Wow

Dukes win three of four games to force game seven

For the third week in a row a decisive game, this time in the North East semifinal series between the Wellington Dukes and the Newmarket Hurricanes, will have been played between this newspaper’s deadline and when it arrives on County streets and corners. So what to do?

I choose to believe the Dukes are alive this morning. I choose to believe they are getting ready to take on the Aurora Tigers in the North East final. I choose to believe.

But if facts have swamped my faith, you are invited to stop reading this column now. It’s too soon for a requiem.

Since coming back from suspension, Jonah Capriotti has been astonishingly good. Poised and athletic, he sees the game better than anyone on the ice.

Besides, there were so many compelling factors supporting a Dukes victory in game seven. In the last four games of this series, Wellington was demonstrably the better team. Even in the loss in Newmarket last Thursday, the game remained within Wellington’s grasp.

FRESH TROOPS
Since then, however, the Dukes have welcomed four new additions to their team— bringing some extra size, experience and skill to the Wellington lineup.

Josh Supryka played for the Dukes for two seasons before heading of to the NCAA program at Canisius College in Buffalo. That experience didn’t pan out for the centre, so he moved to the OHL with the Kingston Frontenacs. For the past two seasons Supryka has skated with the Chatham Maroons of the Greater Ontario Junior B Hockey League (GOJHL). In the season just completed Supryka earned 54 points in 41 games, including 18 goals.

Bryce Yetman, also from the Chatham Maroons, arrived with Supryka for Friday’s game in Wellington. The 21-year-old Whitby native played 114 games in the OHL before landing in Chatham. Yetman score 68 points in 49 games with the Maroons this season. Yetman made an immediate impact on his new team on Friday, spinning out of the corner with the puck and potting a wrister in the far corner—putting the Dukes on the scoreboard. The Dukes won that game 3-2.

Wellington also welcomed a pair of Sault Ste. Marie boys last week—both fresh from completed seasons in the GOJHL. Blueliner Andrew Barbeau has been captain of the Niagara Canucks for the past two seasons. He is solid, smart and moves the puck well. In 50 games this season with Niagara, Barbeau generated 47 points—all but two were assists. He gets the puck on net.

Rounding out the additions is Frank Pucci. The gifted centreman scored an astonishing 85 points in 48 games—42 goals, 43 assists. Good enough to make Pucci the leading goalscorer in the GOJHL this season. Yetman was fourth.

The Dukes are a better team than Newmarket, even before the latest additions. The Hurricanes understand their limitations and play a conservative, structured game. Wellington, however, is a young team. They just got more experienced. That is why they must be considered favourites to emerge with the North East Championship.

It is why I believe.

GAME 6
The Dukes hadn’t figured how to win in Newmarket, on the big ice, in two earlier series’ games. In fact, they had been blown out in game three. But after giving up a loss on home ice in game one, the Dukes had to find a way to win in Newmarket’s rink if they were to emerge from this series.

The first period saw both teams testing each other—each focused on tight forechecking and not making a mistake. Both netminders were called upon to make a series of breathtaking stops on certain goals.

Late in the first period, however, it was indeed a mistake that led to the first goal. The Hurricane defender was already imagining what he might do with the puck after collecting it from deep in his own corner. But he failed to gather the puck. Instead it was left to the Dukes forward Teddy McGeen. He and Ben Evans were left alone with the puck on the Newmarket netminder. It wasn’t fair. McGeen spun around, put the puck on Evans’ stick. In the net. Dukes led 1-0. A moment later N e w m a r k e t ’s sniper Alex Ierullo was released on a breakaway. Dukes defender Declan Carlile reached around with his stick to slow the forward. Ierullo failed to score. But the referees decided Carlile’s stick work was sufficient for a penalty shot. Jonah Capriotti stoned Newmarket’s leading scorer. Twice. Outstanding.

Early in the second period the Dukes expanded the lead on a brilliant give and go between Evans and Colin Doyle. Like a gridiron fullback, Doyle pushed his way across the top of the crease, through traffic, tucking the puck past Newmarket’s netminder, Fraser Kirk.

A few moments later the Dukes made it 3-0 on the power play. Moving the puck well across and around the zone, it came back to young Zach Uens, who had moved in a stride or two from the blueline. For a slight man, Uens possesses a awfully powerful shot. This one was right on target. A bullet.

It wasn’t long before the Dukes were killing their own penalty. Newmarket got the puck on net and stuffed it home to get on the scoreboard. Midway through the frame, Dukes forward Daniel Panetta made a terrific shot block, then quickly gathered up the puck and fed Yetman streaking toward the net. Yetman failed to tuck it home. On the ensuing rush back up ice, the Hurricane’s Mikrogiannakis fired a high shot that appeared to be sailing over the Dukes net. It seemed to have been tipped by a high stick from the Hurricanes’ Christian Deodonato. Something changed its vector. That’s how physics works. Capriotti complained, but to no avail.

In the third, the Dukes grew stronger. Evans had a golden chance to seal the win. Later, Yetman sniffed out the loose puck and skated in on a break before being tripped up. This time he shot. Still, Kirk was up to the task.

The Hurricanes pressed, but the Dukes had an answer at every turn.

So now it’s Aurora. It’s Tuesday and we believe.

Newmarket forward Dimitri Mikrogiannakis is airborne before landing on Daniel Panetta in Game 6. Friday’s game became a chippy affair with a variety of the uglier type of infractions—e.g. butt end, physical abuse of the official etc.—resulting in suspensions to players on both teams.