One step forward…

Abbott Girduckis assisted on Craig Campbell’s second goal on Sunday in Stouffville. It was the 17 year old’s sixth point this season.

Dukes’ momentum stalls

The Wellington Dukes won a closefought game on Friday—their fourth win in a row. But the winning streak ended with a disappointing overtime loss in Aurora on Saturday, followed by another loss in Stouffville on Sunday.

The Dukes remain stuck in third place. After 16 games they have eight wins and eight losses. They have scored 51 goals and allowed 51 goals. Yet this team remains enthusiastic, full of energy and always competitive. They continue to play highly entertaining hockey punctuated with occasional flashes of brilliance.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
Cobourg came to Wellington with just one overtime win in its first 13 games. But with some key players back in their lineup after injuries, the Cougars were not a team to be taken lightly. In fact the Cougars would go on to win their next two games on the weekend.

In Wellington the teams skated for two periods without a goal. Both teams played solid structural hockey,looking up the neutral zone and keeping shooters to the outside. It wasn’t until nearly midway through the third period that Craig Campbell carried the puck off the wall inside the Cobourg end and skated through the slot. He looked as though he would shoot top corner blocker side—but when the shot came it was a low shot on the short side. The Cobourg netminder had been sharp all night. But Campbell’s shot caught him entirely out of position. The Dukes had the lead in a game that was destined to be low-scoring.

A few minutes later Campbell collected the puck in the neutral zone and made a nifty rush into the Cobourg zone, gathering a swarm of Cougars toward him. With his attackers about to descend Campbell slid the puck over to Jan Kaminsky, who buried his quick snapshot.

Then a bad defensive giveaway in the Dukes zone freed a Cobourg forward with a short breakaway that resulted in a goal—and the end of Matt Larose’s shutout bid.

The Cougars pulled their netminder, but were unable to sustain any pressure in the Dukes zone. Wellington skated home with a 2-1 victory.

Mike Soucier has been selected to the Team Canada East roster announced on Tuesday. The World Junior Challenge gets under way on November 2 and runs to November 11. Team Canada East has yet to win the international tournament which began in 2006.

ONE SLIPS AWAY
Things were going well for two periods for the Dukes on Saturday in Aurora. The Dukes newest centre, Coleman Foisey from Chilliwack, B.C., got the Dukes on the board with a power play goal late in the first period. Parker Wood extended the Dukes’ lead in the second, swatting home a rebound from Nolan Powers’s shot from the blueline late in the second period.

The Tigers pelted Hayden Lavigne with 38 shots in the first two periods. With 24 seconds left in the second, Aurora scored, drawing within a goal of the visiting Dukes. Again in the third period the Tigers continued to outshoot the Dukes. Then, with just three seconds left in the game, Aurora scored to tie the game and send it to overtime.

It is a recurring theme with the Dukes this season—last-minute goals undoing 59 minutes of powerful play.

Just a minute into overtime the Tigers scored to steal the win. The young Dukes saw another win slip away.

PENALTIES UNDO SOLID EFFORT
It didn’t get better on Sunday in Stouffville.

The Dukes and the Spirit traded a pair of goals each in the first period, ending the frame 2-2. Then, midway through the second, the Spirit’s Dylan Savory scored back-to-back goals, giving his team the lead and the momentum. Yet the Dukes clawed back. In the third period Campbell scored his second of the game and sixth in his last five games. Then, midway through the final frame, Mike Soucier scored to tie the game at four g oals apiece. But the momentum was soon stifled. Seconds after Soucier’s goal Kyle Paat was nabbed for elbowing—his second infraction of the game. The Spirit scored. The Dukes wilted. The Spirit scored again.

They added an empty-net goal in the dying minutes to win the game 7-4.

UP NEXT: TRENTON AND AURORA
After back-to-back three-game weekends, the Dukes will enjoy a slightly easier schedule this weekend. On Friday the team travels up Highway 33 to Trenton to take on the division-leading Golden Hawks. Currently Trenton owns the best winning percentage in the OJHL and has only lost one game in their past 10. The last time the teams met, Wellington kept it close for 30 minutes but then allowed the Golden Hawks to swarm them into submission.

On Sunday the Dukes welcome back Aurora for the third time this season, and the fifth game with this North Division team. (Meanwhile the Dukes have yet to meet their East Division rivals the Lindsay Muskies.)

Aurora has won three of the previous four matches but all have been close games. The Dukes will be looking to improve their record against the Tigers.