NEVILLE TWP, Pa. — Duquesne were back in action this past weekend, albeit one week later than they had originally planned. The Dukes started the second half with a weekend split, falling to Robert Morris on Friday, but beating Rochester on Saturday.
The Dukes’ Jan. 12 game against Niagara was canceled due to severe winter weather. The game was called for the safety of the fans and the team staff who would have been required to travel through bad weather.
“[Head coach] Conrad [Waite] called and told me to tell the other managers not to come out if they were thinking about it. It’s safer that it’s canceled,” said Ariana Williams, social media manager for the Dukes, via text message.
Duquesne thus resumed their 2017-18 season against conference foe Robert Morris on Friday.
The game featured am even match with starting goaltender Alex Taylor between the pipes for the Dukes after missing the first game between these teams this season, which was a 9-6 Robert Morris victory.
After two periods, Robert Morris took a 4-2 lead. But in the third period, the Dukes tied it at four goals a piece and then again at five with seven seconds to go to force overtime.
Robert Morris netted the game-winning goal with just under a minute to play in overtime, taking the 6-5 victory on a night that featured RMU’s NCAA squad winning in overtime as well.
New Duquesne forward Manny Mancha came out flying in his first game, recording an assist. His hustle to the puck and his awareness of the game showed great promise for his future, and the future of the team, even if Friday night’s result didn’t quite go their way.
Duquesne came out on Saturday at Alpha Ice Complex and finished the weekend with a 6-4 win over Rochester.
MAJOR FOCUS: RMU outlasts Duquesne in overtime
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In other CHMA action, Pitt fell to Ohio on Friday night, 5-0, and again on Saturday, 9-1. Slippery Rock nearly overcame a four goal deficit, but ultimately fell to West Virginia, 5-4. IUP defeated St. Bonaventure 8-4 on Thursday, but lost to Oswego 5-2 on Friday. They concluded their busy weekend on Saturday with a victory over Oswego 7-4.
Weekend scores from around the CHMA:
Thursday:
IUP 8, St. Bonaventure 4
Friday:
Duquesne 5, RMU 6 (OT)
Pitt 0, Ohio 5
West Virginia 5, Slippery Rock 4
John Carroll 2, Kent State 9
IUP 2, Oswego 5
Saturday:
Rochester 4, Duquesne 6
Pitt 1, Ohio 9
Kent State 5, John Carroll 3
IUP 7, Oswego 4
Sunday:
Rochester 2, Mercyhurst 5
After the weekend’s games, Pitt remains ahead of the field in the CHMA with 16 points. Robert Morris, by virtue of their win over Duquesne Friday night, has climbed within two points of Pitt. RMU still has four conference games to play, while Pitt has five to play against CHMA opponents. Currently, Duquesne and West Virginia sit on the outside looking in with regard to making the CHMA tournament in February to be held at Mercyhurst Ice Center.
| Team | W | L | OTL | Points |
| Pitt | 8 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
| Robert Morris | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
| John Carroll | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| Slippery Rock | 5 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| IUP | 4 | 7 | 1 | 9 |
| Mercyhurst | 4 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| Duquesne | 3 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| West Virginia | 3 | 5 | 2 | 8 |
Check out the ACHA schedule here for upcoming matchups in the CHMA and other conferences.
