Here is a look at the series in some statistical departments.
Goals scored;
Markham - 15
Wellington - 11
Total shots on goal;
Markham - 111
Wellington - 112
Powerplay production/opportunities;
Markham - 3 for 13
Wellington - 4 for 26
Penalty minutes total;
Markham - 85
Wellington - 44
Players with multiple point games;
Markham - Hudes (2), Scheu (2), Hamilton,Tamblyn,Free,Kostuch,Cornaccia
Wellington;
Brown, O'Grady, Ayotte, Smith
Given the closeness of these numbers would suggest it's been a close series. Far from it.
Wellington has been consistent in taking few penalties. 16 minutes, 10 and 18 in the three games would suggest so.
So has Markham. Except for the 3rd game, their penalties have been on a par with Welly. (14,18 and 53 minutes). That last stat was 24 assessed to Lucente and 10 to Cowdry inflated that number.
The momentum is solidly in the corner of the Markham Waxers. Simply put, Rank has been better than Karpowich by a mile. Their penalty-killing, led by Cornaccia and Rank has been very good. If you remember, these are two key components the Waxers had to continue if they were to beat Wellington. They were critical components of their beating St. Michael's. So far, they've delivered.
It's pretty clear that the Dukes' goaltending has cooled off. Karpowich has gone from hot to
not . It's not unusual for goaltending to go, if you will pardon the pun,
south in a playoff series.
The litany of heroes to victims has been a common theme in recent memory. In fact, some wise observer suggested that you'll only go as far as your goaltending will take you.
For example, last year Kingston's Studlii was great against Bowmanville but cooled off against Wellington.
Kingston's Hache was hot against Port Hope and cooled off against the Dukes this year.
Bowmanville's Clarke was hot against Peterborough and cooled off against Welly.
But it does raise the question about the forgotten man Jake Fischer. He had comparable numbers to Karpowich in the season but hasn't played a playoff game. Given that Karpowich is not getting it done, why no Fischer? Has he fallen into disfavour or is he hurt?
So much of goaltending is confidence and Karpowich has lost it. When a team lacks the confidence in their goaltender, it often affects their team play and they try to compensate for it. When that happens, they get away from their game.
Dukes' fans have always been reluctant to single out individual players who are under-performing. Preferring always, for them to right themselves without the public discredit, has always seem to work out for them.
I am going to do it for them.
It's clear that certain players, for whatever reason, are not performing to the best of their ability.
Forwards Rizzi, Franklin and Senecel and defencemen Bockmann, Crawford and Anderson had all better step up their production or this thing is going to be over before they know what hit them.
These hombres were all instrumental in the dismantling of the Kingston Voyageurs.
As I've said before, your best players had better be able to match the production of the other team's best guys. That isn't happening and that is why they are in deep do do. It happened to this very team last year when they played the Aurora Tigers in the OPJHL final. It isn't something they haven't experienced before.
And amidst all the shortcomings of the Dukes, the Waxers have hit their stride. Their confidence has grown every game since their dispatch of St. Michael's and it's built in this series. They are a confident group an it all starts in the net with Rank.
Captain Kostuch is leading the way with a whopping 6 point game in game three. I haven't seen that kind of playoff production from anyone since Joe Hall did it last year with the Dukes.
Their team speed has befuddled the Dukes. Their production has been spread out with 7 different players notching multiple point games.
The Waxers smell it and they are coming hard. If the Dukes want to make a stand, they had better get their
man , as
Dukester referred to him, coach Abrams, to make some adjustments and execute.
He has to figure out how to wrestle the momentum back from the Wax. A good place to start is in goal.
Aurora's Jerome Dupont has twice done it in this year's playoffs (momentum). His team lost the 1st game in the Stouffville series and the Newmarket series before reloading, adjusting and executing to come back to win both of those series.
Besides, I would like to be able to say I knew what I was talking about when I said this Duke team was good enough to win the OPJHL title this year.
And right now, they are proving me completely wrong.
Stay tuned.
Wayjoy
