One step forward

Abbott Girduckis attempts to weave through traffic in front of Trenton’s net on Friday night. Girduckis tipped in the winning goal in overtime.

At just one game away from the midway point in the season, the Wellington Dukes remain stuck in last place in the East, and two points out of playoff contention. The Dukes record is a perfectly flat .500—12 wins, 12 losses and two overtime losses. There is no joy in the arithmetical symmetry.

If the playoffs began this week, the Dukes would be on the outside looking in— making arrangements for a long summer.

It is difficult to explain. The Dukes are a better team—yet week after week they are unable to demonstrate this fact. They rise to a mighty challenge in one game and fall to a lesser foe the next. So often now, it has become a pattern.

So it was this past weekend.

HUGE WIN
Trenton was in town. The Golden Hawks are among the highest ranked teams in the nation. Leaders in the OJHL, they had lost just three times prior to their visit to the Essroc—one of those losses was to Wellington.

The game started badly for the Dukes— falling two goals behind before the game was five minutes old. Neither goal was wellearned— more a function of Dukes’ disorganization in their own end that left netminder Taylor Welsh stranded.

The night was young. In an inspired move, Chase St. Aubin joined the line with Luc Brown and Marco Azzano. Shortly after Trenton’s second goal, St. Aubin hustled up the ice and split the defence, getting a shot away. Brown scooped up the rebound and slipped it to Azzano, who buried the shot. The Dukes were on the board.

Before the period was over Josh Supryka scored his first of two goals of the night on a line with Wes St. Amand and Griffin McCarty.

In the second, Trenton scored on the power play. Then Supryka scored a beauty, finding the far corner top shelf with a heavy wrist shot.

In the third, Trenton penalties gave the Dukes their second five-on-three chance of the game, but they were unable to capitalize on either opportunity.

In overtime, Abbott Girduckis managed to redirect a Justin Bean shot from the point, beating the Trenton netminder and giving his team the win—handing the Golden Hawks their fourth loss of the season.

DISAPPOINTING SETBACK
For Dukes fans ready to see their team break out with a long winning streak, this was a good start. Heading to Downsview to take on a middle of the pack South division squad seemed a good opportunity to improve the Dukes’ record.

Sixteen-year-old Chase St. Aubin is making the most of his icetime. He set up the first goal against Trenton on Friday and scored the only goal in a losing cause in North York.

Just a couple weeks earlier, Wellington had tamed North York 4-2.

But rather than break out, the Dukes reverted to form. Despite nine power play opportunities— including three more five -on-three opportunities—the Dukes managed just one goal. None on the power play.

The Dukes managed to tie the game at one after St.Aubin finished a textbook rush led by Brown and Azzano.

But a shorthanded goal midway through the second period was enough to down the Dukes.

UP NEXT: MILTON AND BURLINGTON
The Dukes need a shot of confidence midway through the season, and this weekend’s games against Milton and Burlington may be the remedy. Both are woeful West division teams with a total of 13 wins between them.

But lowly teams are not to be dallied with—nor taken for granted. Milton in particular has surprised good teams, including Georgetown and Kingston, this season.

The Dukes need to start the second half of the season on a powerful note—there is no better way to start than two convincing wins this weekend.

LINE UP
The Dukes are going to miss Justin Bean’s booming one-timer—particularly on the power play. Bean’s OHL playing rights were traded on the weekend from Belleville to Mississauga. He suited up for the Steelheads on Sunday against the visiting Peterborough Petes.