Hockey rebounds with win over Duke

The ECU Ice Hockey team bounced back from a thrashing from the sticks of ACHA Division II powerhouse Kennesaw State by dismantling Duke on Friday night.

The Pirates (6-4, 3-0) controlled the puck from the start and withstood a brief third period rally to win 5-1 and earn a season sweep over the Blue Devils.

ECU coach Mike Markham said his team's performance against the Blue Devils was one of the best of the young season.

"We went after them for the entire game," he said. "It was the first game where we have played three solid periods. They kept their mission statement, which is to play aggressive hockey."

The Pirates dominated the first two periods of play before Duke finally found the net early in the third to make it 3-1.

ECU answered when winger Sean Burns skated around the net to find Brandon Lipke cutting across the ice to lineup for a shot. Lipke's score gave the Pirates a 4-1 advantage with 13:04 left to play.

Lipke added another goal six minutes later, completing an impressive night for the freshman defenseman.

"Overall, we played really well," said Lipke. "Obviously, penalties are a problem. We can't take as many penalties as we are because we can't play shorthanded so much. We had a good effort. We came out to win."

Lipke, a former captain of his Watchung Hills High School team in Warren, N.J., is providing a physical presence for a defense that continues to recover from the loss of four seniors last season.

The Pirate defense managed to kill off every Duke power play except one, which was scored on a 5-on-3 advantage.

"For a freshman, Brandon is really smart," Markham said. "He has a good sense of the ice. He's got good upper body strength and when he puts it all together, he is a dominating force."

A highlight reel goal from Sam Duehring put ECU up by three, midway through the second period. The sophomore negated Duke's advantage when he gained possession at mid-ice and dangled his way through a host of Blue Devil defenders before calmly finishing the shorthanded goal.

"I didn't know we were shorthanded at the time," Duehring said of the play. "But then coach said hold onto it and get around as many guys as you can. I just got lucky. The goalie cheated to his left side and I put it by his glove."

Burns got the puck rolling in the first period for the Pirates, when he finished off a backhanded assist from Zach Moore to make it 1-0.

Freshman forward Chris Brennan added a goal in the latter stages of the period off assists from Dave Orlando and Donovan Dean.

Markham was pleased to get a better result after a disappointing effort in ECU's 4-2 victory over the Blue Devils in October.

The win pushes the Pirates record against DII opponents to 3-2 on the season, with the two losses coming against KSU last weekend.

ECU ran into a buzz saw when it faced the No. 7 ranked Owls, who took the first game, 5-1, and followed with an 11-0 victory.

The Pirates held their own in the first match and leveled in the first period on a Burns score. KSU responded with two more first period goals and two more in the second to end any hopes of a comeback.

"We had a rough weekend," said Burns. "They're a very strong program and pretty much exactly where we want to be, come the end of the season. We learned a lot from last weekend."

Markham is hoping the lessons learned against the Owls will pay dividends against a similar caliber DII opponent in No. 11 ranked Virginia Tech, which ECU plays on Friday. The Hokies have not lost since their opening game against Liberty and are currently 9-1.

"You have to play the higher level games," Markham said. "You have to learn from your mistakes. The Kennesaw State game helped this team immensely."

The Pirates will host Virginia Tech this Friday at 9:30 p.m. before facing Colonial Division rival Richmond on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

This writer can be contacted at sports@theeastcarolinian.com.