Homeward bound

It hasn’t taken long for playmaker Teddy McGeen to settle in with the Dukes. Five of his six points have been scored in the last five games. He has forged a strong early connection with linemate Andrew Rinaldi and blueliner Alec Tiley.

Dukes return to Wellington in first place in the East

The Wellington Dukes return this week from a long month on the road. And when they skate onto the Wellington ice on Friday night, they will do so with the best record in the East Division of the OJHL. Most points. Best winning percentage.

They are likely to have a new stopper in the Dukes net. Recent acquisition Jonah Capriotti impressed in two outings on the weekend—limiting Pickering and Whitby to two goals in each game—delivering the Dukes first back-to-back wins in 11 starts. Capriotti was named the first star in Wellington’s 4-2 win in Whitby.

Disappointingly, the team will be without the services of two players, suspended by the team for alcohol and driving related charges in the wee hours after the game in Whitby. The actions of these two young men inevitably casts a pall on their team, and perhaps unfairly dims some of its early success.

DUKES WIN IN REGULAR TIME
Capriotti was in net when the Dukes visited Pickering on Friday. He had help early on. The game wasn’t 90 seconds old before the Dukes had a two-goal lead—from Eric Uba and Teddy McGeen. But the hometown Panthers tightened up, and took the game to the Dukes for the remainder of the period—getting on the board and drawing within a goal.

The Dukes’ clever forward Andrew Rinaldi created a turnover and capitalized in the second, extending the Dukes lead. Still the Panthers came at the Dukes, managing another goal in the third. But Capriotti was equal to task—turning away 38 of the 40 shots Pickering fired at him.

The Dukes skated home with a 3-2 win.

DUKES WIN BY MORE THAN A SINGLE GOAL
On Saturday, the Dukes were in Whitby facing coach Scott McCrory’s old team. Capriotti was back in the Dukes net. It was a chippy first period fought mostly in the corners and along the wall. Hooking. Slashing. Tripping. Few pucks found their way on net at either end of the rink. Hooking. Slashing. Tripping.

In the second frame, the teams opened up a bit and the playmakers had a bit more ice to manoeuvre. After Whitby scored to take the lead midway through the second, Alec Tiley set up McGeen to draw even a few moments later.

Early in the third, Capriotti stoned 16-year-old Russian centre Rizvan Mansurov on a penalty shot. A couple of moments later, Mitchell Martan made the Fury pay for its lack of discipline. On the Dukes’ sixth power play, Daniel Panetta found Martan and Wellington had the lead.

The Fury bounced right back, however, to tie the game at two. But another Fury penalty in the third allowed Tiley and McGeen to combine again to retake the lead. An empty net goal sealed the affair, 4-2 Dukes. It was the first time in eight games in which the outcome was settled by more than a single goal.

UP NEXT: NEWMARKET, NORTH YORK AND AURORA
Ending a drought of home games, the Dukes play twice in Wellington this weekend—Friday evening and Sunday afternoon. But first they hit the road again, this time to Newmarket. The Hurricane are in the middle of the North Division pack with a .500 record after five games.

On Friday, the Dukes welcome the North York Rangers to Wellington. North York is competing strongly in a tough South Division—in which all six teams own a solid winning record. Last week, the Rangers handily beat Trenton after escaping with a double-overtime win against the Dukes in Buffalo for the Governors’ Showcase tournament. On Monday, they were edged by the Cobourg Cougars—their first win in six games this season. North York netminder Alex Jett has the best GAA and save percentage in the young OJHL season.

On Sunday, the Dukes host the Aurora Tigers. The Tigers are a much-improved squad after missing the playoffs last season. Aurora currently leads the North Division with just a single loss and draw after six games. The Tigers have struggled against East teams—unable to resolve a 0-0 draw after five periods against the Golden Hawks, and dropping a decisive 5-1 dud in Kingston on Sunday. After scoring 18 goals in their first three games, Aurora’s scoring has cooled—notching only three goals in their last three games.