The Wellington Dukes and Aurora Tigers shake hands following the deciding game six win by the Dukes on Monday, March 14th. Photo by Tim Durkin.
By Buckley Smith [1]
BELLEVILLE–After their wild 6-5 series-clinching overtime win over the Aurora Tigers [2] on Monday night, the Wellington Dukes [3] are looking forward to a tough series against their local rivals, the Trenton Golden Hawks [4].
“We know how strong they are,” said Dukes head coach Marty Abrams. “Their depth is outstanding, they have great goaltending and there’s really no weaknesses in their lineup.”
The Golden Hawks had a stellar regular season, finishing first place overall. But Abrams says the past must remain there.
“The one thing about the playoffs is everyone presses the reset button,” said Abrams. “Season series go out the window and you get ready for playoff hockey.”
The teams each won two games against each other during the regular season.
And while the regular season rankings aren’t the be-all and end-all, Abrams say they are a good predictor of how close a series can be. Take a look at the the just completed series against the Aurora Tigers, says Abrams.
“I think it was to be expected when the four seed (Wellington) plays the five seed (Aurora). When there’s only two points separating (the two teams) during the course of the season, you have to expect a close tight checking series.”
All four of the Dukes’ wins in the series were by a single goal.
Now that Wellington must play the number one team, Abrams says he is expecting an even tougher series.
But with a lineup that boasts Luc Brown, the top scorer during the regular season, as well outstanding scoring depth throughout the team, Wellington may have what it takes to match up against them.
While their top line of Dylan Mascarin, Luc Brown and Ben Sokay had a slow start to the series, they exploded for a combined 11 points in the deciding game six. Sokay had four goals in the series finale including the overtime winner.
And Abrams says that did not surprise him in the least.
“It was just a matter of time. Whenever you have a line that is that strong during the regular season… you know it’s just a matter of time before they get on track offensively.”
And while Abrams couldn’t say enough good things about his top line, he says his team’s strengths go far beyond those top three.
“We aren’t too concerned about our secondary scoring. We were the most offensive team in the conference this year, so that speaks volumes to our ability to score goals. Overall I think it was a real team win the entire series.”
With the series against Golden Hawks set to start on Wednesday night in Trenton, the Dukes don’t have much time to prepare for what’s ahead.
But Abrams says they know exactly what they are up against.
“We know we are playing a team that doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses. They’re one of the top teams in the country all year, so we know we have to play our best. But we are excited for the opportunity. We want to get started.”