The Blue Devils, ranked #1 in the preseason polls, got off to a very impressive start in their season-opener, overwhelming Air Force to the tune of an 18-4 runaway victory...Considering the Falcons had beaten us the last two years, this is a very good omen for what the season may bring.
A true demonstration of the depth possessed by this Duke squad, nine different individuals scored at least one goal, with Justin Guterding and Brad Smith each notching a hat trick, while Joe Robertson, Reilly Walsh, Matthew Giampetroni, Joey Manown, and Sean Lowrie all scoring a pair....Rounding out the tallies were Jake Seau and John Prendergast.
Guterding, a 2nd team All-American and Tewaaraton Trophy nominee as a junior in 2017, took a big step towards making himself an early favorite in the award race when he added seven helpers to tie his single-game career high of 10 total points (which he had done three previous times).
Playing a trio of men in cage, returning All-ACC recipient, Danny Fowler, led the team with five saves (3 goals allowed), while Turner Uppgren (4 saves; 1 GA), and David McCann (1 save; 0 GA) only allowed one goal in splitting second half duties.
Giving credit to the shutdown defenders---JT Giles-Harris, Cade Van Raaphorst, Greg Pelton, Kevin McDonough---the four goals surrendered marked the lowest total given up by a Duke team since their title winning season in 2013/2014 (19-4 over Furman on March 19th).
Duke will look to make it 2-0 this coming Thursday when they play host to High Point.
A true demonstration of the depth possessed by this Duke squad, nine different individuals scored at least one goal, with Justin Guterding and Brad Smith each notching a hat trick, while Joe Robertson, Reilly Walsh, Matthew Giampetroni, Joey Manown, and Sean Lowrie all scoring a pair....Rounding out the tallies were Jake Seau and John Prendergast.
Guterding, a 2nd team All-American and Tewaaraton Trophy nominee as a junior in 2017, took a big step towards making himself an early favorite in the award race when he added seven helpers to tie his single-game career high of 10 total points (which he had done three previous times).
Playing a trio of men in cage, returning All-ACC recipient, Danny Fowler, led the team with five saves (3 goals allowed), while Turner Uppgren (4 saves; 1 GA), and David McCann (1 save; 0 GA) only allowed one goal in splitting second half duties.
Giving credit to the shutdown defenders---JT Giles-Harris, Cade Van Raaphorst, Greg Pelton, Kevin McDonough---the four goals surrendered marked the lowest total given up by a Duke team since their title winning season in 2013/2014 (19-4 over Furman on March 19th).
Duke will look to make it 2-0 this coming Thursday when they play host to High Point.
