Restraint

Dukes forward Brodie Butt pays the price for a nearly successful wrap-around attempt.

Dukes regain winning ways

Bit by bit, the Wellington Dukes are assembling a winning record. They are doing this by returning to the fundamentals of Dukes’ hockey—speed, tenacity and discipline. It is the same formula that has propelled this hockey team to the national championships twice in a decade and earned the team a record 13 seasons with more than 30 wins— something no other Canadian junior A hockey team has done.

DISCIPLINE HAS RETURNED
Prior to Friday’s game, the Dukes had averaged more than 13 minutes of penalties in each game. Against Toronto Patriots on Friday night, the Dukes earned just a pair of penalties for a total of four minutes. On Saturday this total expanded to 10 minutes (five two-minute infractions)—but still lower than average. But perhaps the key positive message from that game was that Aurora took a total of seven penalties—and the Dukes scored on two, including the game winner.

Maybe the most encouraging bit is that the team’s most frequently penalized player kept himself wide of the box through both weekend wins.

OT THRILLER
Luc Brown continues to confound opposing teams. Equal parts sniper, playmaker and defender, Brown is a threat wherever he is on the ice. Worse, opponents have no idea what he will do next. Armed with two other gifted playmakers, Dylan Mascarin and Ben Sokay, the Dukes first line is in top form. On the back end—Jacob Panetta, Jake Falcao and Justin Bean are proving to be reliable offensive and power play weapons.

Such was the case against the Toronto Patriots on Friday night. In front of a hometown crowd, the Dukes skated circles around the Partriots in the early going. But once again, a flurry of shots produced no goals. Nearing midway through the second period, Brown scored from Mascarin and Falcao.

But then a giveaway with the man-advantage resulted in a Toronto short-handed goal. The Dukes put that mistake behind them quickly as Sokay scored with assists from Brown and Mascarin. There the game stayed until the Patriots scored, in the third, to tie the match at two goals apiece. It was the only period Toronto outshot the Dukes. Suddenly, the Patriots had all the momentum.

Dukes defenceman Justin Bean celebrates Luc Brown’s overtime goal on Friday. Bean assisted on the goal.

Two minutes into overtime, however, Brown scored the winner, with helpers from Panetta and Bean, salvaging the win for the hometown Dukes. Brown was involved in every goal scored in the victory.

With less than a day’s rest, the Dukes skated onto the ice in Aurora. The Dukes came out a bit sluggish— managing just seven shots in the first period. But Olivier Lafrenière was solid in the Dukes net, as he has been in the Dukes’ latest three-game winning streak. He allowed just one power play goal— after a too-many-men-on-ice penalty rather than the retaliation variety that have plagued the Dukes in the first half of the season.

Moments later, Austin Labelle tied the score with assists from Colin Doyle and Panetta—who would help on all three Dukes’ goals. In the second, Chase St. Aubin and Bean each scored power play goals to extend the Dukes’ lead.

In the third, the Tigers self-imploded, taking four successive penalties, but still managed to outshoot the visiting Dukes. Neither team, however, was able to convert their respective advantages into goals in the third.

The Dukes went home with an important road victory—and within a win of overtaking third-place Cobourg in the East division.

UP NEXT: MISSISSAUGA AND AURORA
On Friday night, the Dukes welcome the Chargers for the first time this season. Mississauga has struggled again in 2015, skidding along the bottom of the South division. The Chargers take a ton of penalties— second highest penalty minute total in the OJHL—and allow the most power play goals against (29). The Dukes will be encouraged to continue to play disciplined, winning hockey.

On Saturday, the Dukes return to Aurora for the second Saturday night in a row. The Tigers are not likely to easily concede another loss to the Dukes in a week—in front of their own fans. It should be a tough game.