Unlike some of you have done on your teams report cards, I won't single out players as hockey is a team game. You win and lose as a team, from the first line to the grinders on the fourth line. Instead I will grade the team aspects of the game.

Offense - (B-) - In a division packed with scoring powers, Wellington has been able to keep stride with the scoring machines of the central with 4 lines who all work hard. Some players will have to step it up with the playoff run coming but overall very good.

Defense - (B-) - Wellingtons back end has been a force scoring this season but has some work to do keep the puck out of their own net. The Dukes defensemen have accumulated 103 points (including Mahoney) which shows how deep the Dukes are on offense. The Dukes need to cut back on giveaways and they will see their goals against per game drop significantly.

Goaltending - (C) - The Dukes, generally noted for their goaltending, haven't had the success from previous year but still has not been terrible. An injury to Nauta kept him out of action for a couple weeks and that didn't help things. Wellington has a team average of 3.77 goal against per game. In a high scoring division like the Central, this isn't bad at all. Team save percentage will need some work however if the Dukes look to go far in the playoffs, where they sit currently at .888

Powerplay - (A+) - Wellington holds the top powerplay in the league and is a great reason for their success. Wellington has scored 51 goals on 198 chances (25.76%) which makes taking a penalty against the Dukes very dangerous!

Penalty Killing - (C-) - Wellington currently sits 27th in the league in penalty killing with a PK% of 78.95. Take into consideration though, Wellington is the least penalized team in the league with the closest team have 120+ more minutes in the penalty box. In a high scoring league, the penalty killing has to improve.

Overall - (B) - Playing in the new division, Wellington has faired very well. Currently the Dukes lead the division in winning percentage and sit second in points to Hamilton. As stated by conwell, the Dukes lately have been playing as individuals and it has been hurting them. When they are winning, you really notice all 4 lines playing very well together and that makes them a very hard to beat. The Dukes coaching staff is second to none and they know how to get their players head in the game and will have this little slump turned around in no time. In my opinion I think the Dukes need to add another defenseman with lots of experience. They have defense who can score, and adding another dman who can help in his own end would be a great addition to this team going forward

DUKES_FAN