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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

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LAS VEGAS, NV – The Carolina Hurricanes became the 2026 Stanley Cup champions, following a 3-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final series played at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.

The Hurricanes capped off their run through the 2026 NHL playoffs with a 16-3 record, led by captain Jordan Staal who was voted the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, as the most valuable player in the playoffs.

Fueled by goals from Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake, and Nikolaj Ehlers and a 22-save shutout performance from goaltender Brandon Bussi, the Hurricanes won the Final series 4-2 overall – raising The Cup for the second time in franchise history, twenty years after winning the first.

Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour became the fourth individual in NHL history to captain a Stanley Cup winner (2006) and then lead that club to a championship as head coach.

NHL.com, National Hockey LeagueNotables: Staal became the oldest Conn Smythe Trophy winner and claimed the first individual award of his 20-season NHL career. Staal completed a postseason in which he tied the NHL record for longest goal streak in a Stanley Cup Final (5 GP) and became the first player in 70 years to score in each of the first five games of the Final. Staal also became the first player in NHL history to go 17 years from one Stanley Cup to the next, adding to a championship he won with the 2009 Penguins…Bussi, who closed out the championship series with a shutout and a 3-1 record through four appearances (1.60 GAA, .931 SV%, 1 SO), became the first goaltender since 1975 (when the Preliminary Round was introduced) with a title-clinching win after not appearing in any of the previous three rounds. Bussi was also the second netminder in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1968) and eighth in League history with a Cup clincher after not starting during Game 1 of the Final.

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

editor@trianglesportsnet.com

RALEIGH, NC – Just one more win – that’s all the Carolina Hurricanes need to raise the Stanley Cup.

The Hurricanes’ run through the 2026 National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs has been historic, exhilarating, and filled with suspenseful moments, and that has been magnified facing an equally formidable Vegas Golden Knights squad.

Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal extended his goal streak in the Final series to five games, tying the score 1-1 in the first period of Game 5 on Thursday at Lenovo Center.

As the Hurricanes eventually claimed a 4-2 win, the marker tied an NHL record and set a new franchise benchmark for goals in any playoff series.

Support from the franchise leadersDuring the second and third periods, Andrei Svechnikov scored twice on the power play, and Sebastian Aho rounded out the offense with a goal to the delight of the raucous Canes faithful inside and outside of the building and at ‘watch parties’ throughout the city and state.

Goaltender Brandon Bussi earned his second straight win, stopping 21 of the 23 shots he faced, including 11 of 12 in the third period.

With the Stanley Cup in the building on Sunday night in T-Mobile Arena in Vegas, a third straight win in Game 6 over the Golden Knights will put Lord Stanley’s ‘holy grail’ firmly in the Canes hands to raise high in triumph for the first time in 20 years.

Notables: Goals from Svechnikov and Aho added to their career totals as the franchise’s two all-time playoff scoring leaders…Bussi became the first goaltender in NHL history to make his first two career playoff starts in the Stanley Cup Final and winboth games…Carolina will try to win the organization’s second Cup, the first coming in 2006, after falling behind 2-1 in the series against the Golden Knights…In doing so the Canes will become the sixth team in NHL history – and first in more than a decade – to fall behind 2-1 in a best-of-seven Final and win three straight games to claim the Cup.

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

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RALEIGH, NC – The 2026 UNC Health Championship cut line was drawn at 1-under par on Friday at Raleigh Country Club.

Leading the 69 remaining in the field of the Korn Ferry Tour event was Jeremy Paul, who carried his 36-hole lead at 13-under par into the weekend.

To start the third round, Alvaro Ortiz sits just two strokes behind the lead at -11, with Theo Humphrey in third at 8-under par, while Rick Lamb, Ross Steelman, and Tyler Wilkes start the weekend close at 7-under par.

Paul is set to tee off along with Ortiz at 12:35 p.m. on Saturday as the lead group.

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2026 UNC Health Championship – Tee Times—

Soft, but getting fast and firm quicklyPaul noted some significance related to the greens and the difficulty and ease of play he had on them during the first two rounds.

“Now with the rain at the beginning of the week, greens are a little bit more receptive, but they’re kind of firming up,” Paul said.

“It’s very difficult to judge some greens that are in the shade, they are kind of softer than others, so I think the difficult part is just judging, in terms of where you want to land it on the greens – because there’s so many little ridges, and just judging how firm the first bounce is gonna be.

“I mean, you know, over two days, I’ve been doing this for long enough that I know, like, you know, you don’t get ahead of yourself…My mindset’s always going into the round, I’m trying to, you know, play as I would be playing a week prior, and just do my own thing, play my own golf, and then at the end, see where the score ends up. I don’t I try to not watch the leaderboard too much because, you know, it doesn’t really help.”

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2026 UNC Health Championship – Leaderboard—

Notables: Paul is leading the event, only his third start at the UNC Health Championship – his best finish came in 2022 (T19)….He holed a 44-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to card a 6-under 64 to finish with nine birdies in the second round…Paul recorded a new 36-hole career-low score at 13-under 127, passing his previous 36-hole low score of 131…The lead marks the lowest 36-hole score at Raleigh Country Club as host of the UNC Health Championship – it matches the lowest 36-hole score in the history of the UNC Health Championship, posted in 2019 when the event was played at The Country Club at Wakefield Plantation.

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

editor@trianglesportsnet.com

RALEIGH, NC – The Carolina Hurricanes continue their quest for the Stanley Cup on Thursday night.

The National Hockey League (NHL) on Monday confirmed the matchups for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Finals.

The Eastern Conference Final begins Thursday (May 21) in Raleigh, as the Hurricanes will host the Montreal Canadiens at Lenovo Center.

On the other side of the bracket, the Western Conference Final features the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche against the Vegas Golden Knights as that series kicks off conference play on Wednesday (May 20) in Denver.

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2026 NHL PlayoffsConference Final schedulesAll times listed are ET and subject to change.

The starting time for the potential Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final, if necessary, will be announced when available.

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

editor@trianglesportsnet.com

DURHAM, NC – The No. 3-seeded Duke Blue Devils moved on to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament following an 81-64 win over No. 14 Charleston on Friday.

The opening round of the NCAA Tournament at Cameron Indoor Stadium underscored the pragmatic “survive and advance” philosophy that defines March Madness.

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2026 NCAA WBB Tournament Bracket—

Mission accomplishedFor the Blue Devils, the objective against Charleston was twofold: maintain their perfect record (28-0) in making it to the Second Round, and to manage the high-variance energy of a first-time tournament participant.

Head Coach Kara Lawson articulated postgame a mandate that prioritized achieving the desired final result over aesthetic perfection, emphasizing that in the postseason, the primary goal is simply to earn the right to play another day.

The win over the Cougars was a testament to this resilience, as the Blue Devils utilized their superior interior length to counteract a gritty underdog performance.

Paying attention to detail at both endsThe final score, while decisive, masked a complex tactical battle where Duke’s elite rim protection eventually wore down Charleston’s perimeter-heavy “David vs. Goliath” effort.

While the final margin suggests comfort, the tactical story reveals a rigorous stress test for Duke’s defensive discipline and rotational depth.

Toby Fournier established her post defense early and throughout and held Charleston to a dismal 26% field goal conversion rate from the field.

Complementing that at the other end of the floor was a career-best perimeter performance from Jordan Wood, who provided a masterclass in efficiency by shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Not going down without a fightRegardless, the Cougars refused to yield.

Despite its shooting woes, going scoreless for multiple stretches of five-plus minutes, Charleston exhibited extraordinary scrappiness, hauling in 19 offensive rebounds and forcing 20 Duke turnovers to stay within striking distance.

Taryn Barbot proved her ability to exhibit “power conference” caliber play by scoring 36 points for the Cougars.

Barbot’s production was a direct result of her aggressive “attack the basket” mentality, which exploited Duke’s defensive lapses to earn 16 free-throw attempts.

Spreading the workload aroundTightening of the score in the fourth quarter was not a result of accidental fatigue, but a strategic decision by Lawson.

With an eye toward the Second Round, Lawson deliberately “took the foot off the gas” with seven minutes remaining to preserve the legs of her primary rotation.

This allowed freshman Anna Wikstrom—who did not play a single minute in the ACC Tournament — to see 13 minutes of action.

While this narrowed the final margin of victory, it served the broader mandate of managing and cushioning a seven-player rotation to hopefully endure a deep tournament run.

Reviewing Three Pillars of Opponent ScoringLawson’s postgame breakdown identified that 56 of Charleston’s 64 points (87.5%) originated from three specific tactical lapses rather than Duke’s set defensive scheme:

Points off Turnovers (22 Points)

Duke’s 20 turnovers handed the Cougars direct transition opportunities.

So What? Elite shot-clock defense is rendered irrelevant if the opponent is permitted to bypass the set defense entirely through live-ball turnovers.

Second-Chance Points (12 Points)

Charleston secured 19 offensive rebounds, nearly doubling Duke’s typical allowance threshold for a team with our size advantage.

So What? Defensive stops are only completed upon securing the glass; failing to “box out” forces our personnel into extended rotations and increases the probability of “fatigue fouls.”

Free-Throw Disparity (22 Points)

Charleston exceeded our seasonal Opponent FT Made average by +9.9 points.

So What? Fouling provides a struggling offense with a consistent scoring “floor” while the clock is stopped, neutralizing the psychological pressure created by our length.

The efficiency of our set defense was elite, but our possession discipline was poor, necessitating a refocus on “clean” basketball for the rounds ahead.

Looking ahead to the rematch with No. 6 BaylorThe Blue Devils now prepare for a high-stakes Second Round rematch against the No. 6 Baylor Bears, the team that handed them a narrow 58-52 loss in Paris back in November.

This contest will be a far more physical encounter than the Charleston matchup was, requiring immediate adjustments in the paint.

To advance to the Sweet 16, Duke must address the physical and mental lapses seen on Friday in its game review and scout of the Bears which they’ve already started to ponder.

As noted by Wood and Fournier, Baylor presents a much different challenge with “taller posts and stronger physical play.”

The Blue Devils cannot afford to surrender 19 rebounds or 20 turnovers against a team with Baylor’s interior depth and transition efficiency.

Furthermore, Lawson will require “cleaner adherence to the scheme” from depth players like Anna Wikstrom to ensure the rotation remains viable.

Keys to the Game: Duke vs. BaylorReduce Turnovers: Cut the 20-turnover mark in half to the 10-12 range to prevent Baylor’s fast-break points. Focus on “clean” entry passes to the post and better decision-making when the defense spreads the floor.

Paint Protection & Rebounding: Maintain the 6.3 blocks-per-game average while improving box-out discipline to neutralize Baylor’s taller frontcourt – cannot rely on height alone against tournament-caliber post players; we must initiate contact and secure the defensive glass to eliminate second-chance leakage.

Discipline at the Line: Eliminate the “fouling out of frustration” that allowed Charleston to stay competitive via 22 free-throw points.

Duke’s path forward in the 2026 bracket depends on its ability to elevate its execution against the Bears.

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

editor@trianglesportsnet.com

DURHAM, NC – The pregame talk described Friday’s 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament First Round matchup between No. 3 seed Duke and No.14 seed College of Charleston as a David and Goliath-type contest.

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2026 NCAA WBB Tournament Bracket—

Cougars head coach Robin Harmony framed the matchup that way in a press conference on Thursday, trying to deflect away from her team, a somewhat psychological positioning designed to direct the immense pressure of the moment more onto the Blue Devils, so to speak.

For Charleston, this game marks a historic first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament after a 40-year drought.

Art Direction by Peter Koutroumpis (PKS Consulting LLC)/ Art by Notebook LMIn contrast, host Duke is making its 28th appearance, boasting a perfect 27-0 record all-time in the Tournament’s opening round.

The game centers on a clash of styles: Charleston’s reliance on speed, transition play, and perimeter shooting against Duke’s elite, length-based defense and disciplined seven-player rotation.

While Duke holds significant advantages in height and tournament pedigree, Charleston’s coaching staff and players emphasized a “belonging” mentality, banking on their basketball IQ and quickness to bridge the talent gap.

Strategic OutlooksCharleston acknowledges their disadvantage in height but intends to work to counter with:

Speed and Quickness: Utilizing their smaller lineup to outpace Duke’s taller defenders.

Perimeter Shooting: Acknowledged by Coach Harmony as a necessity, so “they’re going to have to hit some 3s”.

Pressure-Free Mindset: Having already achieved their primary goal of making the tournament, the Cougars are focused on competing without the burden of expectation.

Challenges the Blue Devils will present include:

Height Advantage: The roster features nine players at 6’0″ or taller.

