The Wellington Dukes found the back of the net early and often this weekend. (Jason Parks/Gazette Staff)
A couple more weekends like that and the Wellington Dukes will have regained a semblance of their former self.
The Dukes ran the round table this weekend, picking up all six of a possible six points.
On Friday, the locals systematically declawed the Cobourg Cougars 8-2. The following night, Wellington travelled to Lindsay and reeled in the Muskies by way of 7-4 score.
Finally, back at home on Sunday afternoon, the Dukes doled out some revenge and tamed the Aurora Tigers 4-2.
Wellington’s last loss came at the paws of the Tabbies in Aurora Oct. 26th. Since then the Dukes have won five straight and moved their record to 13-8-0. At 26 points, they still find themselves in 6th place in the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Eastern Conference.
But Wellington is within shouting distance of third place Toronto who have amassed 29 points. There are signs of life and reasons for hope if you are a Wellington hockey fan. The offence is rolling, having scored 19 goals in three games. Newcomer net minders Dario Cantini and Jacob Brown are settling in. For the first time in a month, a date against Wellington is anything but easy pickings for the OJHL field.
The Dukes didn’t spare the whip on Friday at home and cruised to a 4-0 lead through the opening 12 minutes of the game.
Wellington’s Jared McNeil opened the scoring 71 seconds into the first when he jammed his 10th goal through Cougars starter Tommy O’Donnell.Wellington captain spotted Ryan Schaap for his sixth of the campaign at 6:46.
On the very next shift, Zander Latreille motored to the slot with a shifty move and used a screen to beat Mr. O’Donnell betwixt the wickets at 7:10 for the eventual game winner.
The first period pummelling finally came to a halt when Mr. Jewitt and Mr. Schaap reconnected again, this time with the former feeding the latter with a crisp one time pass at 12:53.
Cobourg’s Owen Cassidy set up linemate Michael De Sousa twice in the final five minutes to cut the Dukes deluge in half but that was the only bright spot for the Cats from Cobourg on this night.
Mr. Jewitt’s 9th of the season on the power play at 2:13 got the Wellington goal parade restarted in the second.
Mr. Schaap finished off his hat trick effort with a power play goal of his own thanks to a dish from Mr. Jewitt.
The Wellington Captain kept up his torrid pace in the period when he set up Ryan Castle for his first tally in Dukes togs.
In the third, Mr. Latreille was sent in on Cobourg reliever Reece Herman alone at 14:01 thanks to a slick pass from who else but Mr. Jewitt. As is his Modus Operandi, the Windsor, ON native showed some slick hands and potted his second of the game to make it an 8-2 final.
Mr. Cantini made 18 saves in the victory.
Like he was shot out of a cannon this weekend, the diminutive pivot was like lighting early in the first in Lindsay and a big reason the club had another blistering start to a hockey game.
Mr. Latreille fired his 5th and 6th tallies of the season in the opening six minutes of the game, the second goal coming off a power play.
Rugged winger Sacha Trudel would light the lamp at the end of the frame to make it 3-0 Wellington.
The teams traded goals in the second as Ethan Walker beat Wellington starter Jacob Brown with a power play effort to get the hosts on the board but Mr. Trudel scored an unassisted shorthanded effort at 16:26.
In the third, the teams continued to trade tallies. Mr. Walker would bag a hat trick for Lindsay while Mr. McNeil and Ethan Murray scored for Wellington.
With less than two minutes left in the contest, Nathan Taylor would beat Mr. Brown to get the Fish to within a pair but Ben Vreugdenhil quickly sealed the deal for Wellington with his 11th into a yawning Lindsay cage to make the game a 7-4 final.
Back at home on Sunday afternoon, Wellington once again lead after the opening 20 minutes but it wasn’t the usual suspects for the Dukes this time. Quinn McNamara blasted his second at 8:23 and Ronen MacFarlane had his first goal of the season at 11:25. Those first period goals sandwiched a Michael Piao goal at the 10:53 mark to make it a 2-1 lead for Wellington after 20.
Aurora’s Liam Longo had the only goal of the second to tie the contest and it was a little bit of white knuckle time for Wellington who haven’t even been tied this late in the game in a fortnight.
But Mr. Brown, drawing his second start in just over 12 hours, was solid for the Wellington entry.
Finally, Wellington managed to get past the Tigers for a second time on Sunday afternoon as Mr. Latreille set up Riley Noble for the game winner at 10:44.
Mr. Jewitt scored into an empty net in the late going to make it 4-2. Mr. Brown made 30 saves in the game for his second win of the season.
Wellington is in Haliburton on Thursday and host Buffalo on Friday night.
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