Self-adjusting

Dukes begin to gel on the fly over the weekend

It wasn’t the smoothest of starts to a new season. A little wobbly at first. But over two games against the Aurora Tigers on the weekend, the Dukes grew. And became steadier. More sure of their capabilities.

The Dukes won both games—at home and on the road. They likely learned a bit about themselves along the way.

There is much to learn. Just six players from last year’s squad were on the ice for the Dukes in their opening two games— Justin Bean, Brody Morris, Carter Allen, Nic Mucci, Austen Labelle and Colin Doyle. Everyone else is a fresh face—still learning their roles.

One thing is clear—newcomer Brayden Stortz has found a partner in the slick playmaking Mucci. The pair combined for three goals on the weekend. Stortz scored four in total.

The defence corps often appear the most vulnerable early in the season—and there were lapses—but by and large, the blueliners proved solid, smart and physical.

After a bit of a shaky start on Friday, netminder Connor Ryckman stiffened up to salvage the win and on Sunday limited the Tigers to single goal as the Dukes romped to a 6-1 victory.

The going gets tougher on Friday as the Dukes host the Cobourg Cougars. Cobourg is hosting the RBC Cup this season and has assembled a highly competitive team to represent them.

WELLINGTON 4 – AURORA 3
One team that endured more turnover than the Dukes in the off season was the Aurora Tigers. Only two players returned from last year’s lineup. The emphasis in recruiting appears to have been toward size and ruggedness.

It was apparent early that the Tigers couldn’t keep up with the speedy Dukes. So they stopped trying to do that—instead they worked to impede and discourage their fleet-footed opponents. Nevertheless, the Dukes swarmed the Aurora zone—nearly scoring on the first offensive thrust of the new season.

The Dukes opened the scoring in the first period as Brendan Schaefer redirected a low Morris wrist shot from the point into the net. But that was it. Despite vastly outshooting the Tigers, the Dukes had just a one-goal lead going into the second. The Tigers scored the only goal in the second period. Early in the third, Stortz scored his first as a Wellington Dukes player. But that lead evaporated when Mel Melconian scored two goals in succession—the second while his team was shorthanded, the result of a disastrous blueline giveaway by the Dukes.

Wellington turned up the heat and the speed. Evan Foley scored the equalizer with five minutes remaining in the third period. In overtime, with both teams reduced to four players, the Dukes suddenly had more ice in which to manoeuvre. It would take nearly three minutes, but eventually Mucci and Stortz combined to secure the win for the hometown fans.

WELLINGTON 6 – AURORA 1
In Aurora, the outcome was decided early—before the end of the first period. Just a minute into the game, Foley was allowed to loiter unfettered deep in the Tigers’ end as the puck appeared to be headed out. But Labelle scooped up the loose puck at the blueline and whistled the puck onto Foley’s stick. A shot. Through the pads. Goal. A few minutes later, Mucci scored, from Stortz, on the power play—a laser-guided shot shortside. Aurora’s Melconian scored a moment later. But on the very next shift, Mitch Pellarin picked up the loose puck in a scramble, restoring the Dukes’ two-goal lead. On another power play, Bean teed up a shot by Stortz to extend the Dukes’ lead.

Before the period was done, Mucci chipped the puck past the lead-footed defender, skated into the Tigers’ zone and threw a magical pass to Brent House heading for the net on the opposite wing. House tapped the puck home. The Dukes had a 5-1 lead going into the first intermission.

When they returned in the second, the game became chippier. Both teams trading turns in the penalty box. Aurora showed little interest in getting back in the game but rather on giving their hometown fans something else to cheer about.

The only goal in the period came when the Tigers won the face-off in the Dukes’ zone but failed to corral it. That prompted a footrace in pursuit of the loose puck between the Aurora defender and the Dukes’ House. House forced the turnover. Stortz was there to pick it up—a well-placed wrist shot and the score was 6-1.

After that the game decayed into a pointless parade to the penalty box.

So that was the weekend—an overtime win in a game the Dukes should have taken easily, a few tweaks and the result was vastly improved on the road.

UP NEXT: COBOURG AND MILTON
A tougher test will come on Friday night as the Dukes welcome the 2017 RBC hosts Cobourg Cougars to Wellington. The Cougars were perfect in five preseason games, outscoring their opponents 30-7. On Monday night, Cobourg easily subdued Pickering 6-1.

On Sunday night, the Dukes host the Milton Icehawks in Wellington. Milton lost all four exhibition games, but in two regular season games they are one and one—losing to North York but beating the Toronto Junior Canadiens.

Game time is 2 p.m at the Essroc Arena.