Defensive Anchors: Duke’s defense is the cornerstone of its identity, leading the ACC in scoring defense (58.9 ppg) and ranking third nationally in blocks per game (6.3). Toby Fournier (2.31 blocks per game) and Arianna Roberson (1.10 blocks per game) lead a rim-protection unit that recorded 14 blocks in a single game earlier this season.

Seven-Player Rotation: Duke has primarily used a shortened seven-player rotation for the last 20 games, finding success against ranked opponents.

Fourth Quarter Performance: The Blue Devils can finish, outscoring opponents 457-347 in the final frame over the last 23 games.

Who to watchDuke Blue Devils

Toby Fournier (So., Forward): Recently announced Third Team All-American as well as consensus All-ACC First Team selection. She leads Duke in scoring (17.3 ppg), rebounding (8.2 rpg), and blocks (2.3 bpg). Fournier is the top-scoring forward in the ACC and is the only player in the conference to average at least 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game.

Taina Mair (Sr., Guard): The ACC Tournament MVP and an All-ACC First Team selection. As the team’s point guard, she leads Duke in assists (5.5 apg) and steals (2.4 spg). She is one of only three Blue Devils in program history to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists while in uniform.

Ashlon Jackson (Sr., Guard): An All-ACC Second Team honoree and the team’s top perimeter threat, having hit a team-high 68 three-pointers this season. She often draws the toughest defensive assignment on the perimeter and ranks third in Duke history for career three-pointers made.

Delaney Thomas (Jr., Forward): Described as the team’s “Steady Eddy,” she averages 10.7 points on a team-high 60.4% shooting. She is second on the team in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and steals (1.8 spg).

Arianna Roberson (R-Fr., Center): The ACC Sixth Player of the Year, she provides critical production off the bench, averaging 8.2 points and 5.5 rebounds. She recorded three double-doubles off the bench this season, tying for the most in the ACC.

Charleston Cougars

Taryn Barbot (Jr., Guard): The two-time CAA Player of the Year and the program’s all-time leading scorer in the Division I era. She leads the team with 19.6 points per game and leads the conference in both scoring and three-pointers per game.

Taylor Barbot (Jr., Guard): An All-CAA First Team selection who serves as the team’s primary playmaker. She leads the CAA in assists per game (6.0) and total assists (193) and is one of only 24 players nationally to record a triple-double this season.

Grace Ezebilo (Jr., Forward): The CAA Defensive Player of the Year, she is a dominant force on the glass. She ranks 7th nationally in rebounds per game (11.9) and 4th in offensive rebounds per game (4.8). She set a program D1 record earlier this season with 24 rebounds in a single game.

Sophia Tougas (R-Sr., Guard): A significant perimeter threat who set a career-high with six three-pointers in the CAA Quarterfinals. She averages 9.3 points and has made 69 triples this season.

Tyja Beans (Jr., Guard): A versatile contributor averaging 10.0 points and 4.2 rebounds. She is a strong interior finisher, notably shooting 10-of-11 from the field in a game against Hampton this season.

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

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DURHAM, NC – The Nebraska Cornhuskers emerged from the First Four, outdistancing themselves from the Richmond Spiders by a 75-56 margin in NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament play at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday.

Nebraska’s Britt Prince led all scorers with 22 points, while Richmond’s Maggie Doogan finished her collegiate career with a 24-point performance.

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2026 NCAA WBB Tournament Bracket—

Art Direction by Peter Koutroumpis (PKS Consulting LLC)/ Art by Notebook LMThe Cornhuskers led by only two points at the break, but eventually secured the victory through a dominant third-quarter performance, outscoring the Spiders 27-6.

Nebraska utilized a 19-2 run in that period to increase its halftime lead into a 19-point advantage.

The Huskers shot a dominating 56.9% from the floor, including 50% from the three-point line, while outscoring Richmond by 21 points at the arc.

The win marked Nebraska’s 10th NCAA Tournament victory and its first since 2024.

Despite the loss, Richmond concluded its third consecutive season with 26 or more victories, the longest such streak in program history.

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

editor@trianglesportsnet.com

Durham, NC – First Round entry into the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament hosted by the Duke Blue Devils is at stake on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The No. 11 seed will be claimed by either the Nebraska Cornhuskers (18-12) or the Richmond Spiders (26-7), and the win will move them on to a meeting with No. 6 Baylor on Friday at 2 p.m.

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2026 NCAA WBB Tournament Bracket—

Ready to engageThis isn’t a mere preliminary bout that will take place on Coach K court in historic Cameron Indoor; going by the numbers, it is expected to be a high-stakes tactical collision between two programs that define themselves through efficiency.

Art Direction by Peter Koutroumpis (PKS Consulting LLC)/ Art by Notebook LMThis matchup represents the ultimate “game within the game”: a battle between Richmond’s elite perimeter volume and Nebraska’s high-velocity, Big Ten-tested transition attack.

The Spiders, winners of 11 straight during their mid-season peak, bring a perimeter-heavy offense that has been one of the nation’s most efficient, led by back-to-back Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Maggie Doogan.

They meet for the first time, a Cornhuskers squad that may look vulnerable on paper due to a 7-11 Big Ten record, but carries a superior NET ranking of 28 compared to the Spiders’ 37.

Nebraska, making its third consecutive NCAA appearance, is led by First-Team All-Big Ten guard Britt Prince, who has maintained 50-40-90 shooting efficiency throughout the season.

Action at both ends of the floorRichmond has established itself as a premier mid-major program under head coach Aaron Roussell, recording 26 or more wins in each of the past three seasons.

Nebraska enters the tournament seeking to “max out” its potential, with head coach Amy Williams noting on Tuesday that the team is currently “crescendoing” to its best basketball.

Who, what, and whyThe Spiders’ offensive system is defined by elite perimeter shooting and efficiency; 23-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points, and 19-1 when making at least 10 three-pointers.

Richmond ranks second nationally in three-pointers per game (10.5); seventh nationally in free throw percentage (.796); ninth nationally in three-point percentage (.370); 24th nationally in field goal percentage (.458).

Nebraska equally maintains a high-scoring offense (79.3 ppg) and ranks in the top 20 nationally in both assists per game and field goal percentage.

Coach Williams compares Richmond’s “five-out” motion style to Creighton, highlighting the challenge of defending a roster where every player is a threat from behind the arc.

The Doogan FactorEvery scouting report for the Huskers begins and ends with Doogan.

She is the definition of a “pro-style” forward.

Her 21.0 points-per-game and 7.8 rebounds-per-game only scratch the surface of her impact.

Doogan possesses a “Power Conference” pedigree that should neutralize Nebraska’s physical advantage.

She knows how to play in March, as she averaged a staggering 28.5 ppg during the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Whether utilizing crafty post moves or directing the defense like a quarterback, Doogan is the focal point that dictates whether Richmond’s motion rhythm can survive Nebraska’s velocity.

Prince and the 50-40-90 StandardWhile Richmond seeks volume, Nebraska looks to counter with the surgical precision play of star guard Prince.

Prince is the engine of the Husker offense.

Shooting better than 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from deep, and 90 percent from the charity stripe this season, Prince’s work as a high-volume guard averaging 17.4 points and 4.5 assists per game has set a level of efficiency that is nearly unprecedented.

Her secret weapon is her ability to “rebound down.”

By asserting herself on the defensive boards, she eliminates the transition-to-half-court lag, immediately pushing the pace to create high-percentage looks before the defense can set.

Coach Williams views Prince as a student of the game whose unselfishness is her only “flaw” in the postseason setting.

“She’s just such an unselfish player,” Williams said.

Williams views her ability to “involve everybody” as the primary reason Nebraska’s offense remains fluid.

“She makes everybody else better. There’s times where maybe I’d say, Hey, we’ll deal with a little less efficiency if you would hunt your shot a little bit more.”

X-Factors: Ullstrom and HakeIn addition to Doogan, Rachel Ullstrom, an Ann Meyers-Drysdale Midseason Nominee (with 92 made triples), with experience winning the FIBA 3×3 Nations League with USA Basketball, gives her a big-game pedigree that is essential in a First Four environment for Richmond.

By Prince’s side, Callin Hake is a four-year senior whose tournament experience and “mentor” status provide the emotional and tactical glue for a Nebraska squad that hasn’t yet “maxed out” this season.

Supporting rolesOther role players to keep an eye on for the Spiders include junior guard Ally Sweeney and sophomore guard Alicia Newell.

Sweeney, the primary playmaker, averages 10.5 points and a team-high 4.4 assists per game, as she led the Atlantic 10 in total assists and assists per game.

Newell, a defensive specialist, leads the Spiders with 59 steals while contributing 7.3 points per game.

Amiah Hargrove is a significant contributor to supplement Prince’s output for Nebraska, averaging 13.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game on the season.

Jessica Petrie is another player who provides the Huskers depth and scoring off the bench with 11.5 points per game.

The Path to BaylorThe victor of this Durham showdown earns a Friday date with No. 6 seed Baylor, but survival requires winning the tactical tug-of-war on Wednesday.

Nebraska’s path to victory lies in its Big Ten-tested toughness and transition efficiency, while Richmond must maintain its perimeter siege to overcome the Huskers’ output.

Keep a close eye on the 70-point mark.

If the Spiders find their rhythm early and cross that threshold, Nebraska’s high-velocity attack may not have enough time to bridge the gap.

Nebraska’s scouting report identifies Doogan as the primary threat.

Williams noted Doogan’s ability to score at all levels, her high basketball IQ, and her role as a defensive director.

Richmond’s ability to generate high-quality three-point looks often stems from its ability to collapse defenses in the paint and kick the ball out to shooters like Ullstrom and Newell.

Winning Blueprint: Richmond* Offensive Strategy: Maintain the 10+ made triples threshold * Doogan’s Offensive Role: Maintain 50.3% field goal efficiency against Big Ten interior defenders * Rebounding Strategy: Maintain the +1.9 rebound margin to limit Nebraska’s secondary break opportunities

Winning Blueprint: Nebraska* Turnover Exploitation Strategy: Convert Richmond’s turnovers into transition points by forcing turnovers and capitalizing on fast-break opportunities * Defensive Focus: Hargrove and Petrie need to maintain discipline on defensive closeouts against Richmond’s “Five-Out” motion * Pace of Play: Utilize Prince’s transition scoring to tire out Richmond and limit their time to set up their half-court defense

Notable: This is Richmond’s third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament—the longest stretch in program history. For Nebraska, it is their 18th all-time appearance and third straight…Richmond is 1-5 all-time in NCAA Tournament games, having earned its first victory last season against Georgia Tech. Nebraska owns nine all-time NCAA Tournament wins.

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

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RALEIGH, NC – The upcoming 2025 UNC Health Championship to be played at Raleigh Country Club, May 29 – June 1, will once again present this year‘s field with a challenge to score low.

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2025 UNC Health Championship—

The next stop on the Korn Ferry Tour following this weekend’s Knoxville Open will have the PGA Tour’s up-and-comers as well as veterans tee it up on the Donald Ross layout that flashes its appeal from both a playing point of view and as part of the spectator viewing experience.

Not only will the greens run fast and true, but there will be very little space for players to leave the ball around the hole, or else it will roll off any edges that it can find.

The fairway rough also has grown in well and thick, and will present a few different collars of length to play out of.

Notably, it will not make it easy to come out of that thick stuff and stick the ball on the green with a lot of spin.

Prepping for a good test of golf for the prosRaleigh native and 2013 champion Chesson Hadley knows how challenging the course can be no matter how many times he’s played it.

Having last played in the event in 2017, formerly known as the Rex Hospital Open when it was played at the then TPC Wakefield Plantation, and losing in a playoff, Hadley looks forward to playing a ‘home game’ on a familiar, yet updated version of a course he knows well.

“Very happy to head back (to Raleigh), sleep in my own bed and play in a golf tournament,” Hadley noted during the pre-tournament presser earlier in the week.

“I don’t get to do that very often, and obviously have some amazingly fond memories competing at the Rex and the UNC Health Championship. So looking forward to it. A new venue this year for me, at least at Raleigh Country Club. I’ve been playing out there the last couple of weeks. It is in phenomenal shape, and you know, just looking forward to the opportunity.

“In my tenure on the Korn Ferry tour, there are not a lot of courses that challenge you the way that Raleigh Country Club does. I would say that this is Big Boy golf. You know, there’s long irons, long par threes, long par fives, you know, (to hit) in the greens; the approach shots, and the putting and short game around the greens is very challenging. This course will be a great test for myself, and for everybody.”

Improved spectator viewing throughout the courseFor those coming to watch the tournament on site, it is one of the best events in the local area to take in to watch up-and-comers and experienced PGA TOUR players like Hadley test their skills in order to try and get up to and/or back up to the main tour.

Of particular note for this year, the cart paths have all been rebuilt and reconstructed, so it will make viewing the tournament even more enjoyable than it was the past few years.

