Shake up

Ben Sokay redirects a Carter Allen shot to score a powerplay goal in the second period against Kingston on Friday night.

Dukes make changes in preparation for the playoffs

The Wellington Dukes battled to a hard-fought draw on Friday and clobbered Milton on the road on Saturday to edge within six points of second place in the OJHL East. It was also a weekend in which GM and head coach Marty Abrams shook up the Dukes line-up adding two forwards and releasing two. He also landed 20 year-old defenceman AJ Klein in a deal with Carleton Place. Yet as both the OJHL and OHL trade deadline passed this week, the Dukes still had three netminders.

It was also the weekend Tyler Burnie burst into the spotlight. Burnie is a big 16- year-old kid with a lot of raw talent. But through the first half of the season, Burnie had kept a low profile—amassing only 8 points in 26 games.

But since then, Burnie has found both his stride and scoring touch. In seven games since December 1, Burnie has scored seven goals and added four assists. Burnie’s progress has certainly been aided by the arrival of Nicolas Mucci from Carleton Place. The skilled playmaking forward has earned 10 points in eight games since coming to the Dukes in December, nearly equalling his total in 37 games with the Canadians last season.

Burnie, Mucci and Chase St. Aubin have answered the Dukes’ call for much-needed secondary scoring.

The weekend recap isn’t complete, however, without a discussion about the contribution of Justin Bean to the Dukes’ defence corps. In 19 games, the rugged blueliner has amassed 19 points, including five goals. But Bean’s contribution is more than just points.

He plays as though the outcome of the game is on his shoulders. He knows Wellington fans are counting on him. He accepts that challenge. Smartly and ably.

One example. After two periods on Friday night between the Dukes and the Kingston Voyageurs, the game was tied. It shouldn’t have been tied—the Dukes had a good goal called back and some bizarre officiating calls go against them. Yet here they were, tied at wo apiece going into the third period.

Bean gathered the puck in his end. With passing lanes blocked, he headed up ice, out of the Dukes’ zone. There wasn’t a lot of daylight, yet with skill and confidence, Bean navigated his way through a crowded neutral zone, carrying the puck deep into the Kingston zone. Now, behind the red line, Bean slipped a pass neatly back to Burnie—the big body charging toward the net.

Burnie scored, giving the Dukes the lead for the first and only time in the game.

It wasn’t just that it was a go-ahead goal— but that Bean decided to take charge.

It wasn’t enough. With just over three minutes left in regulation time, Kingston scored, sending the game into overtime. With the open ice, the Dukes managed several good scoring chances, but after two overtime periods, the game ended in 3-3 tie.

It was a tough way for the game to end. Play calling was at times bizarre. When Brodie Butt was wrestled to the ice chasing after a loose puck in the Kingston zone in the first period—it was Butt who was penalized. Kingston scored on the ensuing powerplay. Later a Dukes’ goal was called back after the officials had ruled the puck had been directed in the net by a high stick. Few of the fans at the Essroc Centre saw it that way.

Overall it was chippy, stick-in-your-ribs game. In the second period, Dukes forward St. Aubin took a stick to the face, knocking a pair of teeth out of his jaw—damaging a couple more. No penalty was called. St. Aubin missed a couple of shifts but was back on the ice in the third period.

After losing a couple of teeth to a careless stick wielded by a Kingston defenceman—Chase St. Aubin missed a couple of shifts before heading back on the ice to battle in front of the Voyageurs net.

DUKES 12 – MILTON 2
Little needs to be said about the game in Milton. The IceHawks are a bad team. They’ve earned just five wins so far this season. They regularly lose games by double digits. So it was on Saturday afternoon. Ten different Dukes players scored, including newcomer Matt Adams, acquired on the weekend from the Gloucester Rangers of the CCHL.

Burnie feasted on the IceHawks, racking up two goals and three assists. Ben Sokay, Luc Brown, Nicolas Mucci, Colin Doyle, Dylan Mascarin and Adams each tallied three points in the lopsided win.

Carter Allen scored his first as a Dukes defender.

Anthony Popovich earned the win.

The road gets tougher this weekend, however, as the Dukes get set to play three games in three days.

UP NEXT: TORONTO JR. CANADIENS, NEWMARKET AND WHITBY
On Friday the Dukes welcome the Junior Canadiens for their one and only match this season. Toronto is currently second in the South Division. But they have recently loaded up, adding the Patriots’ top three scorers to their lineup.

In a rare Saturday night game, the Dukes face the Newmarket Hurricanes, in Trenton. Newmarket sits middle of the pack in the North division. Newmarket won the first meeting of these teams 2-1 in overtime. The Dukes won the rematch handily, 4-1, late in November.

On Sunday, the Dukes travel to Trenton to face Whitby in a critical division match-up.

These two games are being played in Trenton as part of a Showcase for scouts.

LINE-UP CHANGES
Late on Tuesday the Dukes finalized a deal to bring defenceman AJ Klein to Wellington from Carleton Place. This is the Minnesota native’s second year playing in Canada. Klein describes his playing style in in plain terms, “I’m real defensive and real physical.”

Forward Greg Smith has returned from Sudbury Wolves of the OHL to rejoin the Dukes. As noted earlier, the Dukes also acquired the rights to Matt Adams from Gloucester. Nineteen-year-old forward Griffin McCarty was released to join the Essex 73s in the Great Lakes Junior Hockey League. Forward Brodie Butt was also released and is now playing with the Napanee Raiders.