Ask any hockey player what their dream is, and they’ll all likely tell you the same thing: to skate on NHL ice. On Thursday night at PNC Arena, the players for NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill’s club hockey teams got to live that out, and played a heck of a hockey game in the process. In the aptly named Backyard Brawl, the Wolfpack topped the Heels 3-1 in a nailbiter.
Junior forward and team captain Sam Banasiewicz scored two goals, including the game winner late in the third for the Pack. With 2:28 left in the third and the game tied at one, NC State’s most dynamic player took matters into his own hands. Banasiewicz cut in over the blue line, streaked towards the net, and with a defender draped over him, buried a low shot far side to put the Pack up 2-1.
“It’s just an incredible feeling to be able to play out here on my favorite NHL team’s home ice,” Banasiewicz said. “Being from north Raleigh, getting to play in this atmosphere, with the crowd chanting ‘Wolfpack’ the entire time, it’s an incredible feeling. It’s really cool to see that everybody came out; we don’t get that big of an uproar at Iceplex anytime.”
Senior netminder Calvin Stone put a rock-solid performance in what was his last regular season game against the Pack’s bitter rival, stopping 20 of 21 Heels shots. He had a strong opening period, making several big saves, especially shorthanded as the Pack was forced to kill three penalties.
“I definitely was nervous playing on an NHL rink, and in front of so many people too,” Stone said. “Each time I made a save I just got more and more focused and feeling better about the game. Each save that came was better for me.”
The Heels struck first, as senior forward and team captain AJ Hamel got behind State’s defense and beat Stone for a 1-0 Carolina lead with about seven minutes left in the first.
The Pack was able to generate more offensive pressure in the second, and finally capitalized a little more than halfway through. With NC State on a power play, Banasiewicz powered his way to the net and roofed a shot over sophomore Heels goalie Gabe Harousseau to tie it at one.
The “Backyard Brawl” was a chippy affair, with hits, fights and penalties galore, including a five-minute major to UNC senior forward Nathan Haas for high-sticking. The Pack, however, was definitely the more composed team of the two.
“We talked about this beforehand, we’ve got to be disciplined,” head coach Mike Gazzillo said. “If anyone’s going to come unglued, let it be them. For the most part, they realized that discipline is what it takes to go out and win. Credit to them for doing so.”
The Heels appeared to take the lead shortly after the major penalty expired, but a shot from senior forward Brendan Radatovich rang off the inside of the crossbar and was ruled out by the officials.
The Heels’ crossbar returned the favor later in the third, as NCSU sophomore forward Ryan Kinney rang a shot in tight off the iron on yet another Wolfpack power play.
Junior forward Jack MacDonald added some insurance for the Pack with just under two minutes to play, sniping a shot over Harousseau’s glove on an odd-man rush to make it 3-1 NC State.
As time expired, the large crowd cheered the Pack to its first victory in an NHL rink, a memory the team will never forget.
“The guys were excited,” Gazzillo said. “It was a close game, exactly what I would have wanted. They were resilient, and they played really hard.They stuck to the gameplan and just kept going. They had a lot of excitement in the stands; it was probably the biggest crowd we’ve played in front of. The fans kept them energized, and the guys were just supporting each other..”
This event was about more than just what happened on the ice. A look around the stands revealed many young kids wearing red or blue watching the two rivals do battle on the ice, dreaming of one day doing the same.
“That’s one of the big things we talked about with coach Volkman, Joe and AJ over at UNC,” Banasiewicz said. “This game’s not really as much about a rivalry as it is promoting college hockey in the Triangle area. I think we did a great job of doing that. No matter who won this game, we were out here to prove that we were going to have a good game today, and get as much exposure to everybody out here, the youth, all hockey fans alike.”
