Nail-biting finish

Dukes head into the final weekend in first place

Nothing is certain. Nothing is nailed down. With just two games remaining in the regular season, the race is so close that any of three teams, Wellington, Trenton or Haliburton County, may emerge as the East Division regular-season champion.

While a tight race, it is still better to be in first heading into the final weekend. That is where the Wellington Dukes sit this Tuesday morning. But a great many things can change in the next few days, as the Trenton Golden Hawks have learned to their dismay.

Vaunted as the clear favourite to emerge from the East and perhaps the OJHL at the beginning of the season, Trenton has lost three of their last six games. Two losses—including a 4-0 drubbing—came at the hands of Haliburton County. Currently, the Huskies are likely to be the Golden Hawk’s first-round opponent in the playoffs.

The postseason is likely to be short for some. The first two rounds will be the best of three affairs— which means a couple of bad nights and some very good teams could be out in a hurry. Injuries and illness will likely play an outsized factor in who goes on and who goes home.

DUKES 0 – TORONTO 1 OT
The Toronto Junior Canadiens and the Dukes served up perhaps the most thrilling game in Wellington in several years on Friday night. The Junior Canadiens are fast, talented and hard-working. They lead the league in points, wins and scoring. And they play hard on every inch of the ice.

But so do the Dukes.

So it was that both teams skated like demons on Friday night—using their speed to create seams, to find openings, create shooting lanes. Toronto managed to make more of these—especially in the first couple of periods. But Matt Dunsmoor was brilliant in the Dukes’ net. And when he made the stop, his teammates were there to ensure there was no rebound. No easy scoring chances. If the Junior Canadiens were going to beat Dunsmoor, they would have to earn it.

So it went for three periods. Toronto greatly outshot the Dukes, but Wellington managed to create their own chances—David Campbell ringing the puck off the crossbar in the second period, nearly giving his team the lead.

After three periods, neither team had managed to beat the netminders. This despite the fact that the Dukes were assessed five minor penalties to Toronto’s two. The mismatch included a 52-second long two-man disadvantage in the second— against the most powerful offence in the OJHL.

Yet the Dukes escaped. They dug in. Blocked shots. Hard work and superb tending.

In overtime, both teams played cleverly, each carefully choosing their moments to push. A thrilling tightrope walk. Late in the first overtime period, the Dukes pressed—very nearly beating the Toronto netminder. Then the rush came right back. The low shot from the face-off circle eluded Dunsmoor. That was it.

The Junior Canadiens celebrated like it was the championship. The Dukes deflated. But the Wellington crowd cheered loudly and for a long time. For their hometown team’s astonishing effort— and to the Junior Canadiens for their part in one of the most exciting games ever exhibited in this rink.

DUKES 5- HALIBURTON HUSKIES 2
In Minden, on Saturday afternoon, the Dukes jumped out to a two-goal lead on the back of a pair of power play tallies from David Campbell and Captain Emmet Pierce. The Huskies beat Ethan Moore—back in the Dukes’ net after being sidelined for a couple of weeks—midway through the second. Jacob Vreugdenhil restored the twogoal lead near the end of the frame.

Early in the third, Jonathan Balah scored his 13th goal. Balah is tied for second among defencemen in the OJHL with 48 points. Haliburton County found the net midway through the third, but Captain Pierce scored his second of the game moments later. It was his 40th goal of the season— making him second-leading goal-getter in the league.

UP NEXT: TRENTON AND COBOURG
There will be high drama in Wellington this weekend as the Dukes face the Trenton Golden Hawks in a bitter fight for top spot in the East. In seven games against Trenton, this season, Wellington has won three.

Then on Sunday afternoon, the Dukes welcome the Huskies back to Wellington for the final game of the regular season. Despite losing to the Dukes on Saturday, the Huskies are surging at the end of this season with nine wins in their last 10 games—including three wins against the Trenton Golden Hawks.

Buckle up.