The Wellington Dukes’ graduating players took center stage in their regular season finale on Sunday night.
The quartet of Sacha Trudel, Will Mitchell, Kyle Grasby and Cain Tucker combined for seven points in a 5-1 victory over the Lindsay Muskies after being recognized pre-game by the Dukes organization.
The game may not have had an impact on the standings, but both teams came out for a playoff tune-up with gusto.
Trudel got the scoring started by burying a rebound late in the first period.
Wellington broke the score open with three more unanswered tallies in the third, with Mitchell tapping in a backdoor feed from Zack Carrier, Ethan Fredericks notching his first OJHL goal on a backhand and Trudel lasering a shot under the bar for his second of the night and 19th of the year.
Jackson Bathgate slinged a shot over Dryden Riley about two minutes into the third to at least get Lindsay on the board, but it was ultimately not their night.
Aiden Lee fired a dart past Thomas Lima on the powerplay for his 13th of the year to put a bow on the campaign.
Trudel and Carrier each had three points on the night, with Mitchell adding two and Grasby, Tucker, Carson Albert, Liam Campbell and Tristan Williams chipping in with one each.
Riley made 29 saves to help the Dukes finish 27-20-4-5 on the season with 63 points and sixth place in the East Conference.
Wellington’s first round opponent in its 37th straight Buckland Cup postseason will be the third seeded Pickering Panthers.
Stay tuned to the Dukes’ social media pages for the full schedule release this upcoming week.
