The Icepack suffered a tough loss Friday, Sept. 30 to UNC after sweeping the Tar Heels across four meetings a season ago.

NC State (1-2-0, 0-1-0 ACCHL) got off to a slow start but still managed to score the first two goals. Sophomore forward Philip Bailey set up the first one. Bailey danced his way through the defense giving senior forward Garrett Auriene the opening goal.

The second came from junior forward Drew Bresingham. Bresingham was in the perfect spot to nudge the puck in after sophomore forward Zack Robinson knifed through the defense. After the Icepack went up 2-0, UNC (4-3-1, 1-0-0 ACCHL) answered with its first score at the end of the second period by freshman forward Patrick O’Shaughnessy.

The Tar Heels used this momentum going into the third period to score two goals in the opening minutes of the final period, taking a 3-2 lead. The second goal rebounded off of sophomore goaltender Isaac Tawyer for a go-ahead goal after Tawyer made a spectacular save on the initial shot.

The Icepack answered with a slap shot from freshman forward Thomas McEneny to bring the game back to a tie. This was McEneny’s first goal as a member of the Icepack and it could not have come at a more crucial time.

The good times did not last long, however, as junior forward Leighton Walsh responded on a beautiful solo play to fool Tawyer to bring the Tar Heels up 4-3 with just over five minutes remaining in the game.

This game was in reach for the Icepack but a few missed opportunities at the end of the game sealed the outcome of the matchup. The final nail in the Icepack’s coffin was driven home when senior forward Mischa Subotin scored an empty-net goal with 24 seconds left.

The Icepack have a couple of dates in Kentucky next weekend. First, a midnight showdown against the Kentucky Wildcats on Friday, Oct. 7 with the puck dropping at 12 a.m. Then, NC State will travel about an hour west to take on the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, Oct. 8. Puck drop against the Cardinals is TBD.