 CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Icepack fell short Saturday in their matchup against Alabama at Truist Field.
Warm temperatures left the ice soft and slippery throughout the game, causing players to lose footing and kick up water. Alabama opened the scoring after the puck slid oddly between Isaac Tawyer’s pads. Joey Gouveia tied it for NC State off assists from captain Zach Herman and Brandon Raleigh. The Icepack earned four power plays in the second period, and Herman converted one of them, assisted by Gouveia and Daniel Prazma, to give NC State the lead. Thirteen seconds later, Alabama answered to send the teams into the second intermission tied. The third period remained even until Alabama scored late to retake the lead. NC State pulled Taywer for an extra attacker with 1:30 left in regulation, but couldn’t convert, and Alabama added an empty-net goal to seal the win. Despite the loss in the 704 Outdoor Face Off, NC State won the three other meetings with Alabama over the past two weeks.
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 RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State secured an overtime win against Alabama on Friday during Salute to Service night. Military veteran and former Icepack player Ellis Rushford conducted the ceremonial puck drop.
BOX SCORE | SKATER STATS | HIGHLIGHTS In the third of four matchups between the teams this season, Daniel Prazma opened scoring with his 11th goal of the season off of assists from Ben Paterson and Jake Lipani in the first period. Alabama tied it with less than a minute remaining to enter the first intermission knotted at 1. “You know their systems, you know a little bit about what to expect,” Prazma said during intermission. “But, at the same time, playing a team four times, mistakes are bound to happen. It’s bound to get chippy. We just go out there, stick with what we do every game.” Alabama scored early in the second period while the Icepack were on the power play, but Michael Ranaldi answered 40 seconds later to even the score. Joey Gouveia added NC State’s third goal – its second on the power play – off of assists from Reece Johnson and Zach Herman late in the period to take a 3-2 lead into the break. The third period remained quiet until late mistakes allowed Alabama to score the equalizer and force overtime. Senior Nick Librizzi delivered the game-winner 58 seconds into overtime, taking a pass from Herman off a won faceoff and firing into the top of the slot. Goaltender Ethan Roberts stopped 24 of 27 shots, including several highlight-reel saves, to hold the Tide to three goals. NC State and Alabama meet for the fourth and final time this season on Saturday in Charlotte at Truist Field as part of the 704 Outdoor Face Off. Champ the Retriever will handle the ceremonial puck drop.  RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State looks to secure another two wins against the University of Alabama this weekend after sweeping the Tide on their home ice last week.
Friday marks Salute to Service night for the Icepack. NC State will face Alabama at Invisalign Arena at 8:30 p.m., with former Icepack player and veteran Ellis Rushford (Class of 2018-19) dropping the puck. The Icepack will wear their military appreciation camouflage jerseys for that game. Senior Joey Gouveia recognized the significance of the occasion. “We get a chance to celebrate the ones who have sacrificed for us,” he said. “We appreciate them a lot and we want to give back to them.” On Saturday, NC State and Alabama will play at Truist Field as part of the 704 Outdoor Face Off. Champ the Retriever, the official bat dog for the Durham Bulls and retriever of kicking tees for NC State Football, will conduct the ceremonial puck drop at 7 p.m. “It’s awesome,” Gouveia said about playing at Truist. “It’s going to be a great experience for everyone involved. But at the end of the day, we need to walk away with the W.” After winning both games in Birmingham last weekend, the Icepack has an opportunity to leverage its familiarity with Alabama’s style of play to adjust its strategy heading into the rematch. “We’ve definitely got to work on our penalty kill a little bit. We have to make sure that we can score 5-on-5 goals – that’s something we really haven’t done this year,” Gouveia listed. “Penalty kills and staying out of the box are big ones.” Students attending Friday’s game at Invisalign Arena will receive free tickets to the annual Governor’s Cup game between NC State and UNC at Lenovo Center on Nov. 23. Active or retired military members will also receive free admission to Friday’s game by showing a valid ID at the door. Both games this weekend will be streamed on ESPN+.  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – NC State defeated Alabama 7-4 on Friday to sweep its weekend road series.
BOX SCORE | SKATER STATS The game opened at a faster pace and featured more penalties than Thursday’s matchup, giving both teams multiple power play opportunities. The Icepack killed off a 5-on-3 stretch, but Alabama struck first with a power play goal. Less than 10 seconds later, Michael Ranaldi tied the game off assists from Aidan Raedy and Joey Gouveia, sending the teams into the first intermission equal at one. Jake Gifford scored early in the second period to give NC State the lead, but Alabama answered with a penalty-shot goal before capitalizing on another power play to go ahead 3-2. Holden Koufman netted his second goal of the series to even the score heading into the second intermission. The Icepack came out strong in the third period. Daniel Prazma scored an unassisted power play goal to regain the lead, and three minutes later, Austin Finch added another off a rebound to make it 5-3. Reece Johnson tallied back-to-back goals – the first on a transition shot and the second on a 2-on-1 play with Nick Librizzi while Alabama was on the power play. The Tide added another goal late, bringing the final score to 7-4. The series marked a dominant showing for NC State, with 13 players recording points over the two games. Goaltender Pieter Bartelse made 33 saves on 37 shots. Johnson, Finch, and Koufman each scored twice, while four other players registered at least two points in the series.  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – NC State beat Alabama 3-2 on Thursday in the first game of its weekend road series.
BOX SCORE | SKATER STATS Freshman forward Ben Paterson opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game off assists from Daniel Prazma and Reece Johnson – his first career goal with the Icepack. Just over two minutes later, Holden Koufman added another off an assist from Erik Dahlin. Austin Finch scored NC State’s third goal within five minutes, assisted by Gian Khani. Alabama got on the board with 11 minutes left in the first period, sending the game into the first intermission at 3-1. The second period was scoreless, but gave the Icepack its first power play opportunity with less than two minutes remaining. Alabama struck again in the third period to cut the deficit to 3-2, but the Icepack killed off three power plays and held strong during a minute and a half of 6-on-5 play after the Tide pulled their goaltender. NC State and Alabama will meet again on Friday at 3 p.m. CST at the Pelham Civic Complex to close out the series. |
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