"Dukes of Kingston; Junior A hockey powerhouse Wellington features local stars
Posted By Brock Harrison Whig Standard
Posted 2 hours ago

If the Wellington Dukes send the Kingston Voyageurs packing tonight, there are a handful of good reasons to temporarily cast aside your allegiance to the Vees and jump on the Dukes' bandwagon.

Five good reasons, to be exact.

The Dukes, who lead their best-of-seven Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League East Conference final against Kingston 3-0, will look to sweep the Vees away tonight with the help of five Kingston-area hockey players who elected to play 100 kilometres down the highway in the tiny Prince Edward County village instead of in their own backyard.

For those counting at home, that's the same number of Limestone City lads who will suit up for the Vees tonight.

Going strictly by the Kingston contingent, the battle of the Dukes vs. the Voyageurs is a wash.

"They've built their team for this year. It's evident by looking at their roster," said Dukes coach Marty Abrams, noting the curious lack of hometown boys on the Voyageurs roster and the abundance of talent from places like Toronto, Kanata, and Guelph. "More power to them, I say."

Abrams' Dukes, making their second straight appearance in the OPJHL East final, owe a fair chunk of their success this season to the Kingston boys on their roster.

Three of the Dukes' Kingston Five finished the regular season among the team's top five scorers - Centreville's Chris Brown, Amherstview's Corey Bureau and former Frontenac Tony Rizzi of Kingston, who led the team with 49 points in 47 games. Bath's Jeremy Franklin likely would have also cracked the top five had he played the whole season. He racked up 24 points in just 25 games. Corey Bureau's older brother, Brandon, a stay-at-home defenceman, rounds out the Dukes' Kingston connection.

The players say the Dukes organization has a certain allure based on its winning history and reputation as a team adored by a small but dedicated fan base that packs the town's only arena, a tiny and cramped old-time rink with one side of bleachers and an air horn that blares after Dukes goals and wins.

"The guys that come here aren't coming for the cosmetics, or the amazing sports complex we have," Abrams said. "They play here because we practise every day and they want to be hockey players."

For Rizzi, playing for the Dukes instead of staying in Kingston after leaving the Ontario Hockey League was a matter of loyalty. The Vees cut Rizzi as a 15-year-old in 2002, and he subsequently joined the Dukes for a season that saw them win 47 of their 49 regular games en route to the OPJHL title and an appearance at the Royal Bank Cup, the national junior A championship."




I guess we'll see tonight if the Vees can make a come back, they do have potential. But this article touches on the topic of local talent. Attendance could be improved with local talent and a closer bond with the local minor hockey community.
Others Greater Kingston graduates not mentioned in the article include:
Matt Stover, who played 30 games for Wellington this season, Jake Doseger and Drake Egger, both played in Quinte, Matt Edwards, with the Niagara Falls Canucks. Not to mention some of the others playing In Napanee, Pete Sergeant, Andrew Halliday who had a combination of nearly 170 points, Steve Evans in Amherstview a 17-year old rookie with 84 points, Nick Held in Westport who led the Rideau-St. Lawrence division Jr. B loop in scoring and rookie Adam Ruffolo in Gan.
Of course there were other local kids like Brock Patterson, Dan Stone, Anthony Salamone reassigned.
With some of these kids on the ice for the Vees the result might be the same but the gates would be guaranteed to be better.

.........After a five-year OHL career with the Frontenacs and Peterborough Petes, Rizzi, now 21, returned to Wellington, where he cut his junior hockey teeth.

"I was disappointed I didn't make the Voyageurs as a 15-year-old," said Rizzi.

He didn't specify if the Voyageurs approached him to play for them this year, saying only that he received "a few offers" from teams.

"It made the most sense to come back here," Rizzi said. "I knew Wellington was going to be very competitive again, they always are. It's the atmosphere and the history of winning. I wanted to stay loyal to the people who gave me the chance in the first place."

It's that atmosphere Rizzi mentions that clinched Franklin's choice to play for the Dukes. Unlike Voyageurs' home games, which are sparsely attended affairs, the Dukes' humble digs, affectionately dubbed "the Duke Dome," are filled to capacity every game. For Tuesday night's Game 3, some spectators were forced to line the glass at the arena's far end or watch from the concession area because not another body could be squeezed into the bleachers.

"It's a great atmosphere to play in," said Franklin, now in his second year with the Dukes since his days as an Amherstview Jet.

"Marty gave me the chance to play. Wellington is known for having success. Why not come to winning organization? The community loves it. You've got the air horns and everything. In a way, it feels like the big leagues."

bharrison@thewhig.com

The Match

What: Game 4, Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League East Conference final.

Who: Kingston Voyageurs vs. Wellington Dukes.

Logistics: 7:30 p.m., Cataraqui Community Centre.

Implications: Wellington leads the series 3-0 and would clinch the division title tonight with a win. Kingston needs a win to stay alive. The winner of the series advances to play the winner of the series between the St. Michael's Buzzers and the Markham Waxers.
Article ID# 941616

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This article really hurts, if you are a Kingston fan. Some will say, it's the truth. The truth is that what one perceives as the truth is often a spin. It is called the other side of the story ,some of which, Mac has touched on.

This series is not over yet. When it is, I will be the first to congratulate the Dukes should they go on. As most forum contributors know, I have always given them their just due.

They are, and always have been, a great team. Their fans adore them.

And the Vees? They are one step closer to a championship based on this year's performance, regardless of what happens the rest of this season.They know they have not been at their best in this series. some of that has been due to the Dukes' play and some is not for whatever reason. They will leave it all on the ice. If it wasn't good enough, it's back for year three of "the Gregg Rosen plan."

And the Wellington Dukes? They'll be there next year like they always are. But I think it's fair to say that the Dukes have not been where they need to be either. Game one and game two were sub par performances for them. Game three was one in which they started to reach their potential.

They are without the "cosmetics" of a new rink. Just a tiny rink with a loyal following who love winners. Nothing wrong with that.

Stay tuned.



Wayjoy