Icepack’s 2025-26 in Review

RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State came into the 2025-26 season as a newly minted Division 1 team and welcomed 15 new players to the lineup, heading into the new season with fresh faces and a new challenge. 

The newcomers brought experience from a variety of leagues – including NCAA Division I, the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), Eastern Hockey League (EHL), North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL), United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL), New England Prep (NEPSAC), and Mass Division 1. 

Head coach Timothy Healy intended to build depth across the lineup, and a new class of players with diverse backgrounds and skills enabled that. 

NC State reached several milestones during the fall semester. The coaching staff of Healy, Eric Mura, Alex Rossetto, and Jess Tart earned its 100th win with a victory over Maryland. 

Captain Zach Herman played his 100th career game against Georgia and scored the game-winning goal. He later moved into second place on the program’s all-time point list against Virginia Tech. 

Senior goaltender Isaac Tawyer became the program’s all-time leader in saves and wins. Reece Johnson was named ACCHL player of the week in September following his strong start to the season against Liberty University and the University of Kentucky. 

Sept. 5: University of Georgia

NC State opened the season with a 2-1 overtime win against Georgia. Amir “Aura” Khan dropped the puck, and Mr. and Ms. Wuf made an appearance for the home crowd. 

All three of the Icepack goaltenders played a period in the net, facing a combined 33 shots. Jake Gifford scored for the Icepack in the first period, but the game went to overtime after a second-period goal by the Dawgs and a lack of scoring in the third. Herman scored the game-winning goal, with an assist from goaltender Pieter Bartelse, in his 100th game as part of the program. 

Sept. 12-13: Liberty University 

The Icepack faced its first Division I opponent in a home-and-home series against Liberty, then ranked No. 4 in the ACHA preseason poll. Junior Austin Finch got to square up against his brother Ryan, who plays for the Flames, in the weekend’s home-and-home series. 

Friday night at home, NC State fell 4-2 to Liberty, with goals from alternate captain Nick Librizzi and Johnson. Saturday, the Icepack traveled to Lynchburg, Va., to face Liberty at their home rink and delivered a strong performance against the top-ranked team. The game was scoreless through regulation, thanks to strong defensive play and goaltender Ethan Roberts' 45 saves. The Flames scored in overtime, ending the game 1-0. 

Sept. 19-20: Kentucky 

The following weekend, NC State returned to Invisalign Arena for a two-game series against the University of Kentucky, its first in-conference opponent. The first game of the series ended in a 4-3 shootout win, with Librizzi scoring first before Kentucky answered, and Gifford scoring the game-winner in a sudden-death period. This was one of the Icepack’s chippiest games, with the overtime period featuring three Kentucky players and two Icepack players being removed from the game. 

The second game of the series had an 11:15 puck drop and was marketed as Icepack After Dark, with the players walking in with Red Bull. The game featured a significant late-game momentum swing, resulting in a 3-1 win and a series sweep. The Icepack entered the third period scoreless before dropping three unanswered goals to win. Kyler Sun delivered three crucial blocks, and Michael Ranaldi and Jack Ammons both scored their first career goals for the Icepack, in addition to NC State scoring its first 5-on-5 goal of the season. 

Sept. 26: University of Maryland 

The 4-1 win over the University of Maryland was the current Icepack coaching staff’s 100th win. The Icepack scored on both of its power play opportunities, the first by Gifford and the last goal of the night by alternate Joey Gouveia. Daniel Prazma scored both of the middle two goals. Coming out of this win, Coach Healy praised the depth of the team, saying “the ability to bring in fresh legs [is good] and that makes a world of difference.”

Sept. 27: Virginia Tech 

Following the win against Maryland, the Icepack traveled to Vinton, Va., to play against Virginia Tech, taking home a 5-1 win. Freshman Aidan Raedy scored his first goal for the Icepack on a power-play off of assists from Librizzi and Herman. Prazma recorded a hat trick, and Herman finished the game with four points, pushing him into the second all-time points scoring list for the Icepack. NC State went 3-for-3 on power play conversions and Tait Sawden’s defensive blocking was crucial in limiting the Hokies chances to score. 

