From Winston Salem Journal

By John Dell

Chances are the members of the N.C. State hockey club team will never get to skate with the Stanley Cup above their heads after winning an NHL title.

The Wolfpack, however, did a great imitation after beating Virginia 4-2 on Sunday afternoon in front of about 500 at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex. It was the championship game of the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League, and it was the Wolfpack’s first tournament title since 2011.

Doing its damage in the third period, the Wolfpack got a go-ahead goal from Sam Banasiewicz with 7:03 left for a 3-2 lead. The Wolfpack added a late goal on an empty netter from Riley Johnson to put an exclamation point on the championship.

“The puck bounced right here on my chest and it just kind of landed in front of me and I swatted it in,” Banasiewicz said about his rebound goal after a shot was initially stopped by goalie David Voight of the third-seededCavaliers. “It wasn’t anything too special but it kind of bounced my way.”

On the initial shot, it was Camerin Mazikowski who blasted one from the right side, but because Voight couldn’t hold on to it Banasiewicz saw his chance and delivered.

The Wolfpack, the top seed in the tournament, peppered Voight with 62 shots. The Cavaliers, the No. 2 seed, had tied the game at 2 with 13 minutes to go.

Coach Michael Gazzillo of the Wolfpack said it was important to get as many shots on goal as possible.

“We had a pretty good amount of shots and if you keep doing that you can find the net,” Gazillio said. “And we knew Virginia is a good team so we were in for a battle and we got one.”

The Cavaliers, who were the champions in 2017, had several good chances to score after Banasiewicz’ goal but was stymied by goalie Joey Hall (35 saves).

“The guys were really dialed in and they didn’t quit so this is a great win for us,” Gazillio said as his players took turn kissing the ACCHL Cup that closely resembles the Stanley Cup.

Thanks to the Carolina Thunderbirds and the city of Winston-Salem, the leagued moved its tournament here after a three-year run in Charlottesville, Va. The Thunderbirds arranged for the games to be live-streamed and nearly 1,000 fans were there on Saturday when N.C. State beat Wake Forest 5-2 in one of the semifinals.

According to Mike Walley, the league’s commissioner, the reception the teams received over the three days was terrific. Eight schools battled for the title over three days, and the tournament is slated to return next year to the Annex.

“It was a success, and we’re happy with how it all came together,” Walley said. “We really loved the way it all unfolded, and we definitely identified the champion today.”

Coach Dan Pasquale of Wake Forest, who watched the championship game, was all smiles afterwards. He pushed for the league to move the tournament to Winston-Salem.

“It was a good first one, and I think everybody liked what we had to offer in terms of the quality of hockey,” Pasquale said.

The tournament will return next year for the league’s 25th season, something Walley is already excited about.

“Our league keeps getting better and better because of the commitment these club teams make,” Walley said. “It’s going to be special to have that 25th season.”

Two schools from the ACCHL will be in regional play in a couple of weeks with Virginia and N.C. State getting to play more hockey.

The MVP of the tournament was defenseman Eric Mura of the Wolfpack, who is a senior from Denville, New Jersey. He showed off his wide array of talent by scoring a hat trick in a win over St. Joe’s on Friday and then had several blocked shots in the championship game.

Mura, a transfer from UNC Charlotte, said winning the title in his final season means a lot.

“It’s a great way to close out the career,” Mura said. “I think we just got the puck out, and Virginia is such a strong, physical team we had to keep moving the puck and attacking on offense. But playing together as a team was the biggest thing.”

The Wolfpack players, coaches and their families lingered on the Annex ice, soaking up the victory.

“North Carolina’s not really known for hockey, but for us to be able to compete against some of these northern teams all season and to beat a very good Virginia team says a lot about our determination,” Mura said. “This means a lot, and we’ll sip a little something out of that cup at some point.”

(Originally published at https://www.journalnow.com/sports/carolina-thunderbirds/n-c-state-club-hockey-team-wins-conference-title-with/article_4da0a291-a66a-5efd-a398-699a85516482.html)