The new paths provide each hole with a much more defined look, running along the fairways, progressing from the tee box to the green.

The most appealing aspect of watching the tournament live is that you can stand in one spot in many locations on the course and view multiple holes throughout.

There will be many oohs and ahhs coming from the galleries following players and those parking themselves in the tents surrounding the 17th and 18th greens.

“I’m really excited about this year,” Tournament Director Bryan Krusoe noted.

“The golf course looks fantastic for the players, it’s definitely a challenge. This tournament was, if not the toughest, one of the toughest tests on the Korn Ferry Tour last year with the winning score being eight under par. So it’s a chance for people to come out and watch the pros navigate a really difficult course.”

Mark your calendarAs a major professional sports event taking place in the area, you won’t find a better deal to watch the competition, be outside, and relax wherever and whatever way you want – walking or sitting.

Tickets are only $20 a day, and parking is free.

Concession stands will be catered by Empire Eats – all very reasonably priced, according to Krusoe.

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Thursday

Half-price tickets will be available.

Friday

A new collegiate theme will be featured, so anyone with a college ID will get in for free. Those wearing school and team colors will also have discounted food and beer to feast on that day.

Saturday

A $10,000 hole-in-one giveaway will be available. For those who get registered at the Delta Dental of North Carolina tent, if a pro makes a hole-in-one on the course, they’ll be eligible to win that cash prize.

Sunday

Service Member Appreciation Day – free admission will be provided for first responders and military members.

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

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GREENSBORO, NC – The Duke Blue Devils clamped down on defense against the Louisville Cardinals, earning a 61-48 win in the quarterfinals of the 2025 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament on Friday.

Led by Oluchi Okanawa (13 points) and Reigan Richardson (12 points), the third-seeded Blue Devils clinically shut down the sixth-seeded Cardinal offense throughout the game at Greensboro Coliseum.

Leading 45-30 heading into the final period, Duke allowed Louisville to put up the first seven points, but Okananwa’s three-pointer pushed the differential back into double figures.

The Cardinals tried but couldn’t pull much closer from there.

With the win, the Blue Devils earned a spot in the Tournament semifinal on Saturday against the second-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 2:30 p.m.

THE NUMBERS (STATBROADCAST)

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

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GREENSBORO, NC – The top-seeded NC State Wolfpack held off the ninth-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, claiming a 73-72 decision in quarterfinal play at the 2025 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament on Friday.

As a red-dominant crowd at Greensboro Coliseum looked on with both teams tied 66-66 with two minutes to play, a high-arching three from guard Zamareya Jones (13 points) put State ahead, and soon leading 69-68 with a minute to go.

A jumper from Tech’s Chazadi Wright (12 points) made it a one-point differential – a 71-70 State lead with 15.1 seconds to go.

Following two made free throws from Jackets guard Dani Carnegie (12 points), the Wolfpack came out of the timeout ready to execute.

A foul on Aziah James (16 points) put her at the line with 7.1 seconds to go.

Both of her free throws dropped cleanly through the mesh and put NC State up 73-72.

The Wolfpack defense subsequently denied the Yellow Jackets a shot to win it, as Carnegie dribbled but couldn’t find space to get a shot off before the horn sounded to end the game.

With the win, NC State advanced to the Tournament semifinal on Saturday to face familiar Triangle foe fifth-seeded North Carolina at Noon.

THE NUMBERS – (STATBROADCAST)

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GREENSBORO, NC – The North Carolina Tar Heels lived to fight another day, pulling off a final-minute 60-56 decision over Florida State at the 2025 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament played at Greensboro Coliseum on Friday.

Tied at 54-54, guard Reniya Kelly (11 points) put fifth-seeded UNC ahead by two with 1:04 remaining.

A missed layup by Makayla Timpson (15 points) with 45 seconds remaining was the closest the fourth-seeded Seminoles got after Kelly added a jumper with 20 seconds to go.

Despite two good free throws from Ta’Nya Latson (13 points), Lanie Grant (6 points) matched both, keeping the margin wide enough to deny the Seminoles a chance to tie or win.

The win advanced the Tar Heels to the Tournament semifinal on Saturday at Noon, to face the winner of top seed NC State and ninth seed Georgia Tech.

THE NUMBERS (STATBROADCAST)

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CARY, NC – Jerry Kelly was understandably all smiles following a final-round 67 that earned him his second SAS Championship title win in five years at Prestonwood Country Club on Sunday.

Before actually placing his hands on the championship crystal, Kelly had to wait for Padraig Harrington to give him the opportunity to do so.

With both tied at 13-under par, Harrington, the World Golf Hall of Famer, needed to par the final hole to force a playoff.

As the packed gallery watched his ball break left of the hole from eight feet away, the celebration began for Kelly, posting his 12th career PGA Tour Champions win.

Harrington’s bogey on 18 became more significant than Kelly’s, his only one of the day, one that nearly denied him the win.

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports NetworkIt’s your day – get after it

Beginning the final round three strokes off Harrington’s 36-hole lead at 11-under par, Kelly started by carding birdies on three of his first five holes (1,3,5).

Subsequent brides on 10,12, and 13 helped propel him to a two-stroke lead over the Irishman, who bogeyed the par-4 ninth hole.

Kelly appeared prepared for a clean finish on his round, but an aggressive birdie attempt from 25-plus feet from across the green left him with some work for a par attempt which he subsequently missed.

Fortunately, Kelly’s putting miss and eventual bogey was matched by Harrington’s – the one that made the difference.

Notables: Harrington’s runner-up finish marked his sixth top-10 finish of the season, which includes two victories (Hoag Classic, DICK’S Open)…Shane Bertsch closed his fourth SAS Championship with a 2-under 70 to finish solo-third at 10-under 206.

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RALEIGH, NC – Carter Jenkins continued a long and emotional week and played 36-plus holes of golf at the 2024 U.S. Open final qualifier played at Duke University Golf Club in Durham on Monday.

Coming off a T4 finish at the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2024 UNC Health Championship at Raleigh Country Club on Sunday, Jenkins carried both physical and mental momentum up the road from his Raleigh home, seeking a shot at playing in his first major championship.

By the end of golf’s ‘longest day’, he survived a 7-for-2 playoff and earned one of the last spots to book his trip to Pinehurst.

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Leaderboard – 2024 U.S. Open – Durham Final Qualifier (USGA)—

Dropping birdies to survive and advance

Jenkins shot 3-under 137 over 36 holes at Duke – carding a 71 on his opening 18 holes to which he quickly responded – posting a finishing round of 66 – and most importantly holing out a birdie on 18 (par-4, 452 yards) to earn a spot in the multiple-player playoff.

Making that scoring stroke on his final hole was exactly what he did Sunday during his round at Raleigh CC.

Having played in the UNC Health Championship (formerly the Rex Hospital Open) since he was a teen, Jenkins’ season-best finish at a course he’s played over 50 times, allowed him to walk off the course at the end of the weekend ready to tackle another familiar course on Monday.

The confidence to make a final-hole push was there at Duke, and the birdie finish with his long-putter, one he’s only been using for just over a month, allowed him to survive and advance.

We’re talking playoff

USGA (Modified) – Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports NetworkWith six others (Harry Higgs, Matt McCarty, Spencer Oxendine, Ryan Gerard, Satoshi Kodaira, and Rhein Gibson) Jenkins started his 37th hole of the day on No. 10.

His birdie finish on that first playoff hole advanced him to the 38th, along with Higgs, McCarty, and Oxendine.

From there, a par on 18 was enough for Jenkins to stand alongside Higgs’ birdie to claim the final qualifying spot as bogeys dropped McCarty and Oxendine from further contention.

Birdies on 18 carry into bigger prizes

For Jenkins, earning a spot in his first career major, and heading to play famed Pinehurst No. 2 in a few weeks, close to home, family, and friends will of course be an exciting experience.

It’s one that he earned while dealing with the recent loss of friend, former high school teammate, and fellow pro – Grayson Murray.

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports NetworkBefore beginning his final round at the UNC Health Championship, Jenkins tapped his club on Murray’s bag that was draped with a caddy bib bearing his name as it sat at the back edge of the first tee.

It was his show of respect.

“I knew they were doing the honorary tee time (for Grasyon) today,” Jenkins said afterward.

“It was purely out of respect for Grayson and the person that he was.”

In retrospect – Fight for every point as Grayson did

Though he didn’t win on Sunday, you’d have to think, for those spiritual believers, that Jenkins may have had some help along the way to his success in finishing rounds this past weekend.

Final hole birdies create surges in confidence into future rounds.

Playing his final-ever round at Raleigh CC last June, Murray also birdied 18.

He eventually carried that momentum to another Korn Ferry Tour win before moving back up to the PGA Tour and winning last January at the Sony Open.

“You just try to fight for every point you can, when you can’t win out here,” Murray said following his final round in Raleigh.

“There’s a learning curve that goes along with winning. Sometimes you’ve gotta take the blows before you can enjoy the wins. I think the guys that learn from their mistakes down the stretch are the ones that can rebound quicker and get back on that pedestal.”

Not taking anything for granted

Posting a top-5 finish on the Korn Ferry Tour with a birdie on 18, coupled with qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Open with a birdie on 18 to continue into a playoff and eventually earning a spot, Jenkins displayed the same grit and scrappiness on the golf course that Murray played with.

However, all of that has come at a price that he can’t cash in on with his friend no longer around to share in his success.

Something he’s had to carry with him for the past 10 days and will need to do so moving forward.

“He was so comfortable with being who he was and made everyone around him better for that,” Jenkins said.

“He left an impact on me that I won’t ever forget, and I’ll never take it for granted.”

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RALEIGH, NC – Raleigh native Carter Jenkins pulled closer to the top of the leaderboard following the second round of play in the 2024 UNC Health Championship at Raleigh Country Club on Friday.

Nelson Ledesma carded the low round of the day, a 6-under par 64, and catapulted himself into first place early during the round.

Even with sunny and dry conditions in the high 70s, the consistent breeze helped to keep the greens firm and slippery, challenging the field to be creative with their shotmaking throughout the day.

Eventually, Patrick Welch (-3, 67), and Jenkins (-2, 68) moved up to join Daniel Summerhays (E, 70) in second place behind Ledesma.

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2024 UNC Health Championship – Leaderboard

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Dropping course knowledge

Possessing the most knowledge of the course, having played it “50-60 times” while growing up and playing in Raleigh, Jenkins was not too aggressive in his play to score birdies.

Beginning the day off the 10th tee, he posted a birdie on 13 before pulling back to even on the day following a bogey on 16.

Jenkins remained steady, using his long putter to maintain his forward momentum by scoring pars before he birded his 16th and 18th holes, on the par-4 seventh and ninth holes, and pulled closer to the top of the leaderboard.

His consistency in playing to the course conditions allowed him to card just two bogeys through 36 holes.

No one else in the field had fewer bogeys or worse following the opening two rounds of play.

“The course is playing tough,” Jenkins noted.

“It’s getting pretty firm and pretty crispy and these greens, as much slope as they have, it’s pretty tough to make putts on them. So yeah, a lot of today was just like yesterday – just trying to grind out pars and keep pace – and saving a shot. Whether it’s a birdie or a par save, it doesn’t matter in my mind. Really just trying to continue to move forward, keep a positive outlook on the round, and not beat yourself up because it’s playing hard.

“You know where to miss it, you know how to manage your misses. I’m just glad I’ve been able to do that the first couple of days and hopefully I can continue to do it this weekend and put up some good numbers.”

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Notables: The second-round scoring average was 72.49 (+2.49)…Sam Saunders (T9) was the only other player to record a round of 4-under or better on the day…Summerhays (T2/-5) sits inside the top 10 after two rounds for the second consecutive week – his best 36-hole position on the Korn Ferry Tour since 2019…Welch (T2/-5) carded his 67 with six birdies against three bogeys…Jenkins is making his sixth ever start at the UNC Health Championship presented by STITCH. His first PGA TOUR-sanctioned start came in this event in 2011 at the age of 15 as a sponsor exemption.

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RALEIGH, NC – I never expected that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to interview PGA Tour pro and local Grayson Murray again.

Ever.

Murray, 30, was found dead on Saturday morning following his withdrawal from the Charles Schwab Challenge played at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

I found out by perusing my feed on X (formerly Twitter) when I came across the Tour’s post:

“We were devastated to learn – and are heartbroken to share – that PGA TOUR player Grayson Murray passed away this morning. I am at a loss for words,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan was quoted in a prepared statement.

“The PGA TOUR is a family, and when you lose a member of your family, you are never the same. We mourn Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones.”

Many were and are still in shock, now a few days since the news broke about his unexpected passing – taking his own life as noted by his parents in a statement released by the Tour on Sunday.

“We would like to thank the PGA Tour and the entire world of Golf for the outpouring of support. Life wasn’t always easy for Grayson, and although he took his own life, we know he rests peacefully now.”

