The Dukes’ Evan Erickson looks to swat in the loose puck—to no avail—in Whitby on Sunday.

Dukes look to rebound at home

The Dukes’ losing streak stretched to five games with a pair of tough losses on the road over the weekend. More worrying is the growing list of players sidelined due to injury, combined with those playing with a variety of ailments. It is the toughest patch this young and dynamic team has had to endure this season. Just a few short weeks ago the Dukes were in second place and nipping on the heels of the Trenton Golden Hawks. But after five losses in a row, the Dukes have slid to fourth place in the East and the gap is widening.

Yet the week ahead, with a pair of games among the supportive fans in Wellington, always holds the prospect of redemption.

TRENTON 3 – DUKES 1
The Dukes were outshot badly again in Trenton on Friday—yet for two periods, netminder Matt Larose kept the Dukes in the game. Then, surprisingly, Mike Soucier scored while crashing the net, giving his team the lead midway through the second period. After the shot, Soucier hit the boards hard knee-first; he didn’t return for the remainder of the game. Nor did he play on Sunday in Whitby.

The Dukes’ lead had barely a chance to be enjoyed before Trenton tied the game and added another on the power play to take the lead. They added another in the third to seal the victory.

WHITBY 3 – DUKES 0 It was a screwy game from the opening whistle in Whitby on Sunday. As the puck dropped to start the game, Erick Delaurentis was in the box for chewing on his mouthguard in the warm-up. The Dukes managed to kill the penalty but there was much scratching of the few dozen heads in the stands on Sunday.

It was a particularly tough game for blueliner Kyle Paat. Early in the game he had taken a tough check earning a charley horse in the process. Then, on what appeared to be an icing play, Paat laboured to get back to gather up the puck the referees decided wasn’t icing after all. Paat gamely swatted the puck clear from the checking forward, but onto the stick of another Whitby forward, who promptly potted a goal to give his team the lead.

Dominic Nitti has become one of the Dukes’ more reliable rearguards in recent weeks. He is also growing increasingly confident on the rush.

In the second period, a check behind the Dukes’ net roused the Whitby bench in fury. The referee didn’t make the call on that play, but seconds later decided to tag Paat for tripping. Then Parker Wood was sent to the box. His infraction: chewing on his mouth guard.

In both instances the Dukes managed to kill off the penalty. But in the dying seconds in the period two of the Fury scored on a scramble in front of Larose.

The Whitby Fury turned up their game, keeping the Dukes to the outside and blocking passage through the neutral zone. It was there that Craig Campbell, the Dukes leading scorer, was crushed into the boards. He lay on the ice in obvious pain for several seconds. When he gained his feet, his left arm drooped heavily, signalling a shoulder injury. No penalty was called on the play.

Jake Marchment had had enough—and squared off against the Whitby player—quickly dispatching him to the dressing room. For his troubles Marchment was awarded a total of eight minutes in penalties and a game misconduct. Early on in the penalty kill, Delaurentis unwisely took out some frustration on a Whitby player after the whistle had blown and was sent to the penalty box.

The Fury scored on the two-man advantage.

Once again Matt Larose was strong in net for the Dukes but with fewer shots on net and goalscoring seemingly dried up—and the officials focused on mouthguards—the netminder could only keep the game close.

POWER FORWARD
Mississauga native Spencer Turcotte arrived in Wellington last week via Nanaimo B.C. The 18-yearold right winger played last season with the Guelph Storm of the OHL, scoring two goals in 57 games. After he was waived by Guelph in September, Turcotte landed in Nanaimo to play for the BCHL’s Clippers.

Now the rugged forward (six foot, 190 pounds) is closer to home in Wellington. He is expected to be a sturdy force in front of the net and was most effective in weekend games finishing his checks against opponents.

UP NEXT: KINGSTON, COBOURG AND PICKERING (KIDS GET IN FREE)
The Dukes will look to end their losing streak this week beginning with a road trip to Kingston. The Voyageurs have bested the Dukes in two of three matchups earlier this season, but Kingston has struggled to win more games than it has lost. They sit just four points ahead of the Dukes—making this an important match.

On Friday the Dukes host the resurging Cobourg Cougars, winners in five of their past eight games. The edged past the Dukes a week ago Monday with a 3-2 overtime win.

On Sunday the Dukes swing open the doors to youngsters as they entertain the visiting Pickering Panthers. All children and students will be admitted to this game free

Pickering is coming off big wins against Lindsay and Newmarket. The Dukes meanwhile will be hoping their fans will help propel them back onto the winning track.

Central Canada Cup Challenge

Preparing for the challenge, left to right, Dukes President
Doug Robinson with team Governor Don Cotton along with
OJHL Commissioner Marty Savoy go over logistics and responsibilities for the Central Canada Challenge set for Wellington from December 27 to 29.

The rosters of the eight teams set to compete in the Central Canada Cup challenge later this month include six Wellington Dukes players: Craig Campbell, Erick Delaurentis, Matt Larose, Mike Soucier, Parker Wood, and Kyle Paat.

The Dukes governor Don Cotton was named chairman of the three-day tournament that gets under way December 27 here in Wellington.

“As governor of the Wellington Dukes and tournament chair, I would first like to thank the three leagues, along with the OHA, for their assistance in bringing this event together,” said Cotton. “Our organizing committee has been working very hard to carry on with the success achieved in the inaugural year hosted by the Smiths Falls Bears of the CCHL.”

Day passes for the event are now available for $20 for adults, $10 for students between six and 19. Children under six are admitted free.