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02-09-2014, 01:07 PM
An extraordinary 18-save afternoon by Dolphins' goalkeeper Pete DeLuca made the final score look respectable, but the stat sheet says Duke dominated Jacksonville.
Two key performers missed the game for Duke: defenseman Henry Lobb has a knee problem that will keep him out for at least a few more weeks, and attackman Case Matheis has an unspecified "upper body injury" and is out indefinitely. Sophomore Chad Cohan, who hardly played at all last year, stepped in for Matheis and delivered far beyond expectations, with two goals and three assists. Sophomore Jamie Ikeda stepped in for Lobb on a retooled defense that also featured Casey Carroll seven years after his last game, and the defense performed well. Sophomore Chris Coady and freshmen Brian Dunne and Ian Yanulis also saw action, with Yanulis playing on man-down.
In the offseason and pre-season, much of the talk about Duke centered around the need to replace five key performers in the midfield. At the offensive end, we saw Christian Walsh and Deemer Class on the first unit with freshman Jack Bruckner, while Myles Jones ran on the second unit with Junior Kyle Keenan and freshman Thomas Zenker. Both units contributed, with mids scoring seven of Duke's 16 goals. Keenan, a question mark his first two years, hit for two goals and two assists, Myles had a pair, and Walsh, Class, and Zenker all found net once.
At the defensive end, the big surprise is that Greg DeLuca's spot at SSDM has been filled by Brian Dailey. After contributing at LSM and as a wing on faceoffs for two years, Dailey traded in his pole for a toothpick; his quick feet and solid positional sense made the transition look far easier than it actually is. Charlie Payton also played well as the third man in the SSDM rotation.
Two areas of concern.
Kyle Turri had a Kyle Turri kind of day. He was flawless on clears and in organizing the defense. However ... two saves vs. nine goals allowed (Luke Aaron gave up a goal in mop-up duty). Wing play on faceoffs was not up to standard.
A good start. Next weekend, the real fun starts, when Denver comes to town.
Two key performers missed the game for Duke: defenseman Henry Lobb has a knee problem that will keep him out for at least a few more weeks, and attackman Case Matheis has an unspecified "upper body injury" and is out indefinitely. Sophomore Chad Cohan, who hardly played at all last year, stepped in for Matheis and delivered far beyond expectations, with two goals and three assists. Sophomore Jamie Ikeda stepped in for Lobb on a retooled defense that also featured Casey Carroll seven years after his last game, and the defense performed well. Sophomore Chris Coady and freshmen Brian Dunne and Ian Yanulis also saw action, with Yanulis playing on man-down.
In the offseason and pre-season, much of the talk about Duke centered around the need to replace five key performers in the midfield. At the offensive end, we saw Christian Walsh and Deemer Class on the first unit with freshman Jack Bruckner, while Myles Jones ran on the second unit with Junior Kyle Keenan and freshman Thomas Zenker. Both units contributed, with mids scoring seven of Duke's 16 goals. Keenan, a question mark his first two years, hit for two goals and two assists, Myles had a pair, and Walsh, Class, and Zenker all found net once.
At the defensive end, the big surprise is that Greg DeLuca's spot at SSDM has been filled by Brian Dailey. After contributing at LSM and as a wing on faceoffs for two years, Dailey traded in his pole for a toothpick; his quick feet and solid positional sense made the transition look far easier than it actually is. Charlie Payton also played well as the third man in the SSDM rotation.
Two areas of concern.
Kyle Turri had a Kyle Turri kind of day. He was flawless on clears and in organizing the defense. However ... two saves vs. nine goals allowed (Luke Aaron gave up a goal in mop-up duty). Wing play on faceoffs was not up to standard.
A good start. Next weekend, the real fun starts, when Denver comes to town.