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Profile – Grayson Murray – PGA Tour—

Covering the Korn Ferry Tour’s UNC Health Championship, formerly the Rex Hospital Open, since 2010, I’ve known of and watched Grayson pursue the dream of and following the tumultuous journey of becoming and being a professional golfer.

He experienced the grind of it all since he was a junior, successful in winning tournament championships, and while in high school, making his presence known back in 2010, at the age of 16, at what was then TPC Wakefield Plantation, that he could play with the pros.

As the 2010 Rex Hospital Open Junior Invitational winner, Grayson earned a spot in that year’s field at the Korn Ferry Tour (then Web.com Tour) Rex Hospital Open.

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports NetworkThe most memorable shot I watched him make during that tournament was during second-round play on the par-5 sixth hole.

He lined up his second shot, a lengthy one – 200-yards-plus out – from the left-side fairway/rough line, and wired his ball onto the green.

He then one-putted it in for eagle on his way to carding a 66, and making the cut to play into the weekend.

In doing so, he became the third-youngest competitor to make the cut in a Tour event – 16 years, 7 months, 20 days, to be exact.

He finished T-55 (-2).

Thus started the upward and eventual roller coaster ride of a career, that I and many others went on with him for the next 14 years.

Until Saturday.

Numerous voice memo transcripts I have with him are overwhelming to review – they include the many high and low moments of his career.

Such is a professional golfer’s path.

It’s one that every player on Tour will talk about, if willing, but can never reveal so many of the finite details.

There is just so much going on – on the golf course, during 18 holes, over four days, each week, every month, and all year – let alone what’s going on off the course.

As many punches Grayson took, in his mind, not winning as much as he knew he could and wanted to, he also continued to push himself and progress to places he probably didn’t think he could.

Regardless of the dark spaces he ventured into, as noted by many of his appeals and references to mental health and well-being and alcohol addiction he lived with, he made sure he worked to represent himself as a professional.

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports NetworkIn my experience with him, he never backed away from or avoided an interview request, be it following a good or bad round or tournament.

Did he have a temper?

Absolutely.

But who hasn’t lost their cool playing golf at one point or another, missing a pitch shot that could have left you a better opportunity for an up-and-down and eventual putt for par.

It’s the ramifications of such action that you have to live with.

As the saying goes, ‘the course giveth and the course taketh away’.

That’s what happened to Grayson at last year’s 2023 UNC Health Championship played at Raleigh Country Club.

With a lofty five-stroke lead during the final round of play, a mishit pull on his second shot on the par-five 12th hole ended in a score of double-bogey 7.

A few subsequent three-putts and some strong play by those chasing the lead eventually pulled Grayson back level with them.

He finished the round with a long birdie putt, an 18-footer, and T2 overall at -12.

Even though he fell one stroke short to miss the eventual playoff and get a win in front of his friends and family, his attitude was as positive as it could be.

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network“It’s tough to finish off golf tournaments at times,” he said afterward.

“Holding the trophy would have been nice for them. It’s just a game. I’m happy where my game’s at. It’s all hindsight. If we all knew what was going to happen, we wouldn’t do it. Right? You just fight for every point when you can’t win out here, and that’s what I did out here with the last putt.

“You know, for everyone, there’s a learning curve that goes along with winning and sometimes you’ve got to take the blows before you can enjoy the wins. I think the guys who have learned to win from their mistakes coming down the stretch like I had today, are the ones that can can rebound quicker and get back on that pedestal.”

Those words from Grayson would resonate as he went on to win six KFT starts later in mid-Septebmer at the Simmons Bank Open in Tennessee, and eventually he got the big win at the PGA Tour’s Sony Open in January.

He appeared to be doing exactly what he had been talking about doing all along on the course.

It appeared that he had hit that upward trajectory with his play – talking points that I could refer to when the opportunity to ask him about his game would arise next.

Unknowingly, the 2023 UNC Health Championship was the last event I would have the opportunity to interact with Grayson on Tour…and ever.

No more opportunities to talk about his game or anything else.

No more opportunities to ask him how he was doing, his family, or about his life away from the course.

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports NetworkGrayson knew what he wanted to say when asked a question, and never walked back on anything.

His openness in talking about his struggles with alcohol addiction and mental health issues were specific and targeted – pushing the Tour to look at those issues more seriously for players like him and others.

Even with wins, prize money, recognition, and increased visibility – it seems that wasn’t necessarily what he needed.

What he needed, unfortunately, was something he hadn’t or still couldn’t find to provide enough relief to continue living.

Though I nor anyone else will hear his words in person again, what Grayson stood for and represented, the good and the bad, will provide us examples to learn from.

Grayson wasn’t just a golfer, but someone we all wanted to talk to, and who was so willing to share himself with others.

Rest in peace Grayson, and know that you did make an impact for all of us to feel emotionally and learn from – both on and off the course.

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NCAAW #NCAAWBB

RALEIGH, NC – Host third-seed NC State along with six-seeded Tennessee advanced to Round Two of the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Reynolds Coliseum on Saturday.

While The Vols took care of business in the day’s first game, posting a 92-63 margin of victory over Green Bay, the Wolfpack contained Chattanooga and advanced to Monday with a 64-45 win in front of the predominantly red-appareled sold out crowd on hand.

Round 2 – 4 p.m. – #3 NC State (28-6) vs #6 Tennessee (20-12) (NCAA.com)Looking ahead to the two historic programs meeting for the 16th time overall and first in NCAA Tournament play, the players and coaches expressed respect for one another, knowing they each have a challenge to meet and overcome in order to advance to the Sweet 16.

What they saidNC State head coach Wes Moore:

We’re going to have to play with a lot of urgency, a lot of energy. They’ve got talent, great talent. Obviously they’re well coached, well prepared. I think the biggest thing, when I think of Tennessee, is transition. You’d better do a good job in transition D, not only take away the block and the paint, but then they’ve got some great shooters spotting up when they run as well. And then offensive rebounding.

Again, I was around Pat Summitt a lot, and I’ve heard her say it a million times — and I’ve probably said it at least a million myself — offense sells tickets, defense wins games, rebounding wins championships. I haven’t necessarily got that message through to my team as well as I would like. I do think this time of year rebounding is going to determine a lot of these games. If you give people second looks and you yourself are one-and-done, it’s going to be tough to overcome.

Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper:

I think the balance that NC State has offensively with their personnel, with their actions, you just have to be great in all areas defensively. They do such a good job of taking advantage of your mistakes, whether that’s in the paint or on the perimeter. I think they can spread the ball around and find opportunities for them to attack in different ways. I think that is a huge challenge, guarding actions and not making mistakes.

But hopefully we can go back and look at some of our games that we’ve played, some teams that maybe are similar in style. Maybe bits and pieces of each of the teams we’ve played to try to help give us confidence in what we’re doing tomorrow.

—Fast Facts: NC State vs Tennessee – Vols lead all-time series 12-3* NC State and Tennessee matched up 11 times between the 1975-76 and 1985-86 seasons under legendary coaches Kay Yow and Pat Summitt. * Two of the Wolfpack’s three wins in the series have come on its home floor. The team’s last time hosting Tennessee was also its last win over the Vols, a 90-77 decision on Dec. 1, 1990. * In total, NC State is 2-3 in true home games played against Tennessee. * The Volunteers have won the last three in the series with the Wolfpack.

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How they got here – A look back at Round 1Tennessee 92, Green Bay 63 (NCAA.com)Rickea Jackson led all scorers with 26 points with support from Sara Puckett (14 points), Jewell Spear (13 points), and Tess Darby (11 points) to lead the Tennessee effort against a tenacious Phoenix squad.

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports NetworkMaddy Schreiber’s 13 points stood alone in double-digit scoring for Green Bay, a steady offensive output early that slowed to intermittent following the opening quarter of play.

Trailing by two, 23-21, the Phoenix endured challenges in making shots drop against the Vols long defensive setup and dominance in the paint, and couldn’t match Tennessee’s 65% shooting output, as the deficit grew to 41-28 at halftime.

Despite their effort, Green Bay’s inability to claim rebounds and finish offensively against a Tennessee team that made few errors throughout, resulted in the lopsided final result.

Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper:

Our offense was pretty consistent throughout the game, but our defense really changed the complexion of the game in that second quarter. We had no deflections in the first quarter, and I think to finish the game, we finished with about 17. We just upped our activity. I thought we upped our intensity a little bit.

We stayed within our system. We didn’t change our system too much from first quarter on, but our players were able to find their comfort, be a little bit more aggressive, and make things difficult. I thought they made some tough shots in the first quarter. I didn’t know if they would be able to continue to make those tough shots, and they missed some of them in the second,
and I think that was a big difference.

Green Bay head coach Kevin Borseth:

They made everything. They shot really well. They were 70 percent in the second quarter, 65 percent in the first quarter. That’s pretty good shooting. Now, granted, some of them were over smaller people.

Every time we made a mistake we went underneath 0 three times, and three times she hit a three. They weren’t supposed to go under. But they made shots when they had to make them, obviously, and of course now you’re battling around that rim and all we could do was foul them around there. We got quite a few fouls around there. But that size is a pretty big factor.

NC State 64, Chattanooga 45 (NCAA.com)Aziaha James led the march to Round 2, scoring 19 points for the Wolfpack while Saniya Rivers (16 points) and River Baldwin’s double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) supported the offense against a tenacious Chattanooga squad.

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports NetworkWhile Jada Guinn (13 points) and Raven Thompson (11 points) led the Mocs offense, which worked hard in overcoming size with speed and agility to score layups and short jumpers in the paint.

Even while working to double and triple defensively on Baldwin in the paint, Chattanooga could not overcome the Wolfpack’s tenacity in pulling down rebounds at both ends, a 46-29 differential that translated into points scored inside and from the perimeter – in transition off the break and in second-chance and turnover conversions from the field.

Long stretches of five-plus minutes without the Mocs converting on shot attempts during the second and third quarters allowed the Wolfpack lead to grow to 21 points, and to its largest, a 64-36 margin with three minutes remaining to play.

With the entire NC State starting lineup on the bench, Chattanooga took advantage of the circumstance, and finished the game on a 9-0 scoring run, equaling the Wolfpack’s 19 points for the period.

NC State head coach Wes Moore:

Well, we hadn’t played in a couple of weeks. So let’s blame it (slow start offensively) on that. You know, I don’t know. Again, like I said, you hadn’t played in a while, and you’re excited, adrenaline, all that. We just — I thought we had some good looks. We just didn’t knock shots down. Fortunately we kind of got in the flow a little bit later. We’re going to need to try to get off to a better start. Hopefully getting this first game out of the way will help that come Monday.

I thought we did a pretty good job (defensively). There were certain things we wanted to do to take away right hand. They got some great shooters. The two freshmen they bring in off the bench in conference play are shooting 65 percent from three and 42 percent from three. So we just really stressed, you know, you can’t overhelp, you can’t get tied up in a pick. You’ve got to get out to them.

And so I thought our players did a pretty good job. Again, I thought we slipped a little bit in the third, late in the third and the fourth of taking away people’s strengths. But for the most part, I thought we did a pretty good job of that.

Chattanooga head coach Shawn Poppie:

I think some of it was we didn’t score a ton. We didn’t shoot the ball well, but we also were trying to slow the pace down. So back to our defensive strategy. Our offense was to try to run stuff. And then try to get looks. And we were going to have to space them out. Hindsight is 20/20. Maybe we should have tried to play a little bit faster.

They’re big, big everywhere. Not only to double but we really stayed in our gaps much longer than we normally do. They’re so athletic. And so for us was in a sense we talked about blocks and elbows so much, dig that thing out as much as we could, and rely on and hopefully contested jump shots for 40 minutes. And then we had the rebound. I don’t think we did a great, great job. I thought we competed, but we didn’t do a great job on the glass.

But if you would have told me that we’d come in here and hold them to 33 percent from the floor, 27 from the three and only 10 paint points, I think we had a pretty good chance to win. So I thought we executed really well. They hit some shots. But we knew they were going to. They’re good. You have to give up something.

We’re not roll-the-ball-out as talented as they are. They’re here for a reason. So we kind of picked, that was what we were going to try to give up. I thought it, for the most part, worked. We just had to be a little bit better offensively to get some runs ourselves going. We could never put a handful of possessions together to push ourself forward.

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NCAAW #NCAAWBB

RALEIGH, NC – Play in the First Round of the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament kicks off at Reynolds Coliseum at Noon on Saturday.

