The Trenton Golden Hawks and Wellington Dukes renewed their rivalry on Friday afternoon for the Hasty Ps Cup (presented by Trent Valley Distributors), and it was all back and forth even play. Dan Botelho and Oliver Troop got the start for their respective clubs, however Botelho went down to injury early in the first.
In the first 20 minutes, close calls were the name of the game. An early whistle saved the G-Hawks, after a shoulder save by Oliver Troop dropped beside the blue paint and was fired in. Meantime, a shot by Trenton crossed the line behind Ethan Morrow, but did not get on the score clock. Trenton took the shot count, but the score finished 3-1 after the first frame. Ben Woodhouse, Evan Miller, and James White combined for an impressive seven points for the Dukes. Sam D’Amico responded for the Quinte West club, with under a minute remaining in the period.
In the middle frame Trenton got an energy line from the 4th line that was followed up by the top line hitting the back of the net. Griffen Fox received a cross-ice pass on his off wing and fired it between pad and glove of Morrow to make it 3-2. Dalton Bancroft and Marko Jakovljevic picked up the assists. About 7 minutes later the top line struck again, with several swings at the puck. Jacob Campbell notched it, from Dalton Bancroft and Fox at 16:36. Trenton outshot the Dukes 20-6 in the fame, with Morrow being the period MVP.
The third period remained even, with the final shots finishing 49-25 for the Golden Hawks. It was one of the cleanest games every between the two clubs, with just one minor penalty called.
Wellington Head Coach Derek Smith, “Ethan Morrow played well coming in, he came in cold, and kept us in the game. He gave us confidence. That is all you can ask.”
The 40-save man Morrow says, “When you come in off the bench, you have to put aside anything, and focus on shutting the door.”
Wellington Forward James White had three goals in the first two games and says, “With no hitting it gives you a chance to gallop. It feels at times that someone should be checking you, however with the rules we are playing under, it gives you extra space.”
Trenton’s Jacob Campbell had a two-point game and says the top line is starting to figure each other out. “Foxy, Bancroft, and I are starting to know where each other are. When we know where each other are, it makes everything easier.”
D-man Marko Jakovljevic says they have been down in both games. “They keep getting the jump on us early and we put ourselves in a bad position. We have shown resiliency and hopefully we can work that out. We would love to get a jump on them.”
Trenton Coach Peter Goulet says he likes the response of his team. “Being down 2-0, and 3-0, and getting out of Wellington with two ties is great. It is tough to be down and to keep your composure, and we have shown that the last two games. It shows great character.”
The series now shifts to Trenton for four of the next five games. It starts Tuesday at 1:30 pm on YourTV (Cogeco 4/700), HockeyTV, and County FM (99.3 FM), proudly presented by Trent Valley Distributors.
Game 1 – Wednesday November 11 – 2:00 pm @ Wellington – 2-2 Final
Game 2 – Friday November 13 – 2:30 pm @ Wellington – 3-3 Final
Game 3 – Tuesday November 17 – 1:30 pm @ Trenton
Game 4 – Wednesday November 18 – 1:30 pm @ Trenton
Game 5 – Friday November 20 – 2:30 pm @ Wellington
Game 6 – Wednesday November 25 – 1:30 pm @ Trenton
Game 7 – Friday November 27 – 1:30 pm @ Trenton
Game 8 – Wednesday December 2 – 2:00 pm @ Wellington
