Where to next?

First half of the regular season is in the books and the Dukes are on top

So far so good. At the halfway mark in the season, the Wellington Dukes are secure in first place in the East Division and tied with the most points in the OJHL with the Oakville Blades (though both Georgetown and Toronto Patriots own better winning percentages).

Teddy McGeen scored three times on Friday and another on Sunday. He assisted on three others in the pair of games.

Coming off a disappointing weekend five days earlier, the Dukes rebounded with a pair of wins, including the league-leading fourth overtime win of the season. Success is coming from a good mix of speed and skill across four lines—though, on some nights, there remain two or three passengers for long stretches of play. Success in the postseason will require these habits to change.

The Dukes are, again this year, strong in net—with three goaltenders who have each ably demonstrated they can mind the fort when the pressure mounts.

Defensively, the Dukes remain a work in progress. The blueline is solid, especially with the addition of Mason Snell and Geoff Lawson. While none brings an abundance of size or physicality to the position, they more than compensate with speed and smart playmaking. In particular, the speed of Keegan Ferguson has made him one of the most reliable defenders in the league.

Yet, there is still room for improvement. The Dukes remain prone to giving up odd-man rushes to teams with fast and structured transition games. There are times, too, when the Dukes defence appear to abandon their training and drills when moving the puck out of their zone. Too often this a result of a lapse in puck support from some of the forwards in the defensive zone— that is forwards turning up ice looking for the breakout pass, while the defence is still battling against a pair of forecheckers for possession.

Offensively, the Dukes enjoy a richness of weapons—blazing speed and slick playmaking from the top lines, high energy and tenacity from the third and fourth. They also have couple of cannons on the back end—yet they need more production on the power play.

As the Dukes get set for the second half of the season, they will be encouraged to work more cohesively as a single defensive unit.

This weekend, however, showed a more disciplined Dukes team—giving up fewer power play opportunities, and capitalizing on their opportunities with the extra attacker.

DUKES 6 – COBOURG 4
On Friday, the Dukes hosted the Cougars for the first time since Trenton’s former GM and coach, Jerome Dupont, took the reins in Cobourg. Dupont had his squad charged for the match. The Cougars were relentless on the forecheck and fast through the neutral zone.

Meanwhile Dukes coach Scott McCrory reunited linemates Colin Doyle, Teddy McGeen and Mitchell Martan on Friday night. Together they scored all six goals for Wellington in the game.

Mitchell Martan was unstoppable over the weekend earning six points in two games.

After Cobourg jumped out to a one-goal lead over the Dukes in the first, the Dukes stormed back in the second with three unanswered goals—from Martan, Snell and McGeen. But a Cobourg goal late in the second drew the visiting Cougars with a goal of tying the game. Midway through the third, Cobourg tallied to draw even. The Cougars had the momentum. But Martan had had enough. A dynamo the entire game, he set up McGeen’s second goal of the game.

The Dukes had the lead and would not give it away again. Doyle tallied a couple of moments later. So did Cobourg. Then McGeen scored on the empty net to complete his hat trick.

DUKES 3 – ST. MIKES 2
On Sunday, the Dukes controlled the play from the opening whistle, but struggled to convert territorial dominance into goals against St. Mikes. The Buzzers are a smallish team up front, but very quick. Most of their chances came on the transition— catching the Dukes off balance.

But the first goal came from seeming indifference. The Dukes’ second line lost the face-off in their own zone. Then, they mostly watched the puck move around them on Buzzers’ sticks—each seemingly waiting for the other to break up the play and set them loose up the ice. But it never came. Instead St. Mikes scored to take the lead— even as they were badly outshot.

Early in the second, Doyle, McGeen, Martan et al, picked up where the had left off on Friday. Doyle working like a beast along the wall, with strong support from his linemates. Martan picked up the puck on a turnover in the neutral zone created by Doyle. He turned on the jets down the wing, past a cluster of Cougar players. It appeared he might have enough speed to cut behind the lumbering defenceman, when suddenly he dropped the puck back to McGeen who was following him down the wing. Shot. Short side. Goal.

Early in the third, Andrew Rinaldi scored on the power play giving the Dukes their first lead in the game—even though Wellington was badly outshooting their opponents. But midway through the third, two Dukes and a Buzzer were sent to the penalty box after a skirmish behind the play.

The Buzzers scored on the power play to tie the game. A game they had no business in, was now tied. In the overtime four on four, Keegan Ferguson, who had played extremely well all game, carried the puck along the wall at top speed. Just before the face-off circle he found a shooting lane. Hard wrister. Goal.

Both teams went home feeling good about this game.

UP NEXT: AT TRENTON AND STOUFFVILLE
The Dukes’ schedule puts them on the road for two games this weekend. On Friday night, they visit the unwelcome confines of the Trenton Duncan Memorial arena. The Golden Hawks under former Dukes GM and coach Marty Abrams are pale shadow of recent versions of this team. Trenton has lost more games so far than they have won. Lately, the Hawks are playing better— winning five of their last eight games—but consistency remains elusive.

Abrams’ Hawks beat McCrory’s Dukes in Wellington last month and they will be eager and ready to repeat on Friday. Wellington fans will likely be well-represented on Friday in this tough divisional match-up.

On Saturday night the Dukes visit Stouffville. The Spirit are an anomaly. They are a big and fast team— but seem unable to put pucks consistently in the net. Stouffville has lost three of its last four games—scoring just a single goal in each. In the game they won, the Spirit scored six.

It will be interesting to see which team the Dukes face on Saturday night.