If there was a better way to close out the Carolina Hurricanes Stadium Series Weekend, I honestly do not want to know about it.
The Icepack of North Carolina State University and Tar Heels of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill squared off Monday in a one-of-a-kind Frozen Finley game. As if the NC State-UNC rivalry needed any help, over 25,000 hockey fans made their way into Carter-Finley for a game that could only amp up the feud by about 10 notches.
One of the more interesting aspects of the Frozen Finley game is 38-year-old UNC Goalie Joel Hughes. Hughes is a junior at Chapel Hill majoring in Exercise Science. Coming into Monday’s game, the Angier, NC native was boasting a 3.71 GAA, .886 SV%, and a Green Beret.
You read that correctly. Hughes is a retired Special Forces Weapons Sargent with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He also qualified as a Army Scout Sniper, so all those hockey metaphors we media creators like to use about snipe shots, and lasers just do not bother him.
The rivalry, and the hype around the Frozen Finley was not let down by the game, at least at first.
18 seconds into the first period Dan O’Hear put the Heels up 1-0 on a close in slapper. From that point on, it was all NC State in the first. A quick face off later Zach Herman lit the lamp for the Ice Pack. Logan Todd knocked one home making it 2-1 with 11:59 left. Philip Bailey’s goal pushed it to 3-1 before the first intermission’s horn.
Absolutely filthy Zach Herman🥶 pic.twitter.com/vt9s9Z0sHA
— NC State Icepack (@NCStateHockey) February 21, 2023
While UNC kept things close with Hughes in the net during the second, their offense was not producing like the Ice Pack’s.
Zach Herman would send the puck to it’s home with 7:03 left in the second to make it 4-1, but Carolina attempted to work their way back. Dan O’Hear would tally his second of the night to put UNC within reach in third.
And then, for the third time on the night, Zach Herman would make it 7-2 and shut the door on the Heels after goals from Matt Miller and Drew Bresingham.
Growing up in Tennessee, and going to college with diehard Duke fans, I was only ever aware of UNC/Duke when it came to North Carolina college sports. After last night’s Frozen Finley game, as an uninitiated, I can say the antagonism I felt between these two fan bases is rabid.
The Carolina fans were few, but they were loud. NC State had the bulk of the fans, and you could tell. I’ve heard loud college stadiums, but even a quarter to a half full, that was one of the louder ones.
And all for a club hockey game.
To say I am impressed would be an understatement. Am I ditching my Vols? No, but count me impressed.