Game 1 – 12.p.m. Noon – Tennessee (19-12) vs Green Bay (27-6) (NCAA.com)What they said:Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper:

I’ve actually been kind of a fan of Green Bay the last several years. I’ve been able to watch them multiple times except for this year. This is the one year I didn’t get to watch them play throughout the season. But very familiar with their style of play, their brand of basketball, and how well they play together on the court and how tough they are. I’ve always enjoyed watching them play, and I understand what we’re facing. It’s a really tough team, a team that executes at an elite level. You can pull up stats and see that. And we know it’s a team that knows how to win. I think that’s also a big statement about that basketball club.

I think our level of focus has been really good. I think they’ve been on top of things. Just even observing body language in our film sessions, they’re pretty locked in. As a coach, you hope that translates to the game when it’s time to play because they really have done everything right this week.

Green Bay head coach Kevin Borseth:

We really don’t have a superstar. It’s good and bad. We don’t have the player to go to if we
need to get something. It’s the strength of the group. Really is. There is strength in numbers. We’re pretty balanced. I think we have four, maybe five players that average in double figures, maybe at the highest 12 or 13 points a game. Kind of run a system where there is an opening, you kind of find it. If you’re fast enough to get to that opening, you might get some points. If you’re not quick enough you may not get it. Pretty balanced for the most part. We’re not a one-player dominant system. All of our players have got some skill. As a result, we have a multitude of kids that are leaders in scoring and rebounding during the course of the year.

First of all, I want to tell you a little bit of nostalgia you probably don’t know. The two winningest programs in NCAA women’s basketball college history are Green Bay and Tennessee. For the winningest seasons. Each one of us got 45 winning seasons. Tennessee is 1 and Green Bay a No. 2. Look that up. That’s kind of interesting. Carol Hammerly started that for Green Bay many years ago. We’ve been able to carry it through to this point right now.

Game 2 – 2:30 p.m. – #3 NC State (27-6) vs Chattanooga (28-4) (NCAA.com)What they said:NC State head coach Wes Moore:

Obviously you have to come out and play well. I knew in my mind about a week ago, at least, that they would probably send Chattanooga and Tennessee over here because they love a storyline. Again, tough, I spent 15 years at Chattanooga. Love the university. Love the town. Love the people. And then Tennessee, Kellie and Jon Harper are two of my dearest friends. So not excited about playing them. We’ve tried to avoid each other in the past, other than scrimmages. So it’s tough from that standpoint.

But we’ve got to take it one game at a time. I think one of the Twitter accounts or whatever, X accounts, 94 feet, I think they predicted this was the number one possible upset, us against Chattanooga. So we saw what happened last night on the men’s side. So you can’t take anything for granted. And you’ve got to make sure you’re playing at your best and hope you’re hitting shots and maybe they miss a few.

Chattanooga head coach Shawn Poppie:

Well, they’re really talented. You look all up and down the roster, they’re very talented. Really I think what I admire is the sense of Coach Moore, he’s been the same Wes Moore for as long as I’ve known him. Even the stuff that they run is not necessarily overly new. It’s just that they’ve got good players running it and he knows how to put them in position and call a game.

Yeah, they’re bigger at every position, I think, on the floor, especially the starting group. I think that you’ve got to try to take advantage on one end with our ability to space the floor. Offensively we led our conference in 3-point field goal percentage and we’ll have to shoot the ball well to really space them out. The more we get them in tighter spaces, their length becomes very, very effective. So that’s first and foremost.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – For those watching the championship final of the 2024 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament on TV on Saturday night, the thought of ‘why not them’ was the positive mindset to carry into the matchup between the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels and the upstart, 10th-seeded NC State Wolfpack.

Watching the highlights of the Wolfpack’s run from Tuesday through Friday before the game, a four-game march through the rest of the conference field at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C ., precluded the fifth and final commitment fans made in front of their screens back home, ready to witness one of the ACC’s most historic finishes play out in front of them.

The Wolfpack completed the journey, wining five games in five days, coming together in an 84-76 triumph over its Triangle-area rivals.

“When we got on the plane to come to D.C., we talked about winning one game at a time, and there would be a big picture, would be a prize at the end of it,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said afterwards.

“You could tell our guys were getting a lot stronger every game that we played. It’s weird because we’re the team that played, and we were the one who played every game, but it seemed like every second half we got a little bit stronger than the other team…For all of the players that came before us that were so close to winning a championship, it’s not just our championship, it’s everybody’s championship.”

Why not us?Andy Hancock/ACCWith the now oft-repeated slogan ‘Why not us?’ chanted throughout the postgame celebrations in the arena all the way back to the Bell Tower, flowing in red with throngs of students and supporters gathering at its base, this team has everyone energized and possesses the momentum to continue to climb higher.

Regardless of the exhaustion felt as being the first team to ever play five games in the ACC Tournament, the players answered their own question, and proclaimed it so after it all – ‘why not us?’.

It’s now a mantra that this team carries into the upcoming NCAA Tournament, an automatic bid earned that made this Wolfpack squad the first in 37 years to win the conference title.

It took that long since the 1987 team brought the conference tournament trophy back home, one coached by the late Jim Valvano, and one that also beat the regular-season champion Tar Heels in Maryland to do so back then.

Earning their way into the danceAndy Hancock/ACCWhile NC State owns two national championship titles, claimed in 1974 and 1983, and celebrate them and their team members regularly, this ACC title win has catapulted this year’s Wolfpack team into one that will be added to NC State championship history conversations for years to come.

Led by DJ Horne’s 29 points, and supported by Tournament MVP DJ Burns Jr.’s 20 points, this season’s Wolfpack questioned the doubters, and made the statement: “Why not us?”

As a result, they’ll be watching Sunday’s NCAA Tournament Selection show, waiting to find out where their postseason journey will take them next.

“Yeah, I think you’ve just got to have discipline,” Horne said.

“We came into this tournament knowing that our season was on the line, so there was no room for mistakes. I think everybody really took heed to that and took it personally.”

“When you think about NC State, the couple things that really stand out to you is the ’74 championship and the ’83 championships, and if we could make any of those guys proud, and hopefully they are, by what we did here in the ACC, that’s a great thing,” Keatts added.

“We never listen to anybody outside of our locker room because our locker room is the most important thing, and these guys will have memories for the rest of their life that they can always know that they were ACC champions and won the tournament.”

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ACC/Staff Reports

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, NC State, and Florida State earned their spots in the 2024 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament semifinals with wins at Greensboro Coliseum on Friday.

Fighting Irish, Hokies last ones standing after first sessionFourth-seeded Notre Dame (24-6) advanced past fifth-seeded Louisville by a 77-68 margin in the opening game of the Quarterfinal Round of play.

With the win, the Fighting Irish moved on to the semifinals on Saturday to face top-seeded Virginia Tech.

Notre Dame has reached the ACC Tournament semifinals for the ninth time in 11 years as a conference member, hold a 20-5 all-time in ACC tourney play, including a 3-2 mark against the Cardinals this season.

The Hokies, playing without ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley, put together a hardly fought team finish in a 55-47 victory over ninth seeded Miami.

Virginia Tech advances to the ACC Tournament semifinals for the third consecutive year, having never advanced past the quarterfinal round prior to 2022.

Now 13-18 in the ACC Tournament, the Hokies have posted seven of those wins over the last three seasons.

Wolfpack, Seminoles advance to meet on SaturdayThe Wolfpack moved on to Saturday’s semifinal game versus No. 6 Florida State following a ‘survive and advance’ 54-51 win over Triangle-area foe in seventh-seeded Duke.

The Seminoles earned their spot in the semifinal round with a clinical 78-65 wire-to-wire finish against third-seeded Syracuse in the final game on Friday.

While the Wolfpack took an early lead on the Blue Devils, the two teams’ third matchup of the season turned into a defensive battle with both sides struggling to make shots.

NC State had a stretch of 12 straight misses in a nearly 8 1/2-minute scoreless drought during the opening 20 minutes of play.

Both teams eventually came down the stretch in a one-possession game, but neither could produce points, combining to go scoreless for 4 1/2 minutes with each managing long runs of missed shots before Zoe Brooks scored the eventual deciding score with under a minute remaining.

NC State has now won its first ACC Tournament game in each of the past seven seasons, sits 27-16 all-time in quarterfinal games, and 59-39 overall in conference postseason play.

Coming into the early-afternoon matchup, the Seminoles seek to avenge an 88-80 overtime road loss to the Wolfpack back on Jan. 18.

In beating the Orange, FSU reached its seventh ACC Tournament semifinal and the third in it last seven appearances, having previously reached the semifinal round in 2001, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2020.

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Recap: Quarterfinal Round (Friday) ResultsGame 8: #4 Notre Dame 77, #5 Louisville 68

Box Score | Recap | Highlights

Game 9: #1 Virginia Tech 55, #9 Miami 47

Box Score | Recap | Highlights

Game 10: #2 NC State 54, #7 Duke 51

Box Score | Recap | Highlights

Game 11: #6 Florida State 78, #3 Syracuse 65

Box Score | Recap | Highlights

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Upcoming ScheduleSaturday, March 9 – Greensboro, North Carolina#4 Notre Dame vs. #1 Virginia Tech | Noon | ACCN

2 NC State vs. #6 Florida State | 2:30 p.m. | ACCN

Sunday, March 10 – Greensboro, North CarolinaChampionship Game | 1 p.m. | ESPN

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GREENSBORO, N.C. – What the coaches had to say about Second Round play at the 2024 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on Thursday.

It’s 5 O’clock somewhereLouisville head coach Jeff Walz on looking forward to quarterfinal matchup against Notre Dame following a close second-round win over Boston College:

“Well, I haven’t even really thought about tomorrow’s game. I’m going to go to the bar first and have some Tito’s and tonic and a few other things. And then hopefully it will make this game look a lot better when I watch it on film, blurry possibly. Then I’ll start worrying about Notre Dame for tomorrow night.”

R-E-S-P-E-C-TDuke head coach Kara Lawson on competing against NC State in Friday’s quarterfinal matchup:

“They’re as complete a team as we have in our league, when you look at the balance they have of scoring, you look at the experience that they have. Any number of players can go off for 20 or 25 points on their team. You’ve seen it this year. They’re as hard as it gets in this league.

Our job is to get ourselves ready to compete and put our best foot forward. This is what the tournament is about. In this league, you’ve got to beat good teams to win the tournament. You’ve got to beat the good teams to advance. I know they’re focused on winning tomorrow, and we are, too, and I think it’ll be a great matchup.”

Going down fightingNorth Carolina head coach Courtney Banghart on losing the battle against Miami:

“This game, it was much more of a fight. We had a bit of a lead, but these are — in March, they’re good teams. I’m sure you’ve watched the other games that have gone on. There’s no oh, we’re up 10, game over. That doesn’t exist in March. This felt more like a heavyweight fight. Their team made more plays than we did, so we’re the team going home.”

Showing up and out in MarchMiami head coach Katie Meier on the drama of postseason play as it pertains to her team:

“Foul trouble, foul counts, how many fouls, who’s got the arrow? There was a lot of stoppage which allowed us to sort of filter through some of the blah blah blah and then what was really important. I think that helped us. I think that helped us.

The intentional foul, I haven’t seen it, but that was dramatic. Missing free throws was dramatic. Two travels was dramatic. But when you look at how the game went, they had 20 in the first quarter, 17, and then it went 10, 12. That’s Miami basketball, and that’s why we’re an NCAA team, because we always show up in March and we always slam the door on people.”

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GREENSBORO, N.C. – Louisville, Miami, Duke, and Florida State rounded out the Quarterfinal round field at the 2024 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on Thursday.

Cardinals survive Eagles attackTrailing the 13th-seeded Eagles by three points, the fifth-seeded Cardinals narrowly escaped with a 58-55 win.

Creating three turnovers and putting together a 6-0 scoring run during the final 93 seconds of play was enough for Louisville to advance to the next round.

Coming off a 74-58 loss to Notre Dame last week, puts Louisville in position to avenge that loss in Friday’s quarterfinal matchup against the 4th-seeded Fighting Irish – the third meeting between the teams this season.

The Cardinals won their first matchup by a 73-66 margin back on Feb. 8.

Hurricanes endure and surge past stalled Tar Heels offensive finishMiami trailed by 14 points at one point during the first half, but hit its pace and limited the Tar Heels to 22 second-half points on 7-for-30 shooting from the floor.

Miami’s comeback continued into the third quarter, outscoring the Tar Heels 15-10.

UNC led 54-48 early in the fourth period, but skidded into an 0-for-9 shooting drought that gave rise to a 12-1 closing run by the Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes fell to top seed Virginia Tech, a 76-52 loss in the two squads’ regular-season meeting on Jan. 11 in Blacksburg.

The nationally ranked No. 11 Hokies (23-6) enter Friday’s quarterfinal game facing a Miami program that knows how to take advantage of postseason Tournament deep-run opportunities, having won five of their last seven ACC Tournament games dating back to 2022.

