Swagger refound

Well-rested Dukes prepare for Newmarket and Toronto Patriots

In the end, the Pickering Panthers were the tonic the Wellington Dukes needed to allow a swagger to return to their step. But it took a period and a bit before that was at all clear. That, and an improved power play.

The Dukes were in charge from the opening face-off, controlling the play, efficiently thwarting the few Panther offensive rushes and firing three times as many shots on net as their opponents. But after a period and well into the second, the Dukes hadn’t managed to score. Wellington fans have seen this before. A bad team sticks around, keeps the score low, and suddenly the hometown is on its heels. It felt all to familiar.

But the Panthers took too many penalties. Four in the first period. But when the Dukes didn’t capitalize, Pickering players figured they could hack, slash and interfere with impunity. They were wrong. With the man-advantage and hard-nosed defenceman Brody Morris playing forward, attracting attention, suddenly Nic Mucci and Brayden Stortz had more space to work.

Mucci’s first goal was a gift. Justin Bean’s shot was kicked out by the Panther’s netminder directly to Mucci, waiting unchallenged by the goal mouth. He gently guided the rebound into the net for the lead.

A moment later, on another power play, Colin Doyle was causing all sorts of mayhem in the goalmouth. Brent House gathered up the puck and simply threaded it through the thicket of skates, giving the Dukes a quick two-goal lead. Another couple of minutes, another Pickering penalty. Same result. Captain Bean took a step from the blueline and fired. The Dukes had a three-goal lead and seemed to put the game on cruise-control.

But as soon as that happened, the Panthers scored. Suddenly, nothing was settled. There was just under half a game left to play. The Dukes responded— tightening up defensively and taking the forecheck to Pickering.

Now it was the Dukes’ turn to visit the penalty box—mostly in retaliation for uncalled personal fouls.

I suspect Mucci loves to play the penalty kill. The Dukes are tied for second in short-handed goals. Mucci has four of them. He is a master at knowing when the opposing team is going to make a rushed or ill-considered decision. He lies in the weeds, ready to pounce at the first sign of weakness.

Conner Ryckman was steady in the Dukes net, but didn’t see a lot of action with just 20 shots.

And so it was early in third period. He knew the puck would come back to the defenceman he was eyeing. He knew it. But he lingered, seemingly disinterested. When the pass was made—he leapt. Seizing the opportunity, he intercepted the pass and streaked up the ice, with two defenders on his tail. He flew up the right wing, curled toward the net, faked a shot, held on and was rewarded with an empty net. Another goal in which Mucci merely had to guide the puck into the yawning chasm.

Later in the period, again with a Dukes player—Mucci this time—in the box, Mackenzie Warren and Doyle combined to score another short-handed goal. Near the end of the game, Jackson Arcan scored his fifth of the season, sealing the Dukes’ 6-1 win.

WORLD JUNIOR A CHALLENGE
The Dukes have light representation on the Team Canada East roster this year. Only Nic Mucci has been selected for the tryout sessions this week. Brayden Stortz and Justin Bean skated with an OJHL select team of 20-year-olds, who played a tune-up game with Team Canada East in Etobicoke on Tuesday.

The World Junior A Challenge gets underway this weekend in Bonnyville, Alberta and runs until December 17.

LINEUP
Netminder Wes Werner was released last week after being acquired in a trade in October. The Dukes have acquired Kirkland Lake netminder Victor-Olivier Courchesne. In 10 games with the Gold Miners, 19-year-old Courchesne had a GAA of 2.83 and a save percentage of .908.

Forward Tyler Harrison was assigned to the Cambridge Winter Hawks of GOJHL.

UP NEXT: NEWMARKET AND TORONTO PATRIOTS
Newmarket struggled out of the gate this season, but have begun to edge closer to a positive record. The Hurricane have won three of their last five games. They have played both Cobourg and Trenton to close outcomes; they are particularly good in Newmarket. The Dukes won both previous games this season.

NEWMARKET IS IN WELLINGTON ON FRIDAY NIGHT.
The Toronto Patriots is a middle-of-the-pack OJHL team by most measures. Most nights they struggle to score more than a goal—once in a while they will break out with five or six. They have only beaten one East Division team, downing Kingston 2-1 in September.

This will be the first and only meeting between the Patriots and the Dukes this season. Game time is 7:30 in Newmarket. Wellington will be looking to extend their road wins to seven.