Tar Heels Stumble In 4-2 Defeat Against South Carolina

By Caleb Herrera (@calebherrera_)

HILLSBOROUGH, NC – Despite a strong performance from Lucas Brown, the Tar Heels fell to South Carolina’s Cock Hockey 4-2 on Saturday evening, marking their first loss of the season in the opening game of a back-to-back series.

UNC took the lead early in the first period with forward Daniel Hu (#91) registering his second goal of the season at the 3:03 mark. The Tar Heels did a good job at stifling South Carolina’s offense by intercepting pucks and preventing any sustained pressure in their defensive zone.

However, a challenging second period proved costly for the team.

While the Heels were on a 5-on-3 power play, a turnover at the blue line led to a breakaway for South Carolina’s Carson Skove (#18) who beat Lucas Brown shorthanded at the 12:30 mark to tie the game 1-1. The Cocks registered another power play goal four minutes later with winger Marco Pineda (#9) to extend their lead by two.

The Tar Heels aimed to rally in the third period but struggled to contain South Carolina’s swift puck movement and relentless offensive pressure. The Cocks took a 3-1 lead with 16:30 remaining in the third period with center John Riggins (#25) finding the back of the net after having his previous goal called back.

Despite the loss, the Heels didn’t go down quietly.

UNC’s Will Smith gave the team a spark, netting his second goal of the season on a power play. Despite their defensive struggles the Tar Heels pressed on but South Carolina sealed a 4-2 victory after Lucas Brown was pulled with 1:26 left for an extra attacker.

Brown had a solid game in net recording 32 saves on 35 shots. UNC managed 25 shots to South Carolina’s 35.

The Tar Heels will look to bounce back against South Carolina in tomorrow’s 5:45 p.m. game to even the series. The team will need to make adjustments through reducing turnovers and defensive lapses while cleaning up their special teams to become more effective on the power play.