The Buffalo Jr. Sabres tried to dig themselves out of a three-goal hole, but the Wellington Dukes held on for a 3-1 victory.
Wellington took a 3-0 lead during the second period, only to have Buffalo storm back on a Brenden Dunning goal 5:10 into the third period to pull to two goals down.
The Dukes were led by goalie Daniel Potter, who finished with 31 saves while allowing one goal. The solid play of Potter will be reflected in his goals against average, which pre-game was 3.44.
Wellington forced the Jr. Sabres goalie Alex Connal to work between the pipes, taking 36 shots.
The Dukes were led by Abbott Girduckis, who tallied two goals. Girduckis scored the first of his two goals at 13:02 into the second period to make the score 2-0 Wellington. Girduckis’ next tally made the score 3-0 Wellington with 24 seconds left in the second period. Jacob Panetta assisted on the tally. Wellington also got a goal from Luc Brown as well. In addition, Wellington received assists from Will Cook, Josh Supryka, and Ben Sokay, who each chipped in one.
Buffalo excelled on the penalty kill, not giving up a single goal in five chances. The Jr. Sabres could not produce up to their normal offensive output. Buffalo averages 3.1 goals per game. The Jr. Sabres’ offense rang up 32 shots on Wellington’s net.
More assists for Buffalo came via Zach Evancho, who had one.
The Dukes incurred six minutes in penalty time with three minors. Buffalo’s Connal stopped 33 shots out of the 36 that he faced. The Jr. Sabres incurred 14 minutes in penalty time with seven minors.
