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FILE/TECHNICIAN
Garrett Sunda, a 6'1" junior from Winston Salem outskates the UNC hockey team for a 6-2 win at the Raleigh Iceplex Nov. 7, 2014.
The NC State club hockey team heads confidently into the ACC tournament as the No. 1 seed for the third consecutive year, cementing its place as one of the most popular and successful J.V. sports on campus.
After facing disappointment the past two seasons, the Wolfpack (14-7-2, ACC 8-1-0) travels to Annapolis, Maryland, to take on the Naval Academy (9-7-2, ACC 2-5-2) this weekend in the first round and hopes to finally make a run that ends with that elusive tournament championship.
“It’s definitely a win-it-all [situation],” junior forward Garrett Sunda said. “The last two years we’ve lost in the championship round – and both times to Georgetown.”
The Wolfpack has dominated the competition this season, posting high-scoring wins against Elon and Duke and grinding out a shorthanded 2-2 tie against UNC-Chapel Hill Saturday, with many players missing due to injury or illness.
“It’s the first time in four years they’ve come that close to beating us,” senior defenseman Sean Blye said. “I think when we have a full bench it should be an easy game.”
The test the Tar Heels provided should help NC State as it takes on tough competition in the tournament, albeit with a full team this time around.
“I think we proved Saturday that we were able to overcome [injuries], but it would be really nice to have a couple more of those guys back,” Sunda said.
Depth has been a valuable asset to the Wolfpack, especially in the event of injuries and illnesses that come along with a strenuous schedule. While other teams may struggle, State’s deep bench gives it the opportunity to win every game.
“We’ve had a lot of depth in our team,” Blye said. “Some teams get two or three lines of good guys, where we can roll four or five lines at a time. Nobody gets tired, and [we] keep working hard.”
NC State has worked tirelessly in preparation for the ACC tournament, focusing on high-pressure drills to improve strength and stamina.
“Full-ice drills with pressure,” Blye said. “We’ve worked a lot of conditioning this semester, so we’re in shape enough to run two lines [if necessary].”
Even with a balanced roster, new faces have emerged as promising scoring options. A young freshman who has caught the eyes of his senior teammate is Sam Banasiewicz.
“Overall, everyone is doing pretty well,” Blye said. “[Banasiewicz], our rookie, is actually leading the team in points this year.”
Banasiewicz has averaged a goal each game during the regular season, scoring 17 goals and adding 12 assists over 17 games, but he isn’t the only newcomer to make an impact for the Wolfpack.
“We had another decent rookie class, filling up spots that were really needed,” Sunda said.
In addition to the talented group of freshmen, the Pack also gained the expertise of a defensive coach.
“It’s been a lot of help having a defensive coach down on our side of the bench because previously we ran ourselves,” Blye said. “He can look at what we’re doing and say ‘This is what you’re doing wrong; this is what we should be doing.’”
The team hopes these two factors help win the ACC tournament title that has evaded the Wolfpack for the past two seasons.
NC State also has a former Carolina Hurricane, Bates Battaglia, as a part-time assistant coach. Battaglia brings more than 10 years of NHL knowledge with him to the college level.
NC State will battle the Navy in the first round of the ACC tournament Friday at 7 p.m.