Tar Heels falls to South Carolina 4-3 in overtime at 704 Outdoor Faceoff
By Caleb HerreraÂ
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte hasn’t been kind to the Tar Heels. Their last visit for the New Year’s Classic ended in disappointment and Friday’s return offered a chance to change the narrative — but they came up just short.
The University of South Carolina Gamecocks defeated UNC 4-3 after Jake Puskar capitalized on a 2-on-1 rush just 1:21 into 3-on-3 overtime – his second goal of the game. Friday’s game was part of the ‘704 Outdoor Faceoff’, an outdoor college hockey series held at Truist Field featuring six games of collegiate competition, drawing fans from across the region.Â
After a stale, yet physical first period, the Gamecocks opened the scoring late on the power play following a hooking penalty on Will Hilton. Jake Puskar collected a cross-crease feed and finished into a wide-open net behind Lucas Brown.
The Tar Heels evened the score on the man advantage when Will Smith worked the puck free in the corner and set up Will Hilton for a one-timer in the slot. The tied game was short lived after a turnover in UNC’s defensive end found Carson Skove, giving South Carolina a 2-1 lead.Â
At 5:07 into the second period, Gamecocks alternate captain John Riggins exited the game with a lower-body injury after a collision with a UNC player while exiting the zone.Â
Nic Gingras tied it for UNC with 4:31 left in the second but South Carolina answered a minute later. After another failed clear attempt, Owen Newnam converted on the turnover to give the Gamecocks a 3-2 lead going into the third period.Â
Neither team converted on its two power plays, but UNC broke through at 5:28. Sophomore Issa Mansour buried a one-timer through traffic off a setup from Matt Grady, as the Tar Heels tried to match South Carolina’s rising physicality. The 3-3 tie extended into overtime – where UNC’s hopes of rewriting their Charlotte story slipped away once again.Â
The Tar Heels will have an opportunity for redemption, as they’ll face the Gamecocks again on Saturday at Plex Indoor Sports & Ice in Irmo, South Carolina.