Blue Devils minimize any stinging effects of Yellow JacketsDropping shots at a 51-percent pace, 7th-seeded Duke took control with an 18-1 run to go up 38-21 on the Yellow Jackets late in the second half.

Not to be deterred, 10th-seeded Georgia Tech scored eight unanswered points, but couldn’t pull much closer.

The Blue Devils’ inside presence at both ends of the court proved too much to match.

Throughout, Duke outscored the Yellow Jackets 46-26 in the paint, and out-rebounded them by a 42-27 margin to finish the job and advance to the quarterfinal round.

Duke (20-10) now faces No. 2 seed NC State (25-5) in the third game of the day on Friday.

The matchup against the nationally-ranked No. 10 Wolfpack will be the third in seven weeks between the teams, each claiming a win at home during the regular season.

NC State posted a 72-57 win in Raleigh on Jan. 21, while Duke won 69-58 in Durham on Feb. 25.

Florida State doesn’t look back, coasts past upstart Wake ForestNot looking back to a stunning 2023 ACC Tournament loss to Wake Forest, sixth-seeded Florida State maintained focus and produced a 70-53 victory over the 14th-seeded Demon Deacons in Thursday night’s final game.

The Seminoles never trailed, built a 37-17 halftime lead, and rode that momentum to the end for their eighth win in 10 games.

FSU (22-9) now tips off against third-seeded Syracuse (23-6) on Friday’s final quarterfinal game.

The Seminoles look to avenge a 79-73 regular-season road loss to the Orange back on Jan. 18.

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Recap: Second Round (Thursday) ResultsSource: ACC Women’s Basketball Release – Mar. 7

Game 4: #5 Louisville 58, #13 Boston College 55Box Score | Recap | Highlights

Game 5: #9 Miami 60, #8 North Carolina 59Box Score | Recap | Highlights

Game 6: #7 Duke 70, #10 Georgia Tech 58Box Score | Recap | Highlights

Game 7: #5 Florida State 70, #14 Wake Forest 53Box Score | Recap | Highlights

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Upcoming ScheduleFriday, March 8 – Greensboro, North CarolinaGame 8 – #5 Louisville vs. #4 Notre Dame | 11 a.m. | ACCN

Game 9 – #9 Miami vs. #1 Virginia Tech | 1:30 p.m. | ACCN

Game 10 – #7 Duke vs. #2 NC State | 5 p.m. | ACCN

Game 11 – #6 Florida State vs. #3 Syracuse | 7:30 p.m. | ACCN

Saturday, March 9 – Greensboro, North CarolinaGame 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner | Noon | ACCN

Game 10 Winner vs. Game 11 Winner | 2:30 p.m. | ACCN

Sunday, March 10 – Greensboro, North CarolinaChampionship Game | 1 p.m. | ESPN

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GREENSBORO, N.C. – Boston College, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest all posted First Round wins at the 2024 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on Wednesday.

Eagles take flightAs the 13th seed, Boston College posted an 85-72 win over 12th-seeded Clemson in the opening game of the day.

The Eagles now carry a three-game winning streak into Thursday’s late-morning game against fifth seeded Louisville.

The Eagles dropped an 88-60 decision to the Cardinals during the regular-season.

3-point stingersTrailing by a point with just less than six minutes remaining, 10th-seeded Georgia Tech used its perimeter shooting from beyond the arc to pull away from the 15th-seeded Pitt Panthers to earn a 73-60 win in Game Two.

The Yellow Jackets (17-14) will face No. 7 seed Duke (19-10) on Thursday.

Duke won the two teams’ regular season matchup by an 84-46 margin at Cameron Indoor Stadium back on Jan. 14.

Demon Deacons post overwhelming comeback winThe No. 14 seeded Demon Deacons stunned the 11th-seeded Cavaliers with an offensive output that netted a 58-55 win in the final game of First Round play.

Trailing by 11 points, 46-35, Wake Forest outscored Virginia by a 23-9 margin in the final quarter and earned a spot to tip off against No. 6 seed Florida State in the final game slot in Round Two play on Thursday night.

The Demon Deacons seek to post their first win over the Seminoles this season.

FSU won both regular season meetings – a 73-61 finish at home to ring in the New Year, and a 71-63 win in Winston-Salem most recently on Feb. 22.

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Recap: First Round (Wednesday) ResultsSource: ACC Women’s Basketball Release – Mar. 6

Game 1: #13 Boston College 85, #12 Clemson 72Box Score | Recap | Highlights

Game 2: #10 Georgia Tech 73, #15 Pitt 60Box Score | Recap | Highlights

Game 3: #14 Wake Forest 58, #11 Virginia 55Box Score | Recap | Highlights

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Upcoming ScheduleThursday, March 7 – Greensboro, North CarolinaGame 4 – #13 Boston College vs. #5 Louisville | 11 a.m. | ACCN

Game 5 – #9 Miami vs. #8 North Carolina | 1:30 p.m. | ACCN

Game 6 – #10 Georgia Tech vs. #7 Duke | 5 p.m. | ACCN

Game 7 – #14 Wake Forest vs. #6 Florida State | 7:30 p.m. | ACCN

Friday, March 8 – Greensboro, North CarolinaGame 8 – Game 4 Winner vs. #4 Notre Dame | 11 a.m. | ACCN

Game 9 – Game 5 Winner vs. #1 Virginia Tech | 1:30 p.m. | ACCN

Game 10 – Game 6 Winner vs. #2 NC State | 5 p.m. | ACCN

Game 11 – Game 7 Winner vs. #3 Syracuse | 7:30 p.m. | ACCN

Saturday, March 9 – Greensboro, North CarolinaGame 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner | Noon | ACCN

Game 10 Winner vs. Game 11 Winner | 2:30 p.m. | ACCN

Sunday, March 10 – Greensboro, North CarolinaChampionship Game | 1 p.m. | ESPN

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Previous ResultsSunday, February 18at #6 NC State 86, Georgia Tech 85 (OT)

Pitt 72, at Clemson 57

19 Syracuse 85, at Virginia 79

12 Virginia Tech 86, at #18 Louisville 70

Florida State 74, at Miami 68

North Carolina 58, at Wake Forest 50

Monday, February 19

16 Notre Dame 70, at Duke 62

Thursday, February 22at Florida State 84, Boston College 71

at #19 Notre Dame 74, Clemson 47

at Virginia 77, Miami 60

at North Carolina 80, #6 NC State 70

Wake Forest 65, at Pitt 50

Duke 58, at #17 Syracuse 45

20 Louisville 80, at Georgia Tech 62

Upcoming ScheduleSunday, February 25#19 Notre Dame at Boston College | Noon | ACCN

Virginia at #20 Louisville | Noon | The CW

North Carolina at #8 Virginia Tech | 2 p.m. | ACCN

Pitt at #17 Syracuse | 2 p.m. | ACCNX

Wake Forest at Georgia Tech | 2 p.m. | ACCNX

Miami at Clemson | 2 p.m. | ACCNX

6 NC State at Duke | 5:30 p.m. | ACCN

Thursday, February 29Clemson at Wake Forest | 6 p.m. | ACCN

Pitt at Miami | 6 p.m. | ACCNX

Virginia Tech at Notre Dame | 7 p.m. | ESPN

Virginia at Duke | 7 p.m. | ACCNX

Syracuse at NC State | 7 p.m. | ACCNX

North Carolina at Boston College | 7 p.m. | ACCNX

Florida State at Louisville | 8 p.m. | ACCN

Rankings according to most recent Associated Press Poll

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Source: ACC Women’s Basketball Release – February 23

Weekly Report

2023-24 ACC Statistics (web)

2023-24 ACC Statistics (pdf)

2023-24 ACC Statistics – Conference Only (pdf)

2023-24 Team Statistics (pdf)

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – The Carolina Hurricanes can call PNC Arena home for the next 20 years as announced on Tuesday by the Centennial Authority in conjunction with Gale Force Sports and [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – Former Duke Women’s Golf standout, Celine Boutier claimed the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship title at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France on Sunday. Dominating win Finishing at [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – Triangle-area ACC head football coaches are ready to load up with their players and head to The Westin Charlotte for the 2023 ACC Football Kickoff July 25-27. — [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – Golfers and fans alike in the Triangle area had to be rubbing their hands together as the final round of the of the 2023 U.S. Open Championship concluded [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – The 2023 UNC Health Championship cut line was drawn on Friday at Raleigh Country Club. Leading the 66 remaining in the field was Kyle Westmoreland who carried his [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – There were a lot of red numbers on the leaderboard following the first round of play in the 2023 UNC Health Championship at Raleigh Country Club on Thursday. [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – The 2023 UNC Health Championship teed off early at Raleigh Country Club on Thursday morning. The Championship presented by STITCH marks the 12th tournament of the Korn Ferry [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – As many golf fans in the Triangle are aware, this time of year brings professional golf to the area. The PGA Tour’s development pipeline and roster of players [...]

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RALEIGH, NC – The Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup run is over.

A 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers at FLA Live Arena on Wednesday gave the Panthers a four-game sweep of the two teams’ 2023 NHL Eastern Conference Final best-of-seven series.

It signaled the end of the season coming much earlier than desired, or expected by head coach Rod Brind’Amour and his team.

Who, what, and whenMatthew Tkachuk’s goal with 4.9 seconds remaining in regulation finalized any hope or possibility to extend the series any longer.

Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky once again made many key saves with a 36-save performance, even while being exposed for more goals against than in the previous three games.

Frederik Andersen made 20 saves in a solid effort in the Carolina net.

Tkachuk led all scorers with two goals, while Anthony Duclair and Ryan Lomberg tallied singles for Florida.

For the Hurricanes, a three-goal output from Paul Stastny, Teuvo Teravainen, and Jesper Fast fueled the final-seconds offensive push.

Once again however, a one-goal margin was the difference, and it was another one that didn’t fall to the Canes’ favor.

Despite not making it past the Conference Final for the second time in the past five postseasons, there was no reason to hang heads low according to the coach.

“I felt great about the game, other than the start – the way we started coming on,” Rod Brind’Amour said.

“It felt like all the other games, to be honest with you. Just really proud of the group and how hard they worked. Deserved a better fate though to be quite honest. Guys went down, we’re losin’ our best players. We just kept playin’. From the seat I had, it was a pretty good game…pretty impressive effort.”

Reeling backwards earlyIt wasn’t the start that Brind’Amour had intended his squad to have, not with the mindset of winning a game and continuing the series with a Game 5 in Raleigh.

Duclair’s third goal of the postseason, just 41 seconds in from the opening puck drop, put Carolina back one.

With injuries to forward Stefan Noesen and defenseman Jaccob Slavin soon following, the task at hand increased in complexity and enormity just barely past the five-minute mark.

Slavin’s injury was the result of a tremendous collision behind the Hurricanes net, in what appeared to be a full-on frontal body check from Florida’s Sam Bennett.

Upon closer viewing of the play, the hit included helmet-to-helmet contact at a speed that sent Slavin airborne backwards, into the end boards and onto the ice.

With his stick flying out of his hands while hitting the ice surface flat on his back, Slavin quickly attempted to get up and get his skates under him, but was visibly impacted, wobbling, and needed help to get up.

He eventually skated off the ice with the assistance of trainer Doug Bennett, and didn’t return to the game.

It’s you, not himThe Hurricanes then had to deal with an early penalty-kill situation.

While there was no penalty to Bennett called as a result of Slavin’s injury, defenseman Brent Burns was called for slashing at some point during the sequence of play.

So with the bench missing a second key player, Carolina soon picked up its pace following a rough opening 10 minutes.

“All year we’ve had injuries to key players,” Brind’Amour pointed out.

“It’s tough to get this far without your top players. The fact that we’ve done that without the top two players – one we’ve missed all year and then we missed Svech – to do it and out-chance teams for four games without those guys and then Slavin – to continue to forge ahead…that’s why I say I’m super proud of this group. I can’t ask for a better group and more out of it than what we got.”

Empty the tankTrailing 2-0 following Tkachuk’s first goal of the game at the 10:23 mark, Stastny’s cleanup of a rebound in Bobrovsky’s crease cut the margin to one by the first intermission.

Teravainen’s first goal of the playoffs evened the score 2-2 early in the second and Carolina continued to apply pressure with tenacious puck possession and winning board battles in the Florida zone.

Even while outshooting the Panthers 17-9 during the frame, Lomberg managed to get the puck past Andersen and Florida led by one again.

Starting the third with 3-2 deficit to make up, the Canes continued their relentless efforts to pull even.

They had orchestrated impressive comeback wins throughout the season, so the probability of finally seeing it happen during this series was good.

The fruits of their labor paid off when Fast chipped the puck over Bobrovsky and tied it all up again, 3-3, with 3:22 remaining in regulation.

And just like thatThe thought of overtime, was understandably valid as the clock counted down.

