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Forward Marco Azzano returned to the Dukes’ lineup on Friday and made an instant impact. Azzano earned five points in two games on the weekend.

Dukes ride four-game winning streak into the last week of the regular season

Dukes fans have been waiting a long time for this team to catch fire. The wait is over—the Dukes are fully ignited. And not a moment too soon.

A couple of weeks ago, the playoffs were a question mark. No longer. While they have not technically clinched a spot yet, they have their fate in their own hands. They have six games to go in the regular season and are currently alone in seventh spot in the North East Conference. Eight teams will move on to the first round.

Riding a four-game winning streak, the Dukes have coalesced into a formidable contender in the nick of time. The Dukes have scored 15 goals in its last two games. The question now is not whether they will make the playoffs, but rather how high up the rankings they will finish.

Daniel Potter is growing stronger and more confident with each game he has played since joining the Dukes at the trade deadline in early January. Andrew Coupland and Jacob Panetta lead a defensive corps that gets stronger, faster and smarter with every game.

Captain Joe McKeown continues to lead his squad with grit, determination and hard work. Confidence is surging among the Dukes’ forwards Abbott Girduckis, Luc Brown, Marco Azzano and Nick DeVito. Increasingly, Dukes fans have seen their team take charge on the ice. Not just against weaker teams, but teams they will likely face in the weeks ahead.

Another mention, of course, must be made about the amazing metamorphosis of Will Cook. Cook earned six point (three goals, three assists) in the Dukes’ 8-2 win over Mississauga on Saturday night—including an end-to-end rush that resulted in a goal even the IceHawks had to admire. It was his 25th point in 11 games. He has scored at least a point in each of those 11 games. He has averaged 2.27 points per game since January 11. Had he performed at this pace all season, he would have been leading the league by a wide, wide margin. No one in the OJHL is producing the way Cook has in 2015.

The Dukes are playing in February the way many knew they could.

But the road gets tough over the final week of the regular season. After hosting the Toronto Junior Canadiens on Friday in Wellington, the Dukes go on the road on Saturday to visit last year’s Dudley Hewitt champions, Toronto Lakeshore. On Monday, they are back on the bus to take on Stouffville, and will likely move on to Hamilton on Tuesday for a make-up game. Two days later, they will head to Kingston to face the Voyageurs. The next night, they will be back on the ice in Wellington to face the Cobourg Cougars in the final game of the season.

It will be a tough slog—but the Dukes appear ready to compete against all contenders.

Daniel Potter focuses on the puck as it bounces off his face mask on Friday night. He has five wins and two losses in seven games in the Dukes net.

DUKES 7-WHITBY 3
Whitby was a test. The Dukes had been playing well—but it was just a few weeks earlier they had been pummelled by the Fury in Whitby. The Dukes rely on speed and hard work. When those ingredients are missing, the team suffers. Literally.

Facing Whitby on Friday would provide a timely measure of the team’s resurgence. Was it just a couple of games? Or could the team do what was necessary to beat the Fury? And other bigger, more physical teams? The answer came soon enough.

After Potter bobbled a glove-save, giving Whitby the early lead, the Dukes settled down, regrouped and took the game to the Fury. Brown gained the zone, passed to Josh Supryka. Shot. Ben Sokay was at the goalmouth for the rebound. A moment later DeVito escaped from the wall behind the Whitby net, skated to the goal mouth and roofed a backhand shot into the Fury net.

Whitby edged closer with a goal early in the second period, but then the Dukes scored three unanswered goals, from Wes St. Amand, Girduckis and another from DeVito. The rout was on.

McKeown and Cook scored two more in the third—both on the powerplay. As the futility of the game became more apparent to the Fury, the more likely they were to hook, slash or thrash about after the whistle.

Will Cook has simply been the best player in the league since the Christmas break, earning 25 points in his last 11 games.

McKeown finished with four points. Cook had a goal and an assist. DeVito notched his 10th and 11th goals of the season. More importantly, the Dukes signalled a willingness to work harder and skater faster—to do what is necessary to win against a key divisional rival.

DUKES 8-MISSISSAUGA 2
In Mississauga, the Dukes’ line of Girduckis, Cook and Azzano scored three goals 11 minutes into the game. Girduckis went on to score three more goals in the game and add a couple of assists. Cook scored a hat trick and earned three more assists. Azzano earned four assists. Sokay scored the only goal not tallied by Girduckis or Cook.

Sokay, too, has been an important part of the Dukes’ current winning streak. Since he joined the line with Brown and Supryka, Sokay has scored six points in four games. A third of his points this season have come in his last four games.

The Dukes’ playoff success will depend on offensive contributions from players like Sokay, Brown and Supryka.

UP NEXT: SIX GAMES IN EIGHT DAYS
The Dukes welcome the Toronto Junior Canadiens to Wellington on Friday night before heading out on a fourgame road stretch. Contenders early in the season, the Junior Canadiens have flagged as the season wears on. Still, they are likely to finish fourth in the South West division. The Dukes, meanwhile will be looking to extend their current winning streak and earn a strong sendoff from their hometown fans.