Despite a very spirited effort through three full periods of play, the Duchesne Ice Hockey team fell short in their pre-season opener versus Fort Zumwalt West.  The first period of play saw Duchesne coming out ready to play against one of their strongest rivals.  The first period saw both teams going back and forth down the ice, but not able to score.  It wasn't until late in the first period that FZ West put up their first goal of the game to go up 1-0.

The second and final goal put up by FZ West came in the second period, and from that point on Duchesne's defense and goaltending shut down the Jaguars the rest of the way.  However, it was the play of West's goalie that really shut down the Pioneers.  Despite some amazing shots and some great opportunities, Duchesne's offense could not get a goal past their senior goalie all night making the final score 0-2 in favor of the Jaguar's.

Despite being down 2-0 for more than half of the game, the offense and defense of Duchesne never let up and battled until the clock showed 0:00.  They also did not give up a goal during any of the Jaguar's power play opportunities.  The defensive effort was remarkable given that two of Duchesne's senior defensemen, Lucas Daleo and Auggie Lee, were not able to play in the game.  Several players stepped up to fill their shoes.

Next up for Duchesne Ice Hockey is Timberland High School.  That game will be played at 7:10pm on Thursday Night, Oct. 5 at Wentzville Ice Arena.  This will be Game 2 of 4 of the 3rd Annual St. Chuck Cup Pre-Season Tournament and it should be a good matchup.  If you get a chance to come and see the game, please do so.