Bison push Duke to the brink in OT opener

Two weeks ago, it was senior Max Quinzani saving Duke from defeat. On Saturday, it was junior Zach Howell.

On Jan. 31, Quinzani scored the game winner with just 5.8 seconds remaining to cap off the Blue Devils’ come-from-behind victory against the U.S.National Team. In the Blue Devils’ first game since then, Howell scored 15 seconds into overtime to lift Duke to a 12-11 win over Bucknell.

Tied at 11 at the end of regulation, the game entered overtime, and just a few seconds in, Howell sprinted ahead on a fast break and scored to give the Blue Devils the win. Senior Ned Crotty led the Blue Devils with a goal and five assists, while Howell and Quinzani both scored four goals apiece.

No. 2 Duke (1-0) begins the season looking to improve upon last year’s trip to the Final Four, which ended with a semifinal loss to Syracuse. Saturday’s victory marks the Blue Devils’ first of the season, but it did not come easy.

The Blue Devils failed to score in the first quarter while No. 19 Bucknell (0-1) netted three goals. Each team scored five in the second period as Duke entered the locker room down 8-5. Head coach John Danowski knew that the Blue Devils had played better in the first half than the scoreline read, and if they continued playing their game, things would turn around.

“In the box defense, we were playing well,” Danowski said. “It was only 8-5 and [we] just [had to] keep working at it. We just needed to make one play at a time…That’s what the guys did.”

In the third quarter, the Blue Devils outscored the Bison 3-1 to enter the fourth down just a goal. Duke struck first in the final period, tying the game at nine, but Bucknell refused to back down and scored the next two to give the Bison an 11-9 advantage with five minutes remaining.

“Bucknell was terrific,” Danowski said, “They were really talented. They had a great plan and their good players really stepped up. They played hard for 60 minutes.”

Just 27 seconds after the Bison extended their lead to two goals, though, Duke responded with a goal of its own to bring the score back within one. With 2:05 remaining in the game, senior Will McKee scored to tie the game at 11, setting the stage for Howell’s winner.

Duke freshman Dan Wigrizer played all 60 minutes in goal and earned his first win as a Blue Devil.

“[Wigrizer] made a bunch of saves,” Danowski said, “We thought he handled himself very well. Anytime you can get your first Division I victory, you’ve done a great job.”

The game took place at a neutral site at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Ga.in front of a crowd of 7,000 fans. This is the third year in a row that the NCAA has scheduled an opening-weekend game in Powder Springs, and Danowski was impressed with the entire event.

“It was awesome. It was like a game late in May,” Danowski said. “The people were really appreciative. They made a lot of noise for both teams.”

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