Simon Bessette swats at the puck in Trenton on Sunday.

Dukes down Trenton to earn eighth straight win

Simon Bessette speaks with a confidence that comes from winning eight games in a row—a swagger that comes from just three losses in two months. A feeling his team is unbeatable. “Right now we feel like we are the best team in the league,” said Simon Bessette, the Wellington Dukes captain. “Everybody is on the same page. Twenty guys are working together and going in the same direction. It is a great feeling.”

With a thorough 6-1 thrashing against Lindsay on Friday and 1-0 thrilling win against the division leader in Trenton on Sunday, the Wellington Dukes have earned a little swagger.

DUKES NET THE MUSKIES
The Dukes jumped out to a 4-0 lead before two minutes had been played in the second period. Craig Campbell sniped a shot just below the crossbar, just under two minutes into the game. The Dukes’ next three goals (from Darcy Murphy, Guillaume Naud and another from Campbell) came on the power play as Lindsay unravelled. Lindsay scored just into the third period. The Dukes responded with a pair—one from Kyllian Kirkwood and a shift and dangle break by Erick Delaurentis.

“I don’t think Lindsay came ready to play,” observed Bessette. “They were chirpy from the outset, slashing behind the play or aiming for a good hit—not really focusing on the game.

Guillaume Naud has a point-agame streak going over his last five games including four goals.

“Our job was to stay focused—not to get sucked into some stupid penalties and leave town with a couple of points. We played for 60 minutes, stayed focused and left with two points.”

THRILLER IN TRENTON
A mostly friendly crowd greeted the Dukes as they skated onto the ice in Trenton on Sunday afternoon.

There was no score in the high-energy first period but the Dukes accumulated the edge in good scoring chances. Once again the Dukes seemed to get under Trenton’s skin—beneficiaries of plenty of cheap hits and chirping behind the play.

In the first shift of the second period Guilluame Naud carried the puck hard to the net— then whacked at it with his linemates. Naud was the last to touch the puck as it skipped over Spencer Finney in net for the Golden Hawks. It would be the only goal of the game.

The Golden Hawks struggled to maintain pressure in the Dukes zone—over and over again the Dukes managed to clear their end before a shot could be registered.

But when called upon, Tyler Marble was solid. Nothing flashy. Just strong, dependable coverage.

The Dukes got great special team efforts from players like Jan Kaminsky, Bessette, David Pratt, Kevin Swales and Naud—who managed to kill off four penalties in an intense 1-0 game.

“It is never easy in Trenton,” said Bessette. “It is small ice. They have a good team and the home crowd. But for the third time this season we showed up and laid every thing on the table— emptied the tank completely. We each went in there with one thing in mind—winning the game.”

GUILLAUME NAUD IS HAVING FUN
It was only a matter of time before Guillaume Naud began racking up the points. The rugged forward had come with great promise and Naud delivered with a pair of goals in his first game as a Duke on September 22 in a shootout loss against Kingston.

He hit a rough patch in October, scoring just a couple games all month.

But recently Naud has been on fire—lighting up the light and playing inspired hockey in his own end. He has four goals in his last five games, including the game winner on Sunday in Trenton.

Team Captain Simon Bessette says his friend and teammate is having fun again.

“That whole line is doing well right now,” said Bessette. “They have a good chemistry. I see Guillaume with a big smile on his face and enjoying the game— talking to his linemates, ‘I am going try this or that’. But the difference is he is playing with confidence and having fun. I am happy for him.”

Naud acknowledges it was tough going in October.

“I was in a bit of a slump a couple of weeks ago,” said Naud. “I don’t know what changed it but I started having a lot more fun coming to the rink. Just by having more fun has changed how I have played on the ice and perhaps helped me prepare better.”

He, too, gives a lot of the credit to the chemistry on his line that includes Craig Campbell and Anthony Taylor.

“We know where everyone is on the ice,” said Naud. “We have a good mix of size, speed and smarts on the ice. We are never in a bad position and always ready to attack the goal. We have been finding success around the net and creating good scoring chances.”

Tyler Marble was named player of the month for November— earning a 1.5 goals-against average in eight games as a Duke—the best in the OJHL.

BEST NETMINDER IN THE LEAGUE
In eight games with the Dukes Tyler Marble has allowed just an average of one and half goals per game—the best statistics in the OJHL.

“Every time Tyler is in the net he gives us a chance to win,” said Bessette. “He is doing that every single game. Yesterday he showed everybody that he is the best goalie in the league. He talks to us on the ice— calling the shots—warning us of a weak zone. He is playing like a professional.

“We have two good goalies—but you can tell that Tyler is at the top of his game right now. He is playing with confidence and experience.”

UP NEXT: PETERBOROUGH, KINGSTON AND COBOURG
Three games in four nights present another important test to the Dukes as they seek to march higher in the standings. All three have beaten the Dukes this season—in fact Wellington has so far failed to defeat the middle-of-the-pack Kingston Vees—so none of these games can be taken for granted.

“All three teams are going to be tough,” said Bessette. “Even though Peterborough is in last place we don’t need to be reminded that they beat us earlier this season. This division is so good no game is a certainty. We can’t afford to lose this kind of game.

“The big game for us is Kingston. They are the only team we haven’t beaten since the beginning of October. The guys are talking about it. It is going be a big battle. We have been waiting for this game at home for some time.

“On Monday we go back to Cobourg. The third game in four days won’t be easy. They are ahead of us in the standings and we want to catch them. I think we showed pretty clearly in our last match that we are up to the job.”

Where are they now?

The Wellington Dukes trace their hockey roots to the former Belleville Bobcats franchise, purchased in 1989 by 10-year operators of a successful Wellington Junior ‘C’ representative who moved the acquired squad to the tiny Village. This is the tenth in a series of tracking down former Dukes Players.

NAME: LIAM REDDOX
I’ve often wondered how someone ends up playing for the Dukes. Take Liam Reddox for example. The Whitby, Ontario native grew up nestled between the Ajax Axemen and the Oshawa Legionaires. On his way to Wellington he passed by the Bowmanville Eagles and the Port Hope Predators. It’s interesting to note that none of those four towns have a Junior ‘A’ franchise anymore.

The 16-year-old forward played just one season with the Dukes, but what a season. He played in the OJHL Rookie All-Star Game as well as being named East Division Rookie of the Year. He also led all Duke players in goals scored at the RBC Cup in Charlottetown, PEI in 2003. At the conclusion of the season he was awarded the OHA Top Prospect Award, recognizing his outstanding achievements from the past season and his potential for the future.

A third-round pick of the Peterborough Petes, he played the next three years in the OHL, never missing a game. In 2004 he was named to the First All-Rookie Team and played for the Team Canada Under-18 squad, scoring 6 goals in just 7 games. He followed that up the next season being named to the Third All-Star Team. His final season with the Petes was his best as they won the OHL Championship and moved on to the Memorial Cup in 2006. The Petes have failed to move past the first round of the playoffs since that time.

The Edmonton Oilers drafted Liam in the fourth round in 2004 and he played in their system for five years, including 100 NHL games. This past summer the 25 year old signed with Vaxjo HC of the Swedish Professional Hockey League.

DID YOU KNOW?
In his one year with the Dukes, including the playoffs, Liam scored 44 goals in 80 games. Did I mention he was only 16 years old?