Joe McKeown netted a hat trick to lead the Wellington Dukes over the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, 7-2.
McKeown’s first goal came 2:11 into the second period. He then added goals at 18:43 into the second and at 7:41 into the third.
Wellington pulled out the victory even though it was hit with 20 penalty minutes.
The Dukes forced Jr. Sabres’ netminders to work without much rest, getting 37 shots and forcing 30 saves. Alex Connal made 22 stops and Nate Skidmore made eight. Wellington excelled on the penalty kill, not giving up a single goal in nine chances. The Dukes surpassed their usual scoring output this season. Wellington averages 3.3 goals per game.
Wellington additionally got points from Abbott Girduckis, who also registered one goal and two assists, Brandon Kosik, who also racked up one goal and three assists, Blake Peavey, who also registered one goal and one assist, and Nathan Browne, who also grabbed one goal and one assist. In addition, Wellington received assists from Josh Supryka, who had three and Francesco Tolfa, Andrew Coupland, and Jacob Hetherington, who contributed one each.
Olivier Lafreniere rejected 22 shots on goal for the Dukes. Wellington registered one goal on seven power play opportunities. Buffalo incurred 10 minutes in penalty time with five minors. The Jr. Sabres ran into serious disciplinary problems during the contest, and Max McCutcheon was ejected from the game.
