The seventh annual Governor’s Cup between the NC State Icepack and UNC-Chapel Hill Tar Heels lit up PNC Arena in a Monday night showdown on Nov. 20. Carolina ultimately got the best of the Icepack, notching a 5-3 victory.
After the “Frozen Finley” game took place at Carter-Finley Stadium last year — drawing 24,000 fans from all across the state — hockey’s popularity has grown exponentially in the Triangle. The Icepack (9-10) has been the dominant team between the two rivals, winning five of the last six matchups before this year’s meeting. UNC (12-5-1) came into PNC with revenge on its mind, defeating the Pack 5-3 and claiming the cup.
After the ceremonial puck drop from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, the first period started off hot for the Wolfpack. NC State won the opening faceoff, and sophomore forward Zach Herman took the first shot of the game on the Tar Heels’ netminder. With the momentum on its side, the Wolfpack was able to obtain an early powerplay, but the red-and-white couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity.
Carolina also got a power play opportunity in the first frame, but sophomore goaltender Addison Lawrence came up huge for the Pack and made a diving save with his glove hand to block a Tar Heel power play goal.
“Particularly on the penalty kill, when [Carolina was] on the power play, he really held us in there,” said head coach Tim Healy. “You know, he’s such a competitor in the pocket during puck play. He certainly gave us every opportunity to win the game.”
Chapel Hill was able to get on the board first, bringing the score to 1-0. Forward Thomas Gilligan slipped past the NC State defense to put the Tar Heels up with seven minutes left. Four minutes later, the Icepack struck back to put the red-and-white on the board and tie the game 1-1. Junior forward Joey Gouveia slipped past the Carolina defense to score his second goal of the season and close out the first period.
The score wasn’t tied for long, though. The Tar Heels started off strong right out of the first intermission, scoring less than 20 seconds into the second period and bringing the score up to 2-1. Carolina’s momentum didn’t stop there, with a second power play of the night falling in its favor. Lawrence stepped up big during those two minutes, making multiple clutch saves to keep his team in the game.
While Lawrence worked hard, the Tar Heels secured a third power play of the night on a hooking call. This five-man advantage allowed Carolina to score once more, bringing the score to 3-1. But just 40 seconds later, the red-and-white scored to bring it back to a one-goal game. Junior defenseman Nick Librizzi scored for the Icepack — his first of the season.
The second period was highlighted by good shots and defensive hustle from the Icepack bench. When the Tar Heels gained another power play — their fourth of the night — the red-and-white kept the puck moving throughout the zones.
NC State let things slip a little more in the third period. Despite starting the 20 minutes with back-to-back power plays, the red-and-white still could not capitalize on the man advantage. On the other hand, Carolina got another power play and the Icepack’s defense once again made good stops and blocks against the Tar Heels’ offense.
“[The defensemen] know what to do,” Lawrence said. “I don’t have to tell them anything unless there’s a guy wide open in the backdoor … but they know what to do. They’re good at that. They do their job well.”
With only two minutes left in the game, NC State scored to tie it up at 3-3. Freshman forward Nicholas Shook was the benefactor, tallying his 15th goal on the season. But the tie didn’t last long — 30 seconds later, the Tar Heels were once again up 4-3 due to a breakaway goal. The final nail in the coffin was an empty-net goal from Carolina, bringing the final score to 5-3.
“One of the things I said in the locker room after the game is, ‘We’re not a championship team yet,’ and heavy on the ‘yet,’” Healy said. “We have a lot of work to do. Fortunately, we’re still in a decent position in terms of rankings and postseason to make a run. So the question is, you know, ‘What do you want to change to get better?’”
The Icepack will start the next half of its season during the new year, with the first game slated for Friday, Jan. 5 against Rowan University at Invisalign Area.