Oct. 4-5: University of Delaware 

NC State’s first overnight road trip of the season was to Newark, Del., where they split a two-game series with the University of Delaware. Opening night, the Icepack beat the Blue Hens 4-2, with Holden Koufman netting his first goal of the season and Mason Payne recording his first Icepack goal. NC State killed all six of Delaware’s power plays, and Ammons sealed the game with an empty net goal. 

On Saturday night, the Icepack lost to Delaware, 5-1. Prazma was the only goal of the night, with both Roberts and Bartelse spending time in the net. 

Oct. 17-18: West Virginia University 

Following a weekend off, the Icepack headed up to Morgantown, W.Va., and added two more wins to their season tally. The first game of the weekend went to overtime, the Icepack winning 4-3. Former Icepack creative director Harrison Eaton gave the line read heading into the matchup. Freshman Gian Khani scored NC State’s first goal of the night – his first Icepack career goal – with Herman and Johnson adding the other two regulation goals and Ammons scoring the game-winner on a breakaway 27 seconds into the overtime period.

In an afternoon game before returning to N.C., the Icepack beat the Mountaineers 5-4 to sweep the series. NC State built its lead early, reaching 4-1 at one point. Cam Smith and Ian Buckley both scored their first goals for the Icepack; Prazma had two goals and an assist, and Gifford added a goal and an assist. 

Oct. 24-25: North Carolina 

NC State and UNC met for the first two of four scheduled matchups this season with a home-and-home split. The opening matchup at Invisalign Arena set the tone early, starting with former Icepack captain Garret Auriene giving the line read. 

The Icepack took the lead early off an Ammons goal in what was a scrappy and fast-paced game. Erik Dahlin scored the second goal to extend the lead, while Keegan Gilmore worked on defense to limit UNC’s offense with a series of blocks. The combined effort led to a 4-1 victory, leaving Coach Healy praising the atmosphere at Invisalign and the fans for showing up. 

“Tonight was really the kind of fulfillment of a vision that a lot of us have been working on for a long time,” Healy said. “That was a red house tonight. That was 90% red. NC State fans always show out. You know, tonight like this, that really makes you proud to be a part of it.”

Saturday’s matchup took place at First Horizon Coliseum, where the Greensboro Gargoyles play. UNC had momentum early on, taking a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. The Icepack tallied two goals before the end of the game, both on the power play, but the Tar Heels pulled ahead in the final few minutes to win 3-2. 

Nov. 6-7 & Nov. 14: University of Alabama 

The Icepack played the University of Alabama four times over two weekends: the first in Pelham, Ala., and the second in N.C. On Thursday, NC State beat Alabama 3-2 with freshman Ben Paterson scoring first for the Icepack in his first career Icepack goal. Koufman and Finch added goals to bring the total to three Icepack goals within five minutes. 

On Friday, NC State defeated Alabama in a dominant 7-4 victory. The game was faster and featured more penalties than Thursday’s matchup, giving both teams multiple power-play opportunities. The Icepack went 0-for-3 on power play conversions, but three of the Frozen Tide goals came when they had a man advantage, and the fourth off of a penalty shot. 

The series marked a dominant showing for NC State, with 13 players recording points over the two games. Johnson, Finch and Koufman each scored twice, while four other players registered at least two points in the series. 

The following weekend, NC State hosted Salute to Service night at Invisalign Arena, clinching a 4-3 victory when Librizzi found the net just 58 seconds into overtime. Military veteran and former Icepack player Ellis Rushford conducted the ceremonial puck drop. Prazma acknowledged the struggle of facing a team four times in a row, saying “mistakes are bound to happen” and that “it’s bound to get chippy,” but that sticking with their game helped them win. 

Nov. 15: 704 Outdoor Faceoff 

The Icepack and Frozen Tide finished out their series at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C., as part of the 704 Outdoor Faceoff. Champ the Retriever was available to perform the ceremonial puck drop on the outdoor rink. The warm temperatures left the ice soft and slippery, causing players to lose their footing and kick up water. The teams were even going into the final period, but an Alabama goal resulted in pulling Tawyer from the net and the Frozen Tide was able to score an empty netter, ending the game 4-2. 

Nov. 21: George Mason 

NC State’s matchup against George Mason was on Check Your Acorns/Raleigh Testicular Cancer Foundation Night at Invisalign Arena, where they lost 3-1. Ammons returned to the lineup and scored the Icepack’s only goal of the night, despite some quality shot opportunities.
 
