It was another stressful game for the Wellington Dukes on Saturday, but in the end, they took two key points from the Newmarket Hurricanes.
Landon Marleau broke a 4-4 deadlock with 7:10 remaining on the clock in regulation time to lift the Dukes to a 6-4 victory, their sixth in the last seven games.
The Dukes had to overcome a 2-1 deficit after the first, with Carrier’s 29th of the year on a powerplay from Cole Ellis and Blake Berthiaume being sandwiched by markers from Connor Haynes and Nathan Phillips.
A big second period put the Dukes out in front, with three unanswered goals.
Tristan Williams beat Alex Armellin in the Newmarket net for his eighth of the season to tie the score, before Ellis lifted Wellington into the lead with his seventh.
Aiden Lee then fluttered a shot through Armellin in tight to bump Wellington ahead by two, his eighth of the season.
The Canes wrestled back into the game on markers courtesy of Lucas Texeira and Simon Wang within about two minutes
Marleau grabbed a fortunate bounce and, while falling down, whipped a shot to the twine to become the fourth Duke to hit the 20-goal benchmark this season from Williams and Carson Albert.
A Zack Carrier empty-netter, his 30th of the season and second of the day, with 10 seconds left secured the win.
Carrier, Ellis, Williams, Lee, Cain Tucker and Will Mitchell all registered multi-point games in the victory.
Dryden Riley kicked out 36 of 40 Newmarket chances in another solid performance in net.
The Dukes continue to close the gap on the top half of the East Conference, moving within four points of fifth place Haliburton County and six points of the Canes, who are tied with Pickering for third with 60 points, with a game in hand.
The Dukes next opponent will be a big one, the arch-rival Trenton Golden Hawks on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Lehigh Arena.
