Mixed messages

Dukes forwards Erick Delaurentis and Steven Deeg look for the puck to bounce off the boards in action on Friday. The Dukes downed Orangeville 5-2.

Dukes let opportunities slip away

As the Wellington Dukes prepare to take a break for Christmas, their fans have much to be thankful for. The team is near the top of the league. Most are healthy—though the team surely misses Trevor Cope, out with a foot injury. And the Dukes seem to have overcome an early November swoon that saw them drop five games in a row. Yet many fans, I’m sure, will have difficulty shaking the feeling that things might have been even better. Particularly after the past weekend.

The Dukes defeated Orangeville— but didn’t crush them. What might have been a blowout—was, in fact, a solid 5- 2 win. Then, on Sunday, with the opportunity to move within a point of first place overall in the OJHL—the Dukes fell a goal short to the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots.

It seemed that with a bit of extra effort, a bit extra push, might have made a statement last weekend—about the strength of this team, the strength of their commitment, the strength of their character. They might have made a statement about their determination to charge through the remainder of the schedule in the new year.

Instead the Dukes’ statement seemed to be, ‘we will skate with you, work just as hard, win just as many battles, then we’ll flip a coin to see who wins’. The Dukes have shown flashes of the great Wellington teams of the past—but intermittently. They have worked hard. Learned the systems demanded of them by coach Marty Abrams. They have produced the fifth-best winning percentage in the league.

Yet the potential seems greater. The promise of a championship season still seems genuine— yet not fully realized. To do that they will need to make clearer statement in January.

Dukes netminder Tyson Teichmann grimaces in discomfort after stopping a shot in the nether region. No amount of protection is enough it seems.

WELLINGTON 5 – ORANGEVILLE 2
Orangeville came into Wellington on Friday having already packed in their season. With just three wins all season long, the Flyers have dug a hole beneath last place in the OJHL. Four of their best players were traded to contenders in November.

Some teams bounce back from this situation— relieved of the pressure of expectations— they are free to play pond hockey. Sometimes that can style can produce a win.

So the Dukes weren’t quite sure what to make of Orangeville on Friday night. They likely didn’t expect so many sticks in the face. Though they might have figured on the undisciplined play.

Young defenceman Jacob Panetta took advantage of some early Flyer confusion as he spotted a bungled line change across the ice. Astutely, he fired a pass into a mass of Orangeville skates. The Flyers were called for too many men on the ice. The Dukes didn’t score on that power play—but it was a heads-up play by this developing young player.

Moments later, on another power play, Joe McKeown tallied on a set up by Luc Brown. But the Flyers scored a couple minutes later. Soon the Dukes would have yet another power play opportunity. Wellington moved the puck around well, until Mike Soucier found Luc Brown low on the left wing. Brown whistled a laser past the netminder from sharp angle.

Erick Delaurentis added another at the end of the period. It seemed the rout was on. But despite greatly outshooting the Flyers—it was not until near the end of the second before Spencer Turcotte hammered a one-timer that the Dukes would extend the lead.

Then, annoyingly, Orangeville scored—narrowing the lead to two goals. Early in the third, McKeown scored his second of the night. That was it.

There was plenty scrappy, after the whistle nonsense. Far too many sticks and elbows to the head. Worryingly, the Dukes’ Chad Thibodeau appeared to have badly injured his knee after being jammed into the boards—though he did return to the Dukes line-up on Sunday night.

The Dukes went home with the win. Orangeville got back on the bus knowing it could have been worse.

TORONTO LAKESHORE 3 – DUKES 2
This was a big one. A win would have propelled the Dukes to within spitting distance of Toronto and first place overall. The Dukes were ready and motivated. Through the first period they dominated the play—territorially, in the small battles for the puck and with shots on net.

On the power play forward Luc Brown made a strong rush up ice and put the puck on net. Andrew McCann took a whack. Then Abbott Girduckis patiently scooped up the rebound and dangled the puck around the netminder and tucked it into the open side. The kid has tremendous skill.

But a terrible giveaway in the Dukes’ zone just a couple feet from the blue paint of Wellington’s crease resulted in an easy Patriot goal. Toronto had tied the game in a period in which they had been soundly defeated.

Then just a minute into the second period—a lazy wrist shot from the blueline pinballed its way past Teichmann. Energized, Toronto carried the play through much of the second period. The Dukes tried to regroup.

In the third, however, the Dukes pushed back. Chad Thibodeau scored on a slick setup by Parker Wood. The comeback was on. But 62 seconds later another wrister from the blueline found its way through traffic to the far corner of the Dukes’ net. Toronto had restored its slim one-goal lead. And that was it. The Dukes pressed, but could not find the equalizer.

The Dukes entered the game with ambitions for first place—the loss dropped them to fifth overall.

They will have played Lindsay on Tuesday night. And finish off the 2013 portion of their schedule on Friday against the Whitby Fury.