Nov. 23: Governor’s Cup 

The Icepack dominated the annual Governor’s Cup matchup from start to finish, scoring seven goals, and goaltender Roberts recorded his first shutout of the season. Governor Josh Stein was in attendance to perform the ceremonial puck drop, as well as Mr. and Ms. Wuf. This was the third meeting of the rivals this season, and the win at the Governor’s Cup brings the GovCup series to 7-2 in the history of this meetup. 

Six different players scored in the matchup: Koufman, Gouveia, Payne, Ammons, Librizzi and Andrew Throndson. Six additional players assisted those goals; a true team effort to keep the Cup in Raleigh. 

The last official game of 2025, NC State closed the fall semester with a 13-5-1 record. 

Dec. 8: Canes Alum

The Icepack had the opportunity to play against members of the 2005-06 Carolina Hurricanes, Stanley Cup champions, in an exhibition game. In their second straight game at the Lenovo Center, and as part of the 20th Anniversary Championship Presentation, all members of the Icepack were on the ice. 

Tawyer, Bartelse and Roberts switched off in goal. Vinnie Pasquarosa had an assist on a Prazma goal, his first point of the Icepack’s season (although, because of its exhibition status, no official record). 

NC State fell to the Canes Alumni 6-3, but the game was fun, with no focus on winning. Icepack players grew up fans of the Hurricanes, and alumni who participated in the game, and it was an incredible opportunity to be on the ice at the same time. 

​WELCOMING JACK RAY

Freshman and spring-connect student Jack Ray was able to start playing in NC State’s games at the start of the semester, beginning the second-half of the season in North Dakota. Ray is a “smart, smooth-skating defenseman,” according to Coach Healy, and played with the Junior Canes and Dallas Stars Elite in his youth hockey career. 

He was excited to contribute to the game and play with his teammates in an official capacity. “It felt good, friendly, to play an actual game instead of practicing,” Ray said. “The adrenaline kind of took over. It was fun playing with a lot of the guys.”

Ray has been part of the team and practicing with the Icepack since August, so he already has a good grasp of how he fits into the lineup and which defensive partners work with his style of play. 

“I kind of flip between Jake Lipani and Tait Sawden. So I’m kind of the flex player, but both guys are compatible with my style.”

While he has been practicing since the beginning of the season, Ray says that his mentality has changed. “Before, it was more about helping the guys get prepared for the weekend,” he said. “Now, I’m in the situation of playing. So my mentality has changed on how I prepare for the weekend and how I attack the weekend.” 

Ray expressed his excitement for the remaining 12 regular-season games in the second half. “Looking forward to getting into that competitive tail end of the season,” he said. “Being with the guys, and using this as an escape from school in the next few months.”

Ray found his footing quickly in North Dakota, playing in all three games of the Icepack’s road trip against two top-ten-ranked opponents, the University of Mary and the University of Jamestown. He scored his first goal for the Icepack against the U.S. Naval Academy at Fort Bragg, home ice for Ray. 

THE FINAL STRETCH

Jan. 3-4: University of Mary

NC State opened its second semester with a road trip to North Dakota. There, the Icepack played two games against the University of Mary, ranked No. 10 in ACHA Division I. Despite an early lead in the first game, the Marauders scored three goals in the third period to secure the Icepack’s 4-1 loss. Roberts made 46 saves on the night. 

The next afternoon, the Icepack played a matinee rematch against the Marauders, losing 6-3. The University of Mary built an early lead with four goals in the first period, before Ammons broke NC State’s scoreless streak. Finch and Johnson also added goals, but the Marauders were able to complete a hat trick and close the door on any further comeback hopes. The physical matchup featured 25 combined penalty minutes and Tawyer made 48 saves in net. 

Jan. 5: University of Jamestown

After the duo of games in Bismarck, N.D., the Icepack travelled to Jamestown, N.D., for their final game of the road trip. Gouveia opened the scoring against the No. 6-ranked Jamestown, but the Jimmies scored seven unanswered goals. Ammons scored a short-handed goal to finish the game at 7-2. Roberts stopped 40 shots in the game to bring his total shots faced across the weekend to 97. 

