Tar Heels Down Louisville in Raleigh
By:Â Eva Patel
The North Carolina Men’s Ice Hockey team bested Louisville, 5-4, in their second test this weekend at Lane Arena.Â
The Tar Heels have been seeing red all weekend, entering the matchup off a 10-3 loss against the Illinois State Redbirds. The team was able to come through from behind and secure the victory off an explosive second period.
“We really put emphasis on battling and working harder today and really staying in our structure. So I think that kind of led to us getting the puck in their zone a little bit more, finding those opportunities, and when the opportunities come, goals are bound to happen,” senior Daniel Kauber said.
The Cardinals got on the board first with a top-shelf goal under six minutes in. UNC had a few good looks on a pair of power plays but couldn’t convert the advantage.Â
Their effort finally paid off in the final few minutes of the period, when junior Jonah Bortone’s shot found the back of the net. However, Louisville responded on the next play with a goal of its own.Â
The Tar Heels fended off a Louisville power play in the final minute, ultimately ending the first period down 2-1 but outshooting the Cardinals 13-8.
The team came out hungry to get ahead, and they did with consecutive goals by juniors Kash Bishop and Drew Smith. Despite increasing tensions between the teams throughout the period, the Tar Heels executed a successful penalty kill and extended their lead to 4-2 with a goal by Kauber.
Back-and-forth possession saw solid chances but a frozen scoreboard for the first half of the third period. Just past the midway point, both teams upped the score with a goal each.
Although UNC conceded another goal in the final minutes and subsequently found themselves on the penalty kill, the team was able to pull out the 5-4 win.
“There’s always a pressure but then it’s all about: do you trust the guy next to you? And we do,” Bortone said.
The Tar Heels will wrap up the weekend against Northern Illinois at Lane Arena tomorrow at 11:30 a.m.
