coming to town they had a reason to play hockey.”

The Dukes fell behind by a pair of power play goals. But according to Bessette, kept their feet moving.

First Jan Kaminsky tallied with help from McNeill and Bessette. Then in the third the Dukes tied the score on the power play as Bessette teed up Richardson— who buried his sixth goal—adding to his league-leading 35 points earned so far this season.

Murphy extended his leagueleading goals and points total on the weekend with two goals an four assist in three games.

Then, just 18 seconds into overtime, Murphy fired the game winner.

“All year long he has been a leader for us,” said Bessette. “He is a leader on and off the ice. Every single game, every single shift he is working. Leading by example.

“He drives the net. Shoots from anywhere. He is always working to create offence on every single shift. Wayne Gretzky used to say that you miss 100 per cent of the shots you don’t take. Murphy shoots from anywhere. He is a great example for the younger players. For the older guys—his example says ‘follow me’ I’ll show you the way. He knows what it takes to win.”

Running on fumes

Game recap by David Brown

The Wellington Dukes arrived in Whitby Sunday afternoon to take on the Fury and a number of subplot lines were front and centre. The contest would be what they call a four pointer. If the home side won they would pull into a tie with Wellington; if the Dukes won they would be four points ahead of Whitby. Playing their third game in less than 48 hours, how much energy would the visitors have for 60 minutes? After a hot start this season the Fury had cooled out with just one win in their last six games, although they only lost 2 to 1 on Friday against the first-place Trenton Golden Hawks. Tyler Marble would get the start in net for the Dukes and while he had a perfect 5 wins in 5 games they were all in the friendly confines of the Essroc Arena. This would be his first road start.

The first period was scoreless but the Fury carried the play for the most part, thanks to three power play chances. Early in the middle frame saw the Dukes with a man advantage and just as the Whitby player stepped out of the box Elliott Richardson sent a long stretch pass from deep in his own end that was picked up at centre ice by a streaking Darcy Murphy. Murphy continued over the Fury blueline and unleashed a wicked slap shot that beat the goaltender Donald Edwards and rang just under the crossbar into the back of the net.

The final period saw the Dukes increase their lead to 2 to 0 when Craig Campbell fought hard along the half boards and spotted Guillaume Naud stationed in front of the Fury net. A quick pass and an even quicker shot turned out to be the game-winning goal. The home side never quit and with just under 10 minutes left to play in regulation time defenceman Zachary Graham scored with Marble screened on the play. From that point on it seemed like every face-off was in the Dukes end including a couple in the last minute when Whitby pulled their goalie for the extra attacker. Some key defensive plays allowed the visitors to pick up the win as Murphy threw his body out to block a shot, proving he isn’t just a one-dimensional player. Naud won a key face-off with just eight seconds left and Richardson just cycled the puck until the final buzzer went off.

I spoke to Dukes GM and Head Coach Marty Abrams after the game and asked him how much gas was left in the tank after such a busy weekend. “We had enough left to get the job done but if you were to go in our dressing room right now you would see we would just be on fumes” he chuckled.

In order to win games like these you need all 19 players doing their job and some you don’t see on the score sheet very often made big contributions in this one. Players like Josh Gervais, Jackson Howe, Erick Delaurentis and Cole Bolton were all hard on the fore check and disrupted many Fury up ice rushes with their tenacious play. The Dukes penalty kill units were a perfect 5 for 5 against a team that has a very good power play.

MARBLE STANDS ON HIS HEAD
Bessette gave credit to his netminder for the win on Sunday.

“Tyler Marble was outstanding,” said Bessette. “He made a lot of big saves for us—giving us a chance to win that game. We talk a lot about Jordan Ruby and his part of our success last season—but on Saturday I thought this goalie (Marble) could carry us very far this season. He made a couple of incredible saves that kept us in the game. Right after that we scored our second goal.”

UP NEXT: AT LINDSAY AND TRENTON
No hockey in Wellington on Friday. Instead the Dukes travel to Lindsay to take on the hotand- cold Muskies. The Muskies are mired at just over .500 where they’ve been most of the season. Some nights they win tight contests and then lose 10-8. So far in two games this season the Dukes have landed the Fish by identical 5-2 scores.

On Saturday the Dukes head up the Loyalist Parkway to Trenton. Wellington has bested the division leaders in two of three matches so far this season and will be looking to do the same on Sunday night—perhaps with some friendly support.

The weekend was an important test—three games in three days can happen in the playoffs. It was proof to us and others in our league that we can win with a tough schedule.

“I suspect fans from the County will be looking forward to Sunday’s game in Trenton,” said the Dukes captain. “I hope the stands are packed with Wellington fans. Obviously they don’t want the Dukes to catch up with them in the standings, so they are going to show up. It is going to be a good game for sure.”

Where are they now?

The Wellington Dukes trace their hockey roots to the former Belleville Bobcats franchise, purchased in 1989 by 10-year operators of a successful Wellington Junior ‘C’ representative who moved the acquired squad to the tiny Village. This is the ninth in a series of tracking down former Duke Players.

NAME: SEAN BROWN
Sean Brown (no relation) was a product of the Oshawa Minor Hockey Association and was drafted by the OHL Belleville Bulls. He spent his first junior season moving up and down with the Bulls and Dukes and this rugged defenceman managed to have the second highest penalty minutes with Wellington despite missing 18 games.

In 1995 he was a first-round draft pick of the NHL Boston Bruins and was named the next year to the OHL Second All-Star Team. He turned pro in the fall of 1996 with the Hamilton Bulldogs and helped them reach the American Hockey League Calder Cup Finals.

He then played over 400 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers, the Bruins, the New Jersey Devils and the Vancouver Canucks. He continued his professional hockey career overseas by playing two years in Germany followed by three seasons in the Austrian Hockey League with Klagenfurt AC.

DID YOU KNOW?
Sean was the first former Duke to make it to the “Show” when he suited up for five games with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1996/97 season.