Jan. 9: Temple

NC State returned to Raleigh and opened its second-semester home stretch with a 3-1 win over Temple. Prazma wove through the Owls’ defense to score the game’s first goal for his 13th of the season, assisted by Raedy. Koufman intercepted a pass with seconds remaining in the third to score on Temple’s empty net and finish the game 3-1. 

Jan. 10: West Chester

After Friday night’s win over Temple, the Icepack dropped a match to West Chester 8-4, to go 1-1 on the first weekend back on home ice. The Rams jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but Finch and Prazma both scored to send the game into the first intermission tied. 

NC State took its first lead of the game in the second period when Brandon Raleigh scored his first goal of the season (although he scored on former Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward in an unofficial capacity during the Canes Alum game in December). The Rams had three consecutive goals in the second to recapture the lead, and had another three in the third period. 

Jan. 16-17: U.S. Naval Academy

The Icepack played a home series against the U.S. Naval Academy, with the second game of the series taking place at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C. NC State gave a dominant 5-0 performance to beat Navy on Friday night, with Bartelse recording his first Icepack career shutout. Gifford, Gouevia and Prazma scored in the first and Khani and Johnson both scored power-play goals in the third to finish 5-0. 

On Saturday, NC State traveled to Fort Bragg to play at Cleland Ice Rink, familiar territory for both Nick Shook and Ray. Ray scored his first goal of the season, and of the game, in the concluding seconds of the first period off Herman and Ammons. The Midshipmen scored thrice in the second and completed a hat trick in the third to beat the Icepack 6-2. 

Jan. 23-24: University of Oregon

Oregon traveled to North Carolina, and due to inclement weather canceling their other matchups, the Icepack played the Ducks twice instead of the originally scheduled once. 

Friday night was the Icepack’s annual Pink the Rink, and NC State won 7-4 in what head coach Tim Healy called their “best 60-minute game of the year”. The faceoff combined a couple of controversial calls, heavy usage of the special teams, and the pink jerseys to put forth a high-energy game for the home crowd. 

After the first period, the Icepack was up 2-0, and Jake Lipani added his first goal of the season to contribute to NC State’s 4-1 lead heading into the second intermission. Patrick Maxwell also recorded his first point of the season, assisting on Raleigh’s goal to end the game. Bartelse extended his win streak to seven games, dropping none throughout the season. 

In Saturday’s last-minute matinee game, the Icepack mounted a late offensive effort to come from behind and beat the Ducks 4-2. NC State was down 2-0 after the first period, but an unanswered four goals allowed them to secure the win. 

Feb. 13-14: University of Louisville

Following an unexpected two-week break due to Delaware's cancellation and a power outage at Invisalign Arena, NC State took its last regular-season road trip to Louisville, Ky., to play the Cardinals. In two late-night games, the Icepack split the series, losing the first 4-2 and winning the second big 8-1. 

After busing to Louisville on Friday, NC State played late at night and dropped the match to the Cardinals. The Icepack was able to kill off a period of 5-on-3 play from the Cardinals, but Louisville scored right after its conclusion. Gifford and Gouveia tallied the Icepack’s two goals, Gouveia’s on the power play with 40 seconds remaining in the game. 

NC State flipped the script on Saturday, scoring eight goals on Louisville’s Senior Night. There were six different goal scorers, with Johnson recording a hat trick, and 12 different players overall recording points. The Icepack ended the season’s last regular-season road trip on a high note and secured second place in the ACC South rankings. 

Feb. 19: Senior Night vs. UNC

One home ice for the last time this season, the Icepack shut out UNC 4-0 in their fourth meeting of the season. Senior goaltender Tawyer recorded his fourth career shutout (and delivered a highlight reel celebration after the fact). 

Icepack seniors were honored in an on-ice ceremony before the game, with their families joining them. 

NC State held control of the game from the beginning, with two goals in both the first and third periods, two goals on the power play, and an empty-netter from senior Gouveia to lock in the win. 

The Icepack will return to Delaware to play in the ACCHL playoffs in their first postseason as a Division I team, taking on the Blue Hens on Friday. This is the only year that the ACCHL league does not receive an auto-bid to nationals, but NC State is still competing for the conference championship. Seven other teams are playing for the championship as well, four of which we have played in the regular season: UNC, Kentucky, Delaware and Louisville. Syracuse, Stony Brook and Pittsburgh are competitors that the Icepack has not met this season, also competing for the title.