However, that all changed when captain Jordan Staal was called for tripping at 19:03.

The penalty call was the precursor to the eventual game-winner that Tkachuk tallied with seconds remaining.

It was a final gut put punch that Carolina endured to end the season – another abrupt finish that gave Florida the 4-3 win, the series, and the Prince of Wales Trophy as conference champions.

“That’s been the way we’ve been all year. These four games – tough way to end it, like that, you know. For sure. Proud of what we’ve built here and the guys that we have,” Brind’Amour concluded.

“That’s the unfortunate part. You’re going to look back and everyone’s going to say you got swept. That’s not what happened. I watched the games. I’m there; we’re in the game. We didn’t lose four games – we got beat – but you know…we were right there. This could’ve went the other way, it could’ve went four games the other way.

“The way it ended tonight, it’s tough – getting a penalty like that. Especially with what was let go. That’s gonna sting. Not taking away anything from the other team; they played hard. I think we took a few steps this year. Coming this far with what we were missing…pretty impressive.”

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

editor@trianglesportsnet.com

RALEIGH, NC – The Carolina Hurricanes have their backs against the boards heading into Game 3 of their NHL Eastern Conference Final series against the Florida Panthers.

Matthew Tkachuk followed up his quadruple-overtime goal in Game 1 by scoring the winner just 1:51 into extra time on Saturday and gave Florida a 2-0 series lead.

“Haven’t found a way to score,” Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour said following another overtime loss.

“Margins are tight and haven’t got a bounce yet; hopefully get one because that’s what we’ll probably need,” he added.

“We’ve been through this – it’s not new to us. We’ve been kicked in the teeth a lot these last few years. We’ve always responded. I’m sure we will next game.”

Bounce backsIn terms of the numbers and odds, the long view of the Hurricanes winning the series after losing home—ice advantage would only make them the the ninth team in league history and second in as many years to win a best-of-seven Conference Finals/Semifinals series after dropping each of the first two games.

It is possible with this team considering its pattern of bouncing back following short losing spurts this season.

With the exception of two three-game (Mar. 26-30; Apr. 6-10), and a five-game (Nov. 17-25) set of consecutive losses (regulation, overtime, and/or shootout), Carolina has won games on 13 different occasions following one or two consecutive losses.

Banking on puck luckBrind’Amour is correct.

His team has been through this (losing consecutive games) before, and has responded.

But, the Canes have also experienced falling into a hole too deep to dig out of as well.

The positive mindset considers that this group, this season so far, has been successful more often than not in responding to short losing slides.

So bottom line, playing the next two games in Sunrise, a win in Game 3 is a highly likely possibility, and so is the possibility to pull closer or even after Game 4 on Wednesday night.

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

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RALEIGH, NC – Who knew? Or more accurately, who would have expected that the first game of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Eastern Conference Final would extend to four overtime periods starting on Thursday night and ending early Friday morning.

The majority of the sold-out crowd of 18,680 in attendance remained in PNC Arena until the end, around 2 a.m., for the historic game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers to come to an end.

The Panthers earned a hard-fought 3-2 series-opening win and chipped into Carolina’s home-ice advantage, claiming a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven matchup.

Seth Jarvis scored his fifth goal of the postseason and put the Hurricanes ahead, a power play marker, that gave the home side a 1-0 lead heading into the second period.

Florida’s aggressive forechecking and pace eventually created scoring chances that they converted on by the end of 40 minutes of play.

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov scored at 15:28 to tie it up, and Carter Verhaeghe followed with another goal just over two minutes later to give Florida a 2-1 lead by the second intermission.

Stefan Noesen evened it up early in the third, another power play goal for the Hurricanes, the second of six extra-man opportunities they had throughout.

In it for the long haulBoth squads kept battling along the boards in all three zones, finding chances to put pucks on net that both netminders turned away to eventually lead them all to a marathon finish.

Sergei Bobrovsky made a total of 63 saves for Florida, while Frederik Andersen did similar work in stopping 57 shots overall for Carolina.

It turned out to be the sixth-longest played NHL game, and the longest played in each team’s history.

Unfortunately, while the Caniac faithful endured a spectacular showcase of goaltending over seven periods of play, it had an unfortunate result as Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk finally ended it with just under 13 seconds – 12.7 to be precise.

Small margins for errorCapitalizing on a turnover in the Canes end, once the Panthers assistant captain got the puck, Tkachuk snapped a shot that finished top-shelf on Andersen’s glove side, and gave the visitors the win.

In overtime, Andersen was especially busy and made multiple stellar stops, 39 of them total, to Bobrovsky’s equally deniable efforts on 36 pucks that came near his net.

It was just a matter of time, but the ending seemed abrupt considering it appeared that a fifth extra period approached as the clock counted down.

Steady Freddie was caught off-guard on the shot as he may have been slightly screened by defender Brent Burns.

Just one gameRegardless, it was a loss that was well-contested, and set the tone for a series that is likely to go the limit, if this game provided any indication of such an outcome.

“It was going to be, who was going to make the last mistake, and unfortunately it was us,” Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said afterwards.

“There was lots of mistakes that could’ve went the other way too, so we gotta move forward.”

“There’s not much to say,” Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour added.

“You know how everybody feels. Tough way to lose a game, that’s for sure when you go that long – a lot of ups and downs in that game. It’s one game; at the end of the day it’s just one game. We’ll pick it up tomorrow, probably let these guys stay home, and pick it up the next day.”

Notables: Andersen set a new franchise playoff record for saves in a game. Frank Pietrangelo stopped 53 of 56 shots faced against MTL in Game 7 of the 1992 Adams Division Semifinals, also suffering a 3-2 defeat. Despite the loss, Andersen has now registered a 5-1 record, 1.65 goals against average and .936 save percentage in seven straight starts during this postseason…Jarvis tallied two points (1g, 1a) marking his third multi-point game during this postseason and fifth of his NHL/Hurricanes playoff career. His three multi-point outings in these playoffs rank tied with Brent Burns for the second-most of any Hurricanes skater (Jordan Martinook: 4), and his five career multi-point games lead the team over the past two postseasons (2022-23). Jarvis’ five goals so far in the playoffs, tied him with Sebastian Aho and Jesper Fast for the team lead, and his two goals on the man-advantage trail only Stefan Noesen (3) for the team high.

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

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RALEIGH, NC – On to the next as they say – in this case, the next round of the 2023 NHL Playoffs that took place at PNC Arena on Wednesday.

The Carolina Hurricanes made an emphatic entrance into Round Two with a 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils led by five different scorers.

Piling onBrett Pesce, Seth Jarvis, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Brady Skjei, and Jesper Fast slid pucks across the goal line against both Devils netminders in Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek.

At the other end, Hurricanes starter Frederik Andersen allowed only one goal on a breakaway finish from New Jersey forward Nathan Bastian.

A 17-save performance that put him at the top of the goalkeepers list following Game 1.

The Hurricanes offensive production was up to par with the other series Game 1 winners in action as Vegas posted the highest output in a 6-4 win over Edmonton late Wednesday.

A day earlier, Florida topped Toronto 4-2 before Seattle’s 5-4 OT finish over Dallas gave them each a 1-0 series lead on Tuesday.

Just so you knowJarvis’ goal was the sixth postseason goal of his NHL career and first playoff game winner.

He became the third player in franchise history with six postseason goals before age 22, following Eric Staal and Andrei Svechnikov.

National Hockey League, NHL.com—

Set your calendar2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs 2nd Round schedule (NHL.com)—

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

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RALEIGH, NC – With the 82-game regular season in the rearview mirror, the quest to claim the Stanley Cup was underway as the 2023 NHL Playoffs launched on Monday.

For the two-time Metropolitan Division champion Carolina Hurricanes, a 2-1 win to claim Game 1 from the New York Islanders led it all off at PNC Arena.

Eventful wins from the Boston Bruins (3-1 over Florida), Los Angeles Kings (4-3 over Edmonton in OT), and Minnesota Wild (3-2 over Dallas in 2OT) posted the remaining finishes on the board.

Per NHL PR, Monday’s four Game 1s were either tied or within one goal for over 85% of total playing time, which included 41:39 of overtime.

It marked the 12th opening night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs where multiple games finished in OT.

Just so you knowSome more information gems from NHL PR:

Teams that take a 1-0 lead in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoffs round hold an all-time series record of 507-235 (.683), including an 8-7 (.533) mark in 2022.

Teams that take a 1-0 lead in a best-of-seven round at home hold a series record of 350-118 (.748), including a 6-4 (.600) mark in 2022.

Teams that take a 1-0 lead in a best-of-seven series on the road hold a series record of 157-117 (.573), including a 2-3 (.400) mark in 2022.

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Set your calendar2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs 1st-round schedule (NHL.com)—

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

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DURHAM, NC – The Duke Blue Devils dominated at both ends of the court, and outpaced the Iona Gaels 89-49 in opening-round play in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

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View: Highlights – Duke 89, Iona 49 (NCAA.com)—

Cleaning up and then getting them to dropThe third-seeded Blue Devils in the Seattle 4 Regional, overwhelmed the 14th-seeded Gaels, shooting 59 percent from the field and dominating off the the glass by a 44-14 margin.

Led by 13 points each from Celeste Taylor and Elizabeth Balogun, coupled with 10 apiece from Kennedy Brown and Jordyn Oliver, Duke’s early 8-0 run caught Iona on its heels early.

“Obviously, I don’t think we got into a great offensive rhythm but that is a credit to them,” Gaels head coach Billi Chambers said.

“They are a phenomenal defensive team. They obviously scouted very well. They kept us off the three-point line and made it difficult for us to score the ball.”

Limiting opportunities like you know how toEven while Iona’s Ketsia Athias posted 20 points, and 12 points from Juana Camilion kept the Gaels offense clicking at an acceptable 46 percent on less shot attempts, Duke’s dominance in transition in limiting only two Iona 3-pointers on 11 attempts and scoring 14 fast break points was too much.

Add to that, 25 second-chance points and 30 off turnovers, and the Blue Devils ended up topping more than 80 points for only the fourth time this season.

“You know, the defense throughout the year is something we put our hat to,” Oliver noted.

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network“We keep trying to get better and better, we knew coming in they were a good three-point shooting team. We knew that we would have to limit their three-point attempts to win the game. So we kept working on that.”

Duke head coach Kara Lawson added that her team has focused to work toward finishes like that throughout the season.

“I feel like most of the year we have generated quality transition opportunities,” Lawson said.

“We have just tried to work through the year to continue to get better at converting them. There have been some games where our conversion rate was very low. Just we have kept working on it. We have done transition work every day in practice. It was nice to see them have really good success in the transition game tonight. I thought a lot of people contributed. Ran the court hard. Passed ahead. Extra passes. Even down to the end of the game.”

Getting ready for the herdDuke advanced to the Second Round and will face the No. 6 Colorado Buffaloes, 82-60 winners over No. 11 Middle Tennessee State in the day’s earlier game.

Duke and Colorado tip off in Cameron at 9 p.m. on Monday (Mar. 20).

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

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GREENSBORO, NC – The Battle of the Blues took the show on the road – from the Triangle to the Triad.

Second seeded Duke (25-5) took on rival North Carolina (21-10) for the third time this season.

Not in Cameron Indoor Stadium or Carmichael Arena, but in the 2023 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on Friday.

The final result wasn’t an offensive explosion, but rather a defensive quagmire that the Blue Devils were able to endure just long enough and pull themselves out of to run away with a 44-40 final decision.

While head coach Kara Lawson earned her first win over North Carolina in five tries, the Blue Devils held an opponent to less than 50 points for the 16th time this season.

“Well, I thought in the critical moments of the game, we executed just a little bit better and were able to make one or two more plays,” Lawson said.

“That’s how these games go. It comes down to the end. You’ve seen it all across our league all year. You see it all across the country if you’re sitting there watching all these games. It just comes down to the end. We made one or two more plays. I don’t remember most of them, to be honest with you. I’ll watch a little bit of it, but I’m just proud how we stuck with it, and we just kept fighting. We missed a lot of easy stuff, but we didn’t let that get us down. We just stayed with it.”

It’s not just about quantity, but qualityCeleste Taylor’s play at both ends of the court with eight points and seven boards, exhibited the leadership of a hard-working squad that beat another hard-working squad.

Shayeann Day-Wilson contributed everywhere she could – posting 5 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals as a result.

Elizabeth Balogun’s 11 points coupled with Reagan Richardson’s 10 points led the offense for Duke, while Deja Kelly (11 points) and Alyssa Ustby (8 points) led North Carolina’s scoring lines.

The Tar Heels didn’t see their shots drop – shooting 24% from the field and 26% beyond the arc.

The Blue Devils fared a little better – barely though.

The margins of 32% shooting from the field and 22% from 3-point territory didn’t make the difference, but rebounding and free throw shooting did.

