The No. 1 NC State Icepack walloped the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks 8-2 on Friday, Jan. 28 in the Wake Competition Center. The Icepack’s fifth consecutive victory has it heating up at the right time just a couple of weeks away from the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League playoffs.
The ceremonial puck drop by Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour began the excitement before the game itself got underway. The occasion exemplified the growth hockey in the Triangle has experienced since Brind’Amour was a player.
“So many Canes alumni come back and stay in the area,” said head coach Tim Healy. “They give back and help grow the game in the area, and certainly coach Brind’Amour, he’s at the top of that chart. He could be anywhere he wants to be in the world this year, but he wants to be here coaching the Hurricanes.”
In the game itself, the Seahawks (7-7, 4-2 ACCHL) outshot the Icepack (20-1-1, 6-0-1 ACCHL) 30-27 on the night, making the final scoreline all the more impressive. Compared to scoring nearly once every three shots as NC State did, a measly pair of goals on three more shots speaks to the defensive effort on the part of the Icepack.
A big reason why the Icepack was able to endure UNCW’s onslaught was goaltender Griffin Hunt who stood tall in NC State’s net throughout the night. Hunt relinquished the first Seahawks goal late in the second period but rediscovered his form just minutes later, serving the crucial stopgap in an extended scramble in front of his own net to prevent UNCW from building momentum heading into the second intermission. Hunt couldn’t be blamed for the second Seahawks goal, as a pass into the slot skipped over the stick of the Icepack defenseman and left Hunt up a creek with a paddle as UNCW took advantage of the scoring opportunity.
“I’m really happy for Griffin,” Healy said. “Griffin is a huge locker room guy in his mentoring of [goaltender] Isaac Tawyer coming in this year as a freshman. We were all excited to have Griffin come in and play so well tonight.”
On the other end of the ice, NC State had trouble getting its offense going despite two early power plays. However, the third time was the charm for the Icepack PP as forward Parker Szarek finally broke the seal on the Seahawks net to open the scoring.
“It was good to open it up,” said defenseman/forward Chris Solomon. “We were gripping our sticks a little too hard in the beginning, trying to be a little too perfect. So it really helped loosen us up.”
From there, the floodgates opened for the Icepack, as it scored three more goals before UNCW could find its way onto the scoreboard. Forward Garrett Auriene doubled NC State’s lead just 1:31 later, and second-period goals by forwards Matt Miller and Eric Todd extended the Icepack’s advantage to 4-0.
The Icepack put a lid on the game in the final period, scoring three goals in the first seven minutes of the third period. A short-handed goal by Auriene with a little under five minutes to go rounded out the scoresheet.
“We just got to get into flow and get rolling,” Healy said. “Obviously, the ACCHL playoffs are a huge deal for us. We just can’t take any opponent lightly.”
The Icepack will face a few more tests prior to the postseason, the first coming on Friday, Feb. 4 at home against the East Carolina Pirates. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.
