Winning record

Dukes make moves to shore up defence

The Wellington Dukes arrived home late on Sunday night, having won two of three games in three nights— each one on the road. A good road trip. It might have been otherwise. The Dukes might have come home with six points, or perhaps none. Such is the knife’s edge upon which this team lives (and sometimes falls) this season.

Jonah Capriotti was exceptional in Georgetown on Saturday earning the second star of the game.

It is, in part, a measure of the parity in the OJHL this season—no team is unbeatable, no team dominates the standings. But there is also an unevenness about this Dukes squad—brilliant and tenacious on one shift, half-hearted and confused on another. Team discipline remains a work in progress—gifting Pickering eight power play opportunities on Sunday.

More worrying, however, was the gamewinning goal by Georgetown on Saturday. The Dukes were playing well alongside the powerful Raiders. But in the third, the Dukes got caught chasing the puck in their own zone. Then suddenly the Dukes player had the puck, and the opportunity to clear the zone. He tried a short outlet pass. Didn’t work. But rather than fix his mistake, the forward languished in no-man’s land. Pass went by him, to the point. The shot through traffic beat the Dukes netminder. The two Dukes defencemen shrugged their shoulders. It was a terrible signal whether intentioned or not.

Georgetown score twice more that period. The Dukes had no response.

By this point in the season, bad habits and lackadaisical tendencies should be weaned out. Still they persist. If allowed to fester, they foretell a tougher road ahead.

The loss overshadowed a terrific performance by netminder Jonah Capriotti.

LINEUP
Before heading out onto the road, the Dukes did some housekeeping and made a trade for defenceman Mason Snell. The 17-year-old is committed to Penn State University for the 2019/20 season. In 13 games with the Whitby Fury, Snell had four points. His dad, Chris Snell, played defence for the Los Angeles Kings and is currently a scout for the Winnipeg Jets. Snell along with newly acquired Geoff Lawson provides depth at the defence position.

The Dukes signed defencemen Nick Durajlija and Mark Kennedy (newly acquired from Maritime Junior Hockey League), as well as forward Rory Milne.

The Dukes also signed Jonah Capriotti–who had been playing as an affiliate. He has earned the number one spot among the Dukes’ three netminders.

DUKES 6 – LINDSAY 3
On Sunday in Lindsay, the Dukes’ Andrew Rinaldi had another strong game with three goals (two on the power play, one empty net) and an assist, while Mitchell Martan had a goal and assist leading Wellington to the 6-3 win. While the Dukes outshot the Muskies 48-31, they allowed a short-handed goal in the second and a goal late in the third, which cut the Dukes lead to two goals.

The Dukes firmed up. Kept the surging Muskies at bay. Rinaldi hit the empty net. A solid win—not sixty-minutes-solid—but good enough for the win.

GEORGETOWN 5 – DUKES 2
On Saturday, the Dukes travelled to the wilds beyond Toronto and Brampton. For two periods, the Dukes kept up with the talented Raiders team. Capriotti bailing out his team several times before the Dukes’ power play kicked into gear on goals by Snell and Ben Evans. But the game slipped away from the Dukes in the third, with Georgetown scoring three unanswered goals.

Uncharacteristically, the Dukes were badly outshot by the Raiders in this game. The second star of the game was awarded to Capriotti.

Andrew Rinaldi has become dependable sniper for the Dukes—scoring six goals in his last five games. Rinaldi is currently tied for second among OJHL goal scorers.

DUKES 4 – PICKERING 3 OT WIN
It was an adventure in Pickering the next night. After one period, neither team had scored—together they had mustered just 16 shots on net. In the second, Rinaldi forced a turnover on the penalty kill and tallied a short-handed goal. But a moment later the Panthers scored on the same power play. The score was knotted at one goal apiece. There it remained until midway through the third period.

Martan scored on the power play. The Dukes had the lead and the momentum—but now they were outshooting Pickering by a wide margin. But with four minutes left in the game, the Panthers struck again. A couple moments later, Jackson Arcan—back after a long suspension— scored unassisted. Still the Panthers weren’t dead. With 50 seconds left, Pickering tied the game at three.

In overtime, Mitch Mendonca found Teddy McGeen, who scored the winner.

UP NEXT: WHITBY AND LINDSAY
The Dukes play twice at home this weekend. On Friday night, they entertain the Whitby Fury—fortified by some familiar faces. Whitby has just three wins in 17 starts this season—thus precipitating the major deal with Wellington.

Whitby hasn’t won a game since early October. The Fury struggle to muster offence with the second fewest goals scored in the OJHL.

On Sunday afternoon, the Dukes welcome Lindsay.

These are games the division-leading Dukes should win decisively—from puck drop to the final whistle.