Thrilling ride

OHF chief declares the 2014 Dudley Hewitt Cup the best ever

Andrew McCann watches his shot cross the goal line, opening the scoring for the Dukes. Wellington won the game 3-0.

It was a heartbreaking end to a sensational week of hockey in Wellington. As host of the Dudley Hewitt Cup—the championship tournament of the Ontario, the Northern Ontario and the Superior International junior hockey leagues—the Wellington Dukes had earned a bye into the tournament, even though it had been knocked out of the OJHL playoffs in the first round. They faced Fort Frances Lakers (SIJHL), Kirkland Lake Gold Miners (NOJHL) and the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots, champions of the OJHL.

For some that meant the hometown Dukes came to the tournament as underdogs. But instead, Wellington won each of its three games in round robin action—defeating every team in the tournament and earning a berth in the final on Saturday. Each was thrilling in its own way.

TUESDAY
On this night the Dukes faced the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners—many of whom appeared old and tough enough to have been seconded from an underground blasting crew. The Gold Miners found success in the NOJHL by playing hard-nosed, gritty hockey. The team has moderate speed and skill—but it is their willingness to pound their opponents relentlessly that has earned them success.

The Dukes had been wildly successful last September and October, driven largely from a willingness to keep the feet moving and doing the heavy lifting along the boards and in the corners. It was that game they brought to the Dudley Hewitt Tournament.

They took everything KirklandLake could shell out—and, more often than not, emerged with the puck on their stick. Twenty-one seconds into the game, Erick Delaurentis and Kyle Paat had the Wellington crowd on their feet, scoring the first of three unanswered goals. The game ended 4-1, and the Dukes’ great week was underway.

WEDNESDAY
The next night, the Dukes hosted the Fort Frances Lakers—a more balanced team than KirklandLake, but one that earned its victories with hard work and gritty defence.

Dukes forward Matt Lippa jousts with Toronto Lakeshore’s defenceman and captain Tyler Enns in front of the Patriots’ net in game three on Thursday night.

The ice had already begun to tilt in the Dukes’ favour after a stunningly fast and furious second period in Wellington on Wednesday night. Late in the third period the score was 2-0 for the Dukes and for 15 minutes they controlled the play largely in the FortFrances end. But suddenly the Lakers had fresh legs and fresh intensity and were pushing hard for a goal.

Dukes captain Erick Delaurentis, frustrated from near constant mauling, hooking and tackling, reacted. Unwisely. He went to the penalty box with just over five minutes left in the game and FortFrances with a head of steam.

The Dukes penalty killing squad responded, as they had all night. Moving well, keeping the shots to the outside—closing shooting lanes as quickly as they appeared. A minute into the penalty kill, Joe McKeown scooped up the puck along the boards in his own end and headed up ice.

Now, how it typically works when at the end of a shift on the power play, the puckcarrying forward skates as deep as he can into the opposing zone, then dumps the puck deep or on net. Meanwhile, the other penalty killers peel off to be replaced by fresh skaters. Then the puck carrier dashes to the bench for his replacement. That is what is supposed to happen. That is how they are trained.

But McKeown saw an opportunity. The Lakers were in the midst of an awkward line change. Rather than dump the puck— he slickly dangled around the FortFrances defence—and went to the net. Completely undressing the otherwise solid netminder, McKeown deked and lifted the puck just under the crossbar.

The hometown crowd went crazy.

Only then did the tension that filled the Essroc centre finally let up. Until then the outcome had been far from clear.

The Dukes won the game 3-0.

THURSDAY
That set up Thursday’s match against the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots. Neither team had lost a game in the tournament—the winner would go straight to the final.

Nineteen seconds into the game Toronto scored. Many fans hadn’t yet found their seats. But 37 seconds later, Mike Robinson tied the score. The game wasn’t a minute old and the score was 1-1. Both teams settled down until the second period when Toronto scored on the power play. Near the end of the second period a young Dukes defenceman, in the lineup for his only game of the series, aired a shot through traffic, finding purchase in the top corner and tying the game at two goals apiece.

Dukes forward Abbott Girduckis celebrates after Chad Thibodeau jams home a rebound in the Dudley Hewitt Cup final. Sadly it would be the only puck to get by Toronto Lakeshore’s netminder, Evan Buitenhuis, in the game.

Midway through the third period, Dukes forward Mike Soucier was sent to the penalty box for four minutes. Toronto scored to take the lead for the third time in the game. There was just over seven minutes left to play.

Then bang. Bang. Bang. Three Dukes goals in under two minutes. Delaurentis popping home a rebound into a yawning net. Steve Deeg redirecting a Mike Robinson shot, and Chad Thibodeau doing the same on a Andrew McCann shot.

The Dukes were leading 5-3. More than a thousand fans cheered the Dukes the rest of the way. The Dukes were off to the Dudley Hewitt Cup final.

FRIDAY
Toronto Lakeshore and the Fort Frances Lakers met to determine who would face the Dukes in the final. Perhaps motivated by the loss to the Dukes the night before, Toronto mauled the Lakers 6-0.

SATURDAY FINAL
That set up the final showdown between Wellington and Toronto Lakeshore. The evenly matched teams played a tight checking first two periods. Each tallied a power play goal in the second frame. But as the game wore on, Toronto Lakeshore began to get the better scoring chances—spending more time in the Dukes zone. Then midway through the period, the Dukes were caught running around in their own zone. Chasing. Not pressuring. Bing. Bang. The puck was in the Dukes’ net. Despite a power play opportunity late in the game—the Dukes could not pierce the Toronto Lakeshore defence.

An incredible, unbelievable week had come to heartbreaking end. Despite the result, Dukes fans celebrated the achievement of their team. Cheering loudly for both teams.

A GREAT WEEK
The players, the Dudley Hewitt committee, the County and everyone involved in the tournament last week deserves the community’s thanks and appreciation.

John Kastner, chair of junior hockey for the Ontario Hockey Federation described the 2014 Dudley Hewitt Cup as the best he had ever seen.

It could hardly have been better.