Growing up in Duxbury, Mass., sophomore Max Quinzani made the morning headlines by attacking the net head-on, dodging and shooting better than anyone else on his high school team-maybe even the country. Before coming to Duke, Quinzani set the national high school record with 577 career points.
But when he tried to mesh his playing style with Duke's system as a freshman last season, there was simply no room for him beside All-Americans Matt Danowski and Zack Greer. As a result, he had to adapt his game to one that originated from behind the net. And the Blue Devils couldn't be happier.
Quinzani has scored in all 10 games this season, averaging more than a hat trick per outing. He leads the nation in tallies-his 33 are tied with Greer-as opponents have struggled mightily to account for Duke's newest scoring threat.
"The majority of his points have come off the ball," head coach John Danowski said. "There's an art to that. It's not science, that's a little bit more of an art. Just kind of knowing where to go and feeling the game."
Even though his freshman year was a challenging transition, Quinzani scored 24 goals in just six starts. But he didn't feel settled, at times concentrating more on not messing up than on making plays, Quinzani said.
A year later, he was still slightly uncomfortable in his new role. But then it all finally clicked for him when he notched a hat trick during the Blue Devils' 15-7 throttling of then-No. 3 Maryland March 1.
"That's when I really figured it out," Quinzani said. "I definitely have a lot more confidence this year. I don't just sit back and watch Matt and Zack.... Last year, I was almost in awe of them. Now this year, I've kind of learned to be forgotten-stay on the back side, work around the cage and be open for those guys."
Matt Danowksi and Greer faced tough defensive pressure last season, but Quinzani's improved play has immeasurably relieved that. With opponents unsure who to key in on-as they are almost certainly incapable of successfully guarding all three of Duke's leading scorers at once- the Blue Devils have consistently lit up the scoreboard by taking what the defense has given them.
But it's hardly been simple. Some of Quinzani's goals have come off passes almost no one else would dare try.
"I can be 20 yards from [Danowski and Greer] across three lanes of sticks, and they can still get me the ball," Quinzani said. "It took me a while to figure out how far away and how crappy the look could be, but they can make the passes. Now I have all the confidence that they can make them. I can be in lanes that would be impossible for other people, but we can hook it up."
With a slew of fearsome attackmen initiating Duke's offense from in front of the net, opposing defenses have repeatedly lost track of the 5-foot-8 Quinzani as he deftly sneaks around the crease to get in position. When his teammates dodge toward the goal and command the defense's attention, Quinzani finds a spot near the cage and waits patiently for a quick pass through traffic for an easy score.
"There's no way you can stop those as a defender," Quinzani said. "You really just have to know that I'm going to sneak all the time around the goal. I know that when our guys are making moves, the defenseman has to have one eye on the ball and one eye on me.... So I'm always cutting off the back of helmets."
"Max is really shifty," Greer said. "He is small, but he can handle the ball in tight situations, which is key. We're not scared to throw it in there.... He's good at finding his spots, and everyone's got the confidence to throw him the ball."
With the postseason approaching and dreams of redeeming last year's loss in the national title game very much alive, Duke will undoubtedly rely on its big names: Danowski and Greer. But the Blue Devils' championship chances might just rest on the shoulders of their little guy.
That is, so long as opposing defenses continue having trouble keeping tabs on him.
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