Winning ways

Abbott Girduckis sweeps round the Aurora net waiting for fresh skaters to join him in the rush.

‘Dukes continue to exceed expectations

Don’t tell the Wellington Dukes this is a rebuilding season. This young team believes it can win every game it plays and—with five wins in their last seven games—who is to say they are wrong?

Certainly not the Trenton Golden Hawks. The Dukes went into Trenton as the heavy underdogs. Trenton leads the East Division and shares the league’s best winning percentage with Oakville. The Duncan Memorial was packed to the rafters with Trenton faithful and a solid contingent of Wellington fans.

DUKES 2- TRENTON 1
The Golden Hawks struck first with a goal while the game was still young. But the Dukes were like bees buzzing all over the ice—winning races and battles for the puck from the much older and larger Trenton squad.

Once again Matt Larose was spectacular in the Dukes net. Since coming to the Dukes last month the Chilliwack B.C. native has amassed six wins in seven games and a tidy 2.39 goalsagainst average—good enough for fourth best in the league.

Trenton maintained the one-goal lead for two periods—but seconds into the third, the Dukes’ Parker Wood converted a Kyle Paat shot. The game was tied. The stalemate endured for the remainder of the period and through five minutes of overtime.

Dukes Coach Marty Abrams sent sniper Mike Soucier to centre ice to take the Dukes’ first shootout attempt. But the Trenton bench erupted. It turns out the home team has the option to shoot first or second—despite the fact that most teams prefer the final shot rather than the first.

So Soucier was sent back to the bench as the Golden Hawks sent Jordan Minello to try to beat Larose. The Dukes netminder stoned him. It wasn’t close.

Soucier returned to centre ice, slipped across the ice smooth as silk and potted a nifty wrister past the Trenton netminder. Trenton’s second attempt failed. Erick Delaurentis hit the post—beating the netminder but failing to go in the net. The Golden Hawks tried again but could not beat Larose.

The Dukes headed back to the County with a well-earned 2-1 win.

Josh Gervais made solid impact in his first game back in the Dukes lineup since the preseason.

“The atmosphere there was great,” said Captain Jan Kaminsky. “The house was packed and noisy—that got our legs moving and keen to win in their rival barn. Larose was great again in net. He has really earned the respect of everyone on this team.”

DUKES 5 – AURORA 1
Conversely it was a sparse crowd in Wellington on Sunday as the Dukes faced Aurora for the fifth time in this young season. Early in the first period Wellington was on the power play—Kaminsky bulled his way up the boards through traffic. His centering pass missed Craig Campbell but made its way across to Kyle Paat, who had was sneaking in from the point. Paat’s blast blew past the Tigers netminder.

Late in the period the Dukes’ young defence found themselves hemmed in their own end and running out of gas. An Aurora forward stuffed the puck short side. The game was tied.

Early in the second Campbell set up in front of the Tigers’ net and could not be budged. Paat fired from the top of the slot. The netminder never saw the shot as is sailed through his pads and into the net. Kaminsky widened the lead with a punishing wrist shot that the Tiger netminder stopped with his mask. The puck dropped into the crease just in time for the retreating Aurora defenceman to push it into the net.

Aurora pushed back in the second and managed to control the play for long stretches, but Larose was there to make the save. It took a broken play for the Tigers to beat him.

Campbell added an empty netter to seal the 5-2 victory.

Sunday’s game was the first one for Josh Gervais, who has been out since the Woodchuck Tournament in September with an upper body injury. Gervais picked exactly where he left off—hitting, grinding and working harder than anyone on the ice to give his team the advantage.

In one shift he made four solid hits before carrying the puck deep into the Aurora zone, pushing past the defenceman, charging for the net. He didn’t score but he served notice to his team fans and opposing players—Gervais is back.

“He is one of the leaders on this team,” said Kaminsky. “He leads by example. We’ve missed his physical presence on the ice and the young guys now see what is expected of them. Gervais always finishes his checks and gets noticed on the ice. I am really glad to have him back.”

Assistant Captain Craig Campbell leads his team with 10 goals in 18 games.

UP NEXT: NEWMARKET AND PICKERING

On Friday the Dukes host the Newmarket Hurricanes. In their only previous match the Dukes held the North Division-leading Hurricanes to a single goal until late in the third. But Wellington’s guns were silent that night—it was the only game in which the Dukes have been held scoreless this season.

On Sunday the Dukes welcome Pickering in their second home game in three days.

Pickering has struggled again this season and the team once again find itself toiling in last place in the competitive North Division. But the Panthers can punish teams that take them for granted—beating Kingston 4-2 on Sunday.

The Dukes won both previous matches with the Panthers this season—but won’t make that mistake. “They will be looking to exact revenge in Wellington,” said Kaminsky. “We won’t take them lightly.”