On Saturday, November 12th, at the Alpha Ice Complex, the Duquesne ACHA club hockey Division 1 team hosted local rivals Robert Morris. The Dukes raised awareness for mental health on the night, in an attempt to stand with and for all who need it. In a matchup that had 56 total penalty minutes, the Colonials bested the Dukes by a score of 4 goals to 2. 

            Robert Morris was the first team to find their legs, as they were able to heavily forecheck the Dukes, who had played the night before, and force a plethora of turnovers within the defensive zone. Things only served to get worse, as Duquesne took a penalty early, which led to a RMU opening goal at 6:57, as Roman Kraemer was able to skate through the shorthanded team, around the net and tuck in the wraparound effort past the attempt of goaltender Kyle Plantz to cover his far post. Duquesne would take another penalty, this time with them able to kill it off, but Head Coach Conrad Waite mentioned that taking those early penalties “tilted the ice against us,” especially in a rebound game after an 8-0 loss.

            The second period opened as a mirror image of the first; the Dukes were starting to dominate play, and gave the Colonials a taste of their own medicine, as they forechecked aggressively and forced multiple turnovers leading to chances. “We are definitely a better team when we are physically engaged on defense,” said Coach Waite. 3 minutes and 38 seconds into the period, the Dukes tied the game up as forward Sam Hoyen went hard after the puck deep in the corner, and, as a reward for his effort, was able to win the puck and send a beautiful pass to captain Hayden Feck, who finished the chance. 

            Robert Morris went on to take a penalty, and the Dukes took the lead at 8:39 as Max Madallo, in the right place at the right time, was able to bury a loose puck in the crease, after a rebound from the RMU goalie.

            It was around this moment when the game got immensely physical. Physicality and some dislike had been brewing, but it exploded during the middle parts of the second period, with both teams basically rotating players in and out of the penalty box. “We have to be prepared to deal with whatever circumstances we’re dealt,” said Waite, in regards to the penalties taken by his squad, including two 10-minute misconduct penalties.   

            Shortly after a roughing penalty on the Dukes, RMU equalized at 13:28 in the period, on a 5 on 3 powerplay. A cross ice feed to the left circle led to an open net for a one-time blast, and just like that the Dukes’ hard-earned lead was gone. “We felt like we were outplaying them 5-5 and if we manage ourselves better, I think we earn a different result,” said Waite.

            Entering into the final frame, it looked as though the more disciplined team would win the game. It would take 43 seconds for Robert Morris to break the tie, as Kraemer was able to build up speed through the neutral zone and work a give and go at the Duquesne blue line to finish the chance right in front of the crease. 

            At 5:17 in the period, RMU doubled their lead, this time on a power play, as a loose puck in the crease was barely pushed across the goal line, despite what looked to be goaltender interference which went uncalled. While Waite was disappointed with the result, he did commend his squad for their resilience saying “Even though we didn't come back, we didn't fold and still created chances in the third period. You'd like to not put yourself in that position, but our guys did a good job bouncing back after it happened.”

            Ultimately, the game came down to discipline, and the Dukes couldn’t stay out of the box enough to make a serious impact. When asked about this, Coach Waite said “Plain and simple, we lost the game because we couldn't control ourselves. It's absolutely a problem, and mainly one from our older players. It was disappointing and something we not only addressed after the game, but that we will need to take responsibility for and fix if we want to be successful this season.”

            The Dukes are now 6-9-1 on the season and will have to bounce back after a couple tough losses on back-to-back days. They don’t have to wait long for another bite at the apple, with their next game being on Friday, November 18th, at the Alpha Ice Complex against the West Virginia Mountaineers.