Four months after Stephen Russell, a goalkeeper for the Pack club ice hockey team, died in an accident at Jordan Lake July 4, his teammates have started moving on. The club has amassed a 4-3 fall record. Russell’s spot on the roster has been filled.
But his presence will be felt on the bench and behind it, where a banner displaying his name and number was put on display Saturday night before the team took on ACCHL rival Carolina in its home building, the RecZone, located off Wake Forest Road.
Ben Dombrowski, a senior in mechanical engineering, was a teammate and good friend of Russell’s. He said the banner will serve as a reminder of someone who gave it all he had for his team each night.
“It makes you want to play harder, seeing [the banner], knowing that you still have the opportunity to play,” Dombrowski said.
Russell’s family was on hand to witness the ceremony, during which lights were dimmed while Russell’s No. 20 jersey was hung from the goal he used to protect.
Dombrowski said the showing at the rink, which was filled almost to capacity, was a welcomed sight.
“It was really a good ceremony and it showed how everyone really loved and cared about him,” Dombrowski said. “A big crowd came out to support us, which we appreciated.”
Brady Buckley, Russell’s stepfather, was on hand with Russell’s mother to celebrate and remember with their son’s former teammates. Buckley said former Pack players flew in from Chicago, Boston and Texas for the game.
“[The ceremony] meant everything,” Buckley said. “Stephen played hockey with passion, and these boys out there on the ice mean everything to us. What’s neat for us is the school, the players and the coaches are behind us and they really care.”
Freshman Matt Valesko started the scoring for State at 9:15 in the first period. Sophomore Kriss Lans, who leads the team in scoring with 15 points, added another tally to bring it to 2-0. UNC drew within one close to the end of the period, but Dombrowski restored the two-goal lead with a booming slapshot 27 seconds later.
Neither team earned any ground in the second period. Each scored once and filled in the rest of the time with small scrums. Early in the third, tempers flared when a Pack player was pushed into UNC goaltender Lyle Baumgarten, who took offense and started throwing fists.
Baumgarten stoned the Pack on several chances in the third period, but junior Jonathan Hires and senior Phil Mason put the game away with a goal apiece. Dombrowski said the Pack was happy to get a win in honor of Russell.
“I think we could have played a little better, but we were happy we got the win,” Dombrowski said.
Senior Wil White, who split net duties with Russell for two years, got his second win in his past two starts after stopping 29 of 31 shots.
State will be on the road for much of the rest of the semester. The tournament the team hosts every winter, formerly known as the Canes Cup, was renamed the Stephen Russell Memorial Tournament and will take place Jan. 15-17 at the RecZone. Dombrowski said the timing of the road swing is ideal.
“We’re all starting to come together,” Dombrowski said. “We’re rallying together and doing better now.”
