UNC club hockey fails to match Seahawks' pace in first loss of season

Just one minute into its division opener against UNC Wilmington, the North Carolina club ice hockey team had lost control of the game.

As the clock began ticking during the first period of Friday’s late-night match, the Tar Heels were met with unanticipated speed from the Seahawks. Unable to break out of the neutral zone and control possession, UNC allowed the tandem of Seahawk forwards Colin Roberts and Zach Shrock to connect on a quick score.

From there, the Tar Heels were never able to recover.

North Carolina suffered its first loss of the season, 7-4, after an irredeemable first period. Following slow and sloppy play, the Tar Heels were held to a mere six unsuccessful shots on goal during the first period. Meanwhile, the Seahawks fired off 13 shots on goal, connecting on three during the first 20 minutes of play.

“I think we were a little bit off guard considering we played some opponents where we were up really early and we felt good about ourselves," head coach Adam Dauda said. "Now, we faced an opponent that was a lot faster, I think. And that got us on our heels.”

In the first period, the Seahawks posed two big problems to a flat Tar Heel team: speed and depth. 

Along with getting outpaced up the ice, substitutions provided no relief to North Carolina. UNCW was playing clean and fast-paced down to the fourth line. The Tar Heels would get the puck to the middle, looking to pass, only to be flagged by Seahawk defenseman right on their trail. The best North Carolina could do was get off a weak shot near the goal or attempt a risky pass across the ice.

Any sign of the tight passes, early attack strategies and ability to control the neutral zone that characterized North Carolina's usual style of play had disappeared in the first period.

“I think we just didn’t have enough guys playing in the middle lanes,” senior forward Henry Foster said. “A lot of perimeter play and that kind of hurt our chances of pucks to the net. We weren’t focused on it like we needed to be. It’s just one of those things. It’s easy to play on the outside than it is to go to the middle, but that’s where you win hockey games, in the middle.”

In the two remaining periods, UNC returned to a more consistent version of itself. After the first intermission, the Tar Heels fired off more shots and scored four goals to stifle the blowout.

But after a difficult first period, it was too little, too late. After the match, Foster emphasized that the team needed to stick to playing the "North Carolina brand" of hockey.

“With our previous success, I think some guys thought we were just going to come out here and wear the UNC jersey and be given a win,” Foster said. “That’s never the case in these games. So, we just need to know that it’s the team that works hardest that gets to win, and it wasn’t us tonight.”

On Saturday, North Carolina was given another opportunity to face UNCW in the second match of their two-game series. With a focus on being fast-paced and consistent throughout the entire match, the Tar Heels took down UNCW, 5-2.

In that game, UNC never trailed, outshooting the Seahawks in the first two periods.

“We know if we play our game we can play really well, and I think that’s the key,” sophomore defenseman Florian Zajic said on Friday. “Keeping up our chemistry, keeping it simple, getting shots on net and [playing] the way we normally do."

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