Cries of “Break up the Wellington Dukes!” are not reverberating across the Ontario Junior Hockey League. At least not yet.

But there’s only one East Conference team that has yet to taste defeat this season and they call Lehigh Arena home.

After stunning the visiting Trenton Golden Hawks in the home opener September 7, the Wellington Dukes have followed up with three road wins to run their record to 4-0-0.

They managed back-to-back victories at the 2025 OJHL Governor’s Showcase in Niagara Falls last week over Georgetown and Mississauga. The Dukes then rolled into Markham Friday night and blanked the host Royals 3-0 on the back of a 29 save Royden Smith shutout.

Dukes bench boss Jacob Panetta is pushing all the right buttons and getting results early in his coaching career.

After the road trip to Niagara Falls and a chance to bond as a team, Mr. Panetta is liking the early returns.

“The way we were able to rally in the game against a good Mississauga Chargers and win in overtime is a real testament to the player’s commitment and reinforces the identity of the team we want to be,” Mr. Panetta said after the Showcase. There’s plenty of areas we will continue to work on and get better at but it’s always a good ride home to Wellington when you win,” he said.

Going into the Showcase, the players were promised that if they took all four points, there would be an opportunity for sightseeing and mini putt on the way home. And, of course, the organization delivered. No word yet on which Wellington Duke is most capable with the putter.

Big Stops

In their most recent win, Mr. Smith picked up his second victory of the season and his first-ever Junior Hockey goose egg. So far, the 17-year-old Toronto, ON product has given up just one goal in 120 minutes of hockey.

The Dukes would get all the offence they needed against the host Royals in the second frame. Cole Ellis converted a Kyle Gasby feed with just over four minutes left in the period to make it 1-0 Wellington. Captain Sacha Trudel added an insurance marker early in the third when he tapped home his fourth of the season.

Up 2-0 late, Ethan Murray fired a puck in Markham’s vacated twine tent to make the final 3-0.

Tough Test

Wellington’s mettle was tested in their second game of the Showcase as they squandered an early 2-0 lead.

“It’s tough for a young team when you get up 2-0 very early and there’s still a lot of game to play,” Mr. Panetta said. “It was definitely a learning experience for our team.”

Christian Armstrong’s first of the season at 2:36 staked Wellington to a 1-0 lead. That margin was doubled just 64 seconds later when Zach Carrier blasted his second of the season. But the Chargers chipped away, putting a pair past Wellington starter Colby Booth-Housego in the late going.

The Chargers had the only goal in the second as Ethan Holt fired a go ahead marker at 8:19.

The game ebbed and flowed with both teams getting denied at the goal line.

With under a minute to play, Mr. Panetta lifted his net minder for an extra attacker and tasked assistant coach Darcy Murphy to draw up a game tying solution off an offensive zone draw.

“It was a good play that kind of got broken up early but credit Zach Carrier for getting the puck to the net,” the coach said.

Mr. Murray followed up on the play and snapped an equalizer past Charger goalie Avery Alves with 31 seconds left to square the affair at 3-3.

In overtime, Wellington was able to convert on a 3-2 rush with Mr. Ellis playing triggerman at 4:28. Quinn McNamara and Zach Mascard picked up assists on the game winning goal.

Raided

Wellington spared most of the dramatics in their 3-1 win over Georgetown.

Mr. Trudel had the ice breaker at 6:23 of the second and Mr. Carrier doubled Wellington’s lead with a power play goal at 11:09.

Raider sniper James Wong cut Wellington’s lead in half late in the second but that was as close as Georgetown would get. Despite only being down a goal, the Raiders could only muster four volleys at the Dukes net. Meanwhile, Wellington bombed Georgetown starter James Kamakaris with 20 shots. Finally, with Mr. Kamakaris on the bench and the Dukes facing a 6-on-4 shorthanded situation, Wellington added an empty netter with Mr. Grasby firing the puck the length of the ice for a shorthanded tally.

Wellington closes the month out with flourish, hosting Stoufville Friday night, travelling to Lindsay on Saturday and then hosting Markham on Sunday afternoon.