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Dukes share OJHL lead after ten games

Ten games into the 2016/17 regular season and the Wellington Dukes share the OJHL points lead with Trenton. Meanwhile, Dukes forwards Brayden Stortz and Nic Mucci lead the league with 29 and 22 points respectively, and netminder Connor Ryckman has stopped 308 shots and sits third among all OJHL netminders as measured by save percentage, behind a couple of goalies who combined haven’t seen as many shots as Ryckman has turned away.

It has been an interesting season so far.

Then there is Marty Abrams’ milestone achievement. On Friday night, the hockey club honoured the coach and general manager recognizing his 1,000th game behind the Dukes bench. In that time, Abrams and the Dukes have amassed the winningest record in all of junior hockey in Canada, including two Dudley Hewitt Cup championships and twice RBC Cup finalists.

The Dukes have won 663 games under Abrams, lost just 257 and tied, lost in overtime or in a shootout in 80 games. The team has made the playoffs in each of Abrams’ 15 years and has consistently won more games than they have lost in each and every season under his tenure.

But this wasn’t supposed to be the Dukes’ year. Trenton is hosting the Dudley Hewitt Cup, and Cobourg is welcoming the nation’s best for the RBC Cup next May. Both have bulked up and readied themselves to join the very best teams in Ontario and Canada. Both teams are very good.

The Dukes have refused to take the hint. They are proving—as they do every season—that speed wins. Massive, bruising bodies may endure a season that spans nine months—but it is the fleet of foot that wins hockey games at this level. And great goaltending.

For a decade and a half, the Dukes have enjoyed an abundance of both.

GOVERNORS’ SHOWCASE
In Buffalo last week skating in the Governors Showcase tournament, the Dukes fell behind early in both games. Against Orangeville the Dukes allowed the Flyers to take the lead twice. The second lead was given up while on the power play. But in the third period, The Dukes stormed back with four goals. Brent House scored two, assisted on another. Stortz finished with three assists and a goal. The Dukes won 5-3.

Meanwhile, newly acquired forward Mitch Mendonca was penalized for spearing in the first period of his first game as a Duke, and will sit in the stands for at least four games. Wellington’s first glimpse of Mendonca will come possibly on Friday as the Dukes host the Georgetown Raiders.

Marty Abrams was honoured on Friday for his 1000th game behind the Dukes bench. Joining him at centre ice were (L-R): Diane Lavender, his son Ethan, his wife Christine and Dukes owner Michael Mulvihill.

The next afternoon, the Toronto Junior Canadians jumped out to a two-goal lead as the Dukes’ offense sputtered. It was roused midway through the third as Mucci drew the Dukes within a goal with a power play marker.

Perhaps pushing a bit too hard, the Dukes gave up another goal four minutes later. But Wellington wasn’t finished. Mucci struck again with less than two minutes left in the game. The momentum had swung fully in favour of the Dukes. But to no avail. Toronto scored on the empty net—extinguishing the Dukes’ comeback attempt. A 4-2 loss.

It was Wellington’s first loss of the season. It needn’t have been.

KINGSTON COMES TO TOWN
Back in Wellington on Friday, the Dukes faced off against a scrappy young Kingston team, intent on keeping up with Wellington’s speed. On the heels of a win against Oakville and an overtime loss against Georgetown, the Voyageurs came to Wellington with dreams of dethroning the Dukes.

For a period, it seemed as though they just might do that—vastly outshooting Wellington and competing hard for every loose puck. But Ryckman was equal to the task—repeatedly stretching his right leg to block sure goals and stymie the Kingston snipers.

Stortz and company got rolling in the second period. Every minor hockey coach preaches the importance of time and space in this game. Few have learned this concept better than the Duke Brayden Stortz. He knows where to be and where the puck will soon be. But more than that, he knows when to snap the pass and when to make one more move before firing. Or passing. It all happens in a millisecond—but it is becoming very clear how this player amassed 100 points last year in the NOJHL and is on track to surpass that feat in the OJHL this season.

Gathering the loose puck from Nathan McDuff’s shot, Stortz shimmied to his right, shot and scored. Early in the third, Mucci served his linemate with a pass. Without hesitation, Stortz snapped the puck into the net—the master of time and space.

Kingston got on the scoreboard a few moments later while on the power play—a Dukes player assessed two minutes for slashing. Or was the Kingston player holding his stick rather weakly? In any event, the Voyageurs breathed new life. Brody Morris snuffed that out quickly, though— sneaking in from the blueline to slam home a back-door shot on a pass from Stortz.

Then with a Dukes player in the penalty box, Kingston pulled its netminder for another attacker. Three minutes remained in the game. The Voyageurs smelled an opportunity.

But Stortz won the face-off cleanly, scooping the puck back to Justin Bean. The veteran defender lobbed the puck 180 feet into the empty Kingston net. The hometown fans were on their feet.

The Dukes won 4-1.

DUKES 4 – MARKHAM 1
On Sunday, the Dukes visited Markham. Jackson Arcan scored just a minute into the game and the Dukes never looked back. Mucci had a pair of goals.

Bean another. Stortz set up all three of the latter goals. The Dukes returned to the win column with a convincing victory on the road against the Royals.

UP NEXT: STOUFFVILLE AND GEORGETOWN
This week, the Dukes face the leaders of the North and West Divisions. On Thursday they travel to Stouffville, who have won seven of their first nine games of the season. Sixteen-year-old goalie Hunter Jones has been net for the Spirit in three of the team’s last four wins, allowing just three goals. He is a big kid at 6 feet, three inches and covers a lot of real estate in a hurry. Stouffville also poses a potent power play threat—scoring 12 goals in nine games while with the man-advantage.

It is highly unusual for the Dukes to have the accumulated the most penalty minutes in the East Division as they have done after 10 games—but that will need to change, or Stouffville will make a meal of the Dukes.

On Friday, the Dukes welcome the Georgetown Raiders to Wellington. The last time the Raiders ventured to the County was in November 2014. They went home from that game stinging from 5-1 loss courtesy of Luc Brown and Will Cook. Brody Morris scored in that game, too.

Georgetown has stormed through its first 11 games; its only losses suffered at the hands of Oakville and Whitby. The Raiders are led by Jack Jacome, last season OJHL’s rookie-of-the-year. Georgetown also makes its opponents pay for taking penalties. They lead the league with 15 power play goals. Perhaps more worrying, the Raiders have managed to lure opponents into giving them the man-advantage 61 times in eleven games.