The NC State club hockey team won its final home game of the season, defeating the High Point Panthers 14-1 Friday.
After a successful regular season, that momentum carried over to senior night when the Wolfpack (17-2, 11-0 ACCHL) crushed the Panthers (1-8, 0-6 ACCHL) 14-1 in its last home game of the year, clinching its fourth-consecutive ACCHL regular season title in the process.
The Wolfpack dominated from the start, as senior Dan Blue netted the opening goal within the first 25 seconds of play. This early advantage was immediately doubled when sophomore Will Biberdorf scored less than two minutes later.
Despite efforts by the Panthers to restrain the Pack, NC State led 7-1 at the end of the first period. This start was a stark contrast from the last time these two teams faced earlier this season at High Point — a game that saw the Pack trail 3-0 early but ultimately prevail 11-3.
In the second period, the storyline remained largely the same. Biberdorf reached a hat trick, adding two more goals to his individual tally. By the end of the second period of play, the Pack had garnered five more goals and now led by a margin of 12-1.
The Wolfpack score-fest only began to taper off well into the third period, as the High Point Panthers’ goalie made several saves under relentless Wolfpack pressure.
By the time the game clock ran out, the Wolfpack had a convincing 14-1 victory, only one goal behind matching an all-time team record of most goals scored in a game.
The overall team performance, that saw goals from six out of seven seniors, illustrates the overall depth of the team.
“We’re just really deep this year, every line has got players that can make plays,” Biberdorf said. “We’ve got great chemistry this year, and everyone is having fun out there.”
However, it’s more than depth that makes the team as successful as it has been. The team completed a rigorous training schedule, so the players were prepared for anything thrown at them.
“We practice on ice Tuesdays and Thursdays and then move to land Wednesday and Sunday,” Biberdorf said. “We practice at the Raleigh IcePlex, Carmichael Gym, Miller Fields, CrossFit or wherever we can get a workout in.”
The dividends of team depth and hard work are further nourished by the team’s close relationship off the ice.
“We work out off ice and work on legs, power movements and acceleration,” freshman Tyler Alfonzetti said. “It comes with our stamina, strength, speed and agility. But another part is our team chemistry, where we’re all off ice hanging out, getting along and joking around. That helps as well.”
As the regular season draws to a close, the team has its eyes set on preparing for the ACCHL tournament.
“I don’t think anything really changes; we practice and play the same every single game, and it’s worked for us so far. It’s the biggest tournament of the year,” junior Luis Gimenez said. “You lose, you’re out, but that’s not going to change anything. We’re just going to keep playing the same way we’ve been playing all year and take care of business.”
Prior to the ACCHL tournament, the Wolfpack will close out its regular season with an away game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons Friday.
