The Battle of the Bay of Quinte raged on Friday night as the Wellington Dukes went into the Duncan McDonald Memorial Gardens in Trenton and stole game three of the Hasty Ps Cup Series by a score of 6-3.
The game was preceded by a ceremony celebrating Remembrance Day and honouring the military.
Snowbirds Captain Richard MacDougall, who was involved in the crash over Kamloops, B.C., that tragically took the life of former Quinte West resident and Snowbirds Captain Jennifer Casey and left MacDougall with serious injuries, was on hand to drop the ceremonial puck before the game.
The game was the third of eight matchups between the rivals this season which is now even more intriguing with the addition of the in-season derby style Hasty Ps Cup series. The team that has the edge in the season series by year’s end will take home the Hasty Ps Cup.
Trenton won the first two matchups earlier in the season on the road to take a 2-0 lead in the cup series, named in honour of the Hastings and Prince Edward Military Regiment.
The Golden Hawks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with a power play goal from Nathan Oickle just before the ten minute mark followed by Aaron Jameison’s first goal of the season just under one minute later as he stuffed the puck in from just outside the crease.
In the closing minutes of the period, Wellington got on the board when forward David Campbell went streaking through the neutral zone before cutting towards the net and netting his third goal of the season past Trenton goalie Ethan Taylor to cut the lead to 2-1 heading into the intermission.
The Dukes came out with a renewed energy after the break and just two-and-a-half-minutes into the period were rewarded when forward Ethan Quick jumped on a puck in the slot and shot it in to tie it up.
Later in the frame Trenton’s Trystan Mughal took a slashing penalty and on the ensuing power play Wellington’s Brodie McDougall scored to give the Dukes their first lead of the game.
The Dukes continued to pour it on and with less than one minute left in the period Harrison Ballard capitalized and scored to bring it to 4-2 heading into the second intermission.
Trenton began the third period on the power play following a hooking penalty on Dukes captain Emmet Pierce with seconds to go in the second period but were unable to capitalize.
Just past the 15 minute mark in the third McDougall struck again and pushed the lead to three goals with his second of the game and sixth of the season.
With less than two minutes on the clock McDougall took a hooking penalty, sending Trenton to the power play and they made no mistake as Aaron Jameison scored again to cut the lead to two.
With their goalie pulled, Trenton applied the pressure in the waning minutes of the game but the dagger came in the form of an empty net goal by Campbell to collect his second of the game and to bring it to the eventual final score of 6-3 for Wellington.
Quick led the way for the Dukes with a goal and two assists and McDougall, Dickerson, Ballard, Joynt and Campbell all had two points each.
Wellington netminder Matt Dunsmoor made 50 saves in the effort to collect his fourth win of the season and 50th career OJHL victory.
The win brings Wellington to 8-7-0-2 on the season and helped them out of last place in the East Division, leapfrogging the Cobourg Cougars.
Wellington is back in action Sunday at home against the same Cougars at 2:30 p.m.
The Golden Hawks turn right back around and hit the road to take on the Haliburton County Huskies on Saturday in Minden at 4:30 p.m.
