Home stretch

Dukes prepare for a busy January

Dukes coach and general manager Marty Abrams assesses his line's performance while players look on in an arena opener on Dec. 17.

TRADE DEADLINE

With just a week to go before the Jan. 10 trade deadline Abrams hasn’t yet decided whether he is a buyer, a seller or a bystander.

The Dukes need a back-up goaltender and would like some additional firepower up front as well as a sturdy defenceman or two. But these are talents many other teams are seeking. It is not the only challenge Abrams is grappling with.

“We are in the middle between a real young team and a veteran team,” said Abrams. “It is hard to know which way we are going to go with this.

“We’ve had some preliminary meetings over the weekend, but we don’t want to make trades just for the sake of making trades. It has to make sense; either coming in and contributing immediately or someone who might take a lesser role but who we feel might have a really big future with us down the road.”

Abrams too has to guard against disrupting a team that has earned the top spot in its division by the Christmas break.

“This group of players has got us where we are, and we don’t really want to mess with the chemistry.”

But he likely can’t stand still if other teams are loading up, so it seems likelyAbrams will be glued to his phone until the trading window closes.

“We also have to be aware of what is happening around us in the conference,” said Abrams. “We don’t want to be left behind.”

GAZING INTO THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR

Defencemen Brendan McIntosh and sniper Joe Zarbo will be looked upon to provide leadership in the Dukes' home stretch toward the playoffs.

The Kingston Voyageurs have stumbled in their first pair of games in 2011, losing to the St. Michael’s Majors on Saturday and Cobourg on Monday night.

This has allowed Peterborough and Cobourg to scoot by the Voyageurs and slip into second and third place, respectively, behind Wellington.

But Abrams continues to peg Kingston as the Dukes’ ultimate rival in this final stretch run, this despite a revolving cast in net for the Vees this season. Late in December Kingston added yet another netminder, Wendell Vye, the Vee’s fifth in as many months, from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Neepawa Natives, along with hulking forward Brendan Gamblin.

“I still think it is Kingston. When they get everybody settled and reading off the same page, I still think Kingston is the team in the division, conference and perhaps the league to beat. I haven’t seen a team with the talent of Kingston.” But this has been true all season, yet Kingston languishes in fourth place—nine points back of the division-leading Dukes.

“Typically a team hits its stride a couple weeks after the trade deadline,” observed Abrams. “Once the tinkering is done, I expect to see Kingston regain their composure and be a threat in the playoffs.”

MESSAGE TO THE PLAYERS

With his team now reassembled after a long holiday break, Abrams is keen to ensure his players focus on the challenge that lies ahead.

“Our players need to continue to do what they are doing. But they also need to take a look at the schedule. We’ve had a real good three-quarters of a season, but it has been skewed with a lot of non-division games. From here on out we have a lot of four-pointer games.

“These will be the real determinant of where we are at the end of the regular season.”

UP NEXT: KINGSTON, DIXIE AND LINDSAY

The Wellington Dukes begin the new year running with four games in four nights this weekend. On Friday they host the Kingston Voyageurs in the first of four such matches over the next month. On Sunday the Dukes travel to Dixie to finish this season’s series with South Division teams. On Sunday the Dukes welcome the Lindsay Muskies to Wellington. The last time the Dukes faced Lindsay they limped home after a 2-1 loss. The Dukes will be looking to avenge that loss on Sunday night in their new digs.

On Monday the Dukes will climb on the bus and travel down the road to Cobourg for a match against the always tough Cougars.