Tar Heels Secure 9-2 Victory Over Delaware In Dominant Fashion
By Caleb Herrera (@calebherrera)
HILLSBOROUGH, NC – Reminiscent of last season’s matchup, the Tar Heels delivered a commanding 9-2 victory over the Fightin’ Blue Hens with multi-goal performances from forwards Will Smith and Zach Mangel.
UNC set the tone right from the start, with defenseman Jack Gleason slipping the puck past goaltender Joe Hooper just 1:50 into the game, netting his first goal of the season.
Gleason on his first goal of the season:
“I felt really good, it wasn’t the most glamorous goal but I was just in the right place at the right time,” Gleason said. “Got a good bounce off the backboards behind the net and got us started pretty good at the first shift.”
Midway through the first, the Tar Heels extended their lead when Will Smith scored his fifth of the season at 12:09 capitalizing on a slick offensive zone entry by Patrick O’Shaugnessy and Kevin Ma. The first period ended on a high for UNC when Kevin Ma scored on a 2-on-1 rush on a feed from Zach Mangel to give the Heels a 3-0 lead.
The second period was relatively quiet offensively with the lone tally coming from Delaware’s Brendan Stamm, assisted by Brian Kramer.
After a scoreless second period, the team erupted in the final frame netting four goals in just four minutes. Adam Zukowski kicked off the scoring frenzy at the 3:30 mark after capitalizing on his own rebound. Zach Mangel followed quickly, scoring twice—first at 4:29 with a shot into an open net and again at 4:51 after a quick setup in the offensive zone. Finally, Patrick O’Shaughnessy capped off the run at 7:09 beating Hooper with a shot high to the blocker side.
Mangel, with linemates Nick DeAngelo and Daniel Kauber were particularly noticeable tonight.
Mangel on building chemistry with his linemates:
“We’re just always looking to buzz, get in there, go hard up the opposing team, get loose pucks and just be first,” Mangel said. “Our line’s motto is just to want it more than the other guys do and you can see that when we’re clicking. When we’ve been working together for a while, it starts to pay off so I’m just happy to see that.”
Delaware forward Austin Vecchio exited the game in the third period after a collision into the boards.
Will Smith scored his second of the night at 15:51 and Brian Kramer scored Delaware’s second goal of the night at 18:01. With just 5.8 seconds remaining, Daniel Kauber scored, putting a bow on a dominant win for the Tar Heels.
Gleason on the team mindset after the second period:
“We did technically lose the second period, they scored and we didn’t score any and I think we kind of got comfortable with that three goal lead and let our foot off the brakes a little bit,” he said. “But, you know it took that period to reset and come back in the third and we were just firing on all cylinders.”
The Tar Heels outshot the Fightin’ Blue Hens 32-12 with a 10 save performance from Lucas Brown. The game’s physicality was evident with UNC also leading in hits, 20-19.
The team will be right back on the ice this evening against Rowan Hockey with puck drop slated for 10:30 p.m.
Mangel on carrying momentum into the next game:
“Just got to stay focused and stay focused,” he said. “Stay dialed in, everyone’s bought in right now and just got to stay that way. Don’t get distracted. Get good sleep. Relax before the game and just come ready to play.”
