Too much

Dukes netminder Sam Tanguay pauses for a breather, or perhaps divine intervention, in Friday’s 1-0 loss to Trenton—ending the Dukes’ 2016 playoff run.

Dukes bow out of the OJHL playoffs

In the end, there was simply too much stacked against the Dukes in 2016. Injuries had depleted every position— from the goaltender, through the defence corps to the forward lines. Some watched from the stands, some played hurt.

Still, the Dukes played hard. Stayed close. A bounce this way or that in game one or three and the outcome of the series might have been different. Or maybe not. The Trenton Golden Hawks are a good, smart, fast and tough hockey team. They earned their league-leading record in the regular season. They manage the small things everywhere on the ice—from the opening whistle to the final buzzer. They do what it takes to win games.

The Dukes fought against the Hawks’ relentless forecheck through two games and much of the third. But eventually, it became too much. Something had to give.

Fragments of doubt began to seep in. Suddenly, there was nowhere to move. Nothing the Dukes forwards could do to find space and time. The shift was subtle.

It happened in Wellington last week.

Nowhere on the ice could Luc Brown go without a Trenton player draped over him. Around him. Sticks in the face. The ribs. Arms and legs. It was the smart play. Brown led all scorers in the OJHL—keeping the gifted forward under wraps was clearly the Hawks’ game plan. But it was tough to take.

The referees tended to overlook the liberty Trenton was taking in interfering and, at times, outright tackling Brown, but they wouldn’t overlook his retaliation. Twice in the first period, Brown was penalized for reacting to the ceaseless pounding he was taking away from the play. The second time the referee sent Brown to the penalty box, they sent the Hawks’ fourth-line grinder Mac Lewis to the box too. That was an arrangement Trenton could live with all night long.

The Dukes played much of the first period short-handed. It was when fans first saw the Dukes’ chins droop ever so slightly.

Dukes’ players say thank you and bid farewell to the faithful fans after the game on Friday.

Trenton scored on the first power play, with Brown in the box. From the point, far corner. The crowd that had been so loud and energetic five days earlier was now silent. The maple syrup cans were still.

Even when Matt Adams scored late in the second period—jamming a rebound so hard into the netminder’s pads that it popped up and over Daniel Urbani and into the net—the celebration was muted. Less hopeful.

Early in the third period, Trenton scored a pair of back-to-back goals. The Dukes procession to the penalty box picked up in earnest. Trenton added a power play goal late in the game.

The loudest, most sustained cheer came at the end of the game when the Dukes gathered at centre ice to salute the hometown fans. Most understood this was likely the last time they would see this team. Luc Brown, Ben Sokay, Dylan Mascarin, Jacob Panetta, Jacob Hetherington, Sam Tanguay and Nick DeVito are all moving on to other venues. Olivier Lafrenière is likely to land in Ottawa next season.

So it really was saying goodbye. There was sadness, for sure, but also a great sense of pride that another great season of hockey in Wellington was nearing an end.

There was still a game to be played in Trenton, however.

An hour before the game, there wasn’t a seat left in the Duncan McDonald Memorial arena.

The Dukes played well—more disciplined. Yet it was the Hawks that scored midway through the first period, taking the lead. It would be the only goal of the game. Still, the Dukes kept coming through two and half more periods.

Trenton was resilient—bending but not breaking. In the third period, the Dukes managed just five shots on net.

It was not to be.

Trenton moves on to face the Kingston Voyageurs in the North-East OJHL conference final series.

Dukes fans, meanwhile, will take solace that spring has taken a warm embrace of the County, and that a new season is just a few months away.

Correction: Justin Bean, Carter Allen and Matt Adams are expected back with the Dukes next season. An earlier version of this story incorrectly suggested this past season had been the last for these three players. Fortunately for Dukes fans all three should be back in Dukes jersey’s in August.