“Yeah, Duke doesn’t have to change what they do defensively,” UNC head coach Courtney Banghart said.

“They’re giving teams so few shots and so few great shots. Offense was really hard to come by. If you make a few of those open shots, it’s a different outcome.

“We took 12 more shots. Usually if you take 12 more shots, you win that game. That’s kind of a statistical deal there, and we only turned it over 12 times. There’s a lot of things these guys did well. We didn’t make enough shots, unfortunately. Defensively they were solid all day. One of the better defensive teams that there is.”

The floor is the ceilingThe low offensive numbers set new standards compared to previous low ones.

Duke’s 44 points were the fewest by a winning team in the ACC Tournament’s 46-year history.

The two teams’ combined 84 points scored tied for the fewest ever in an ACC Tournament contest, and was the lowest-scoring in the history of the series.

“You guys, we treated you to a great basketball game,” Banghart said.

“I didn’t think we could score less. I didn’t think it would be as low scoring as it was the last time we played them, but it actually was. It was actually less scoring. So you’re seeing two of the very best defensive teams in the country go at it in our state. How cool.

“We had a lot of chances in that fourth quarter to make shots, a lot of them, and I’m not the coach that says if you make shots you win. I’m the coach that says you’ve got to do it all right. So we have other mistakes, as well. But we had — I like a lot of the looks that we had, and we just weren’t able to finish them. Two really good teams, and a great basketball game today, and you never want to be the one that loses, but somehow it’s not really fair someone has got to lose these games.”

Lawson saw it similarly – forcing the other side to make mistakes led to the win.

“Well, what our goal is is to have them take challenged shots every time,” she said.

“We felt like in the first half they got loose for some lay-ups and some open threes, and we needed to kind of get a hold of our defense that way. What went right for us down the stretch was, I can’t say for sure every shot, certainly those two threes late that they missed were not challenged. But the rest of that second half we were in their face every time challenging, hand up, and then we did a pretty good job of securing the rebound one shot. That was just foundational, basic. Even though it’s basic, it’s really hard to do against good teams, and I just thought they shot with a hand in their face all night.”

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Observations and Notes

1st Quarter: Duke led 5-3 at the 6:29 mark. Duke’s defense was suffocating UNC’s offense – scoreless for over three minutes (1-9) midway through the period. Banghart made changes to the lineup on the floor, trying to get a spark off the bench. After Vanessa DeJesus (2 points) missed a third consecutive layup drive, a 3 from Paulina Paris cut the Duke lead to one, 9-8, with 1:39 remaining.

Turnovers and missed layups in the paint kept Duke from opening the game wide open, and gave the Tar Heels the breathing room they needed to stay close. Duke led 9-8 at end of quarter – poor shooting from both – Duke 36%, UNC 21%. Duke committed 7 turnovers – finished scoreless for the final 4:35.

2nd Quarter: Duke went scoreless for nearly three minutes before Taylor knocked down a three to tie it up 14-14. While Duke continued to struggle from the field, the Tar Heels managed to drop some key shots from the perimeter, and led 21-16 with 2:06 to go. Fast-paced transition battles had bodies flying everywhere. UNC led 21-16 at halftime.

3rd Quarter: Consecutive 3s from Eva Hodgson (6 points) a minute apart pushed the UNC lead to 30-21 with 8:07 to go. A 7-0 run from Duke cut the margin to two, 30-28, following a Day-Wilson jumper. The battle continued with bodies flying on the floor at both ends along with intermittent baskets. A Kennedy Brown putback evened the score at 34-34 with a minute to go. Ustby’s fadeaway jumper pulled the Tar Heels back ahead 36-34 heading into the final period.

4th Quarter:Taylor’s jumper from the elbow tied it up 36-36 with 8:46 to play. Another Taylor jumper put Duke ahead 38-36, 90 seconds later. A Tar Heels fast break tied it up again. A Richardson jumper from inside the arc tied it at 40 with 2:40 to go. Richardson followed up with two free throws – 42-40 with under two minutes to go.

Duke led by two with 1:08 to go – part of a three-plus minute scoring drought for the Tar Heels. A turnover by Richardson gave North Carolina the chance it needed to tie or take the lead. Two three-point shot attempts missed and Duke’s Mia Heide (4 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks) claimed the critical rebound. Day-Wilson was subsequently fouled with 31.6 to go. One free throw dropped and the Duke lead was 43-40 with 30 seconds left. UNC couldn’t get anymore shots to drop. One final free throw from Day-Wilson iced it at 44-40.

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

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GREENSBORO, NC – Each team was without their best players, so it was next women up at the 2023 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on Friday.

Regular season champion and top seed Notre Dame (25-4) tipped off against the league’s three-time defending tournament champion, NC State (20-11), while Olivia Miles and Dara Mabrey, and Diamond Johnson each looked on from their respective benches.

In the end, the Fighting Irish topped the Wolfpack by a 66-60 margin and advanced to the semifinal round of play to face the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday.

For the Wolfpack, the loss snapped a 10-game winning streak they had compiled in Greensboro since 2020 while claiming a ton of tournament hardware.

“Just frustrating,” NC State head coach Wes Moore said.

“Obviously a six-point game, and there’s so many things you look back at. I don’t know if we had quite the same energy we had yesterday, which is kind of disappointing. Yesterday we did such a great job on the boards and really were able to attack, get to the rim, score in the paint. And obviously give Notre Dame a lot of credit, they made it hard for us to do that.”

Sonia Citron (28 points) and Maddy Westbeld (15 points) did much of the damage offensively for Notre Dame, but timely and critical scores from Lauren Ebo (8 points) off the bench made a difference in keeping NC State from pulling closer late in the game.

Saniya Rivers (14 points), Aziaha James (14 points) and Jakia Brown-Turner (12 points) led the Wolfpack offense, but a poor shooting performance from the perimeter (2-15, 13%), coupled with ineffective offensive rebounding left many points on the table.

“It’s just when teams are good at rebounding, it’s hard getting offensive boards,” Brown-Turner said.

“But we’ve got to do better, we’ve got to try to go around our player and get those boards, and that’s what were going to try to work on for the next upcoming weeks.”

Rivers agreed.

“it’s definitely hard because that’s one thing we always emphasize coming into games. If we want to beat teams like that, we have to box out. If we want to beat teams like that, we have to defend and we didn’t win that battle tonight, and you see the result.”

NC State now awaits its postseason bid which will be announced duringthe Selection Sunday show for the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament on Sun, Mar. 12 at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

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Observations and Notes

1st Quarter: Help-side defense from Jada Boyd (8 points, 1 block) was pivotal in slowing Notre Dame’s transition offense – backing up Camille Hobby (4 points, 1 block) early on.

2nd Quarter: Short benches for both teams were evident as both teams were scoreless for the opening four-and-a-half minutes of the period. While NC State struggled from the field, Notre Dame went on a 7-0 run for the final three minutes and took a 25-22 lead at halftime on Maddy Westbeld’s 3-pointer from the top.

3rd Quarter: Notre Dame put together an early 8-2 run. Offensive rebounds by the end of the period were low from both sides – NC State 4, Notre Dame 9

4th Quarter: Citron and Ebo fueled the final offensive push for the Irish. State tried to even it up with a three from Brown-Turner and a turnover score from Boyd with under four minutes to play. A critical offensive board was claimed by Boyd but the ball couldn’t drop on two tries. State trailed 58-51 with 3:17 left. The Wolfpack couldn’t draw fouls even with how physical both teams played. Notre Dame capitalized on its free throw opportunities, eventually leading 65-58 with 23 seconds remaining. Even while an Ebo intentional foul put Mimi Rogers (2 points) on the line to cut the deficit to five, 65-60, Notre Dame successfully defended the perimeter and denied the Wolfpack any opportunity to stage any final-second heroics.

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport)

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GREENSBORO, NC – The quarterfinal matchups are set for play on Friday at the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Following two days of opening rounds of play at Greensboro Coliseum, it’s literally a toss-up as the field’s top seven seeds are all viable contenders for the title.

The top four seeds – Notre Dame, Duke, Virginia, and Louisville, respectively – are well rested and ready to begin play following a double-bye into the Round of Eight.

No. 12 Wake Forest knocked off No. 5 Florida State on Thursday, and seeks another upset, taking on the Cardinals in the opening game of the day at 11 a.m..

Three-time defending tournament champions NC State will face the Fighting Irish at 2 p.m., while Triangle rivals Duke and North Carolina will battle for a spot in the semifinals at 6 p.m..

Rounding out the full day of play, Miami, last year’s finalist, takes on a hot Virginia Tech squad at 8 p.m.

Coming up:Quarterfinals – Fri., Mar. 3

Game No. 8 – No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 12 Wake Forest, 11 a.m. (ACCN)

Game No. 9 – No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 8 NC State, 2 p.m. (ACCN)

Game No. 10 – No. 2 Duke vs. No. 7 North Carolina, 6 p.m. (ACCN)

Game No. 11 – No. 3 Virginia Tech vs. No. 6 Miami, 8 p.m. (ACCN)

Results:Second Round – Thurs., Mar. 2Game No. 4 – No. 12 Wake Forest 65, No. 5 Florida State 54

Game No. 5 – No. 8 NC State 83, No. 9 Syracuse 58

Game No. 6 – No. 7 North Carolina 68, No. 10 Clemson 58

Game No. 7 – No. 6 Miami 84, No. 11 Boston College 69

First Round – Wed., Mar. 1Game No. 1 – No. 12 Wake Forest 68, No. 13 Virginia 57

Game No. 2 – No. 10 Clemson 71, No. 15 Pitt 53

Game No. 3 – No. 11 Boston College 62, No. 14 Georgia Tech 57

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RALEIGH, NC – Twelve years is a long time.

And a lot has happened during that amount of time – particularly so with the sport of Blind Hockey.

And notably, the Triangle has been the setting in which much has taken place in.

Mark DeMontis, the iconic figure and driving force of growing the sport is back in the area.

As the guest of the Triangle Sports Network, DeMontis will take in the NHL Stadium Series outdoor game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals that will face off at NC State’s Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday.

Adversity leads to inspiration After losing his sight at age 17, the Toronto, Ontario native founded Courage Canada back in 2009, and by inline skating across Canada, DeMontis raised funds and awareness for Blind Hockey in his home country.

He began leading various skating sessions for visually impaired youth in different provinces back then.

He then expanded his scope and reach to initiate programming internationally, and into the United States for the first time.

That’s where the City of Oaks comes in.

Courage Carolina Blind Hockey Puck Project lights the fuseThe Courage Carolina Blind Hockey Puck Project was the subsequent initiative DeMontis took on leading into the 2011 NHL All-Star Week in Raleigh which sought to raise awareness of, and about the growth and development of of the sport.

Nothing was getting in the way of the then 24-year old to slow the momentum he was building up to put the sport on the map internationally.

Triangle Sports Network, PKS Consulting LLCWhen he arrived, DeMontis and Matt Morrow, current director of Canadian Blind Hockey, brought the then-current versions of the ‘pucks’ used to play the game up North back then.

The ‘Toronto puck’ was a plastic toy wagon wheel with metal nuts/bolts inside to provide audible stimulus for the players to locate the puck.

The ‘Montreal puck’ was a 48-ounce juice can painted black and also filled with nuts/bolts, while the ‘Vancouver puck’ was a heavy-weighted metal prototype containing ball bearings which best resembled a standard rubberized hockey puck.

Canadian Blind HockeyThey all had limitations and an updated version was needed as a result of such diversified samples used to play in different parts of Canada.

The development of the Blind Hockey puck, a standardized version, was a focal point for project in Raleigh.

DeMontis worked collaboratively with NC State University’s Department of Textile Engineering, and had a team of eight senior design students work with Courage Canada (now known as Canadian Blind Hockey as of 2016) to create functional blueprints that would lead to the creation of a new, improved adaptive hockey puck.

Making strides and kicking iceDeMontis and I worked together to formulate and develop the detailed logistics of holding various promotional events over four days in Raleigh during the 2011 All-Star Week.

He sounded the siren before the Hurricanes dropped the puck against DeMontis’ hometown Toronto Maple Leafs.

Along with the engineering students from NC State and their professor, Dr. Russell Gorga, Mark had a display of the group’s work set up on the concourse to educate fans of the work being done to advance the sport.

Triangle Sports Network, PKS Consulting LLCThe next day, DeMontis spent time on the campus and spoke to students at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind.

On Day Three, DeMontis led a skating session with five students from Governor Morehead, the first-ever Blind Hockey event Courage Canada held in the U.S.

Paul Strand, then Youth Hockey Coordinator for the Carolina Hurricanes, and his staff were there along with members of the NC State Hockey Club who helped lead the skating session at the outdoor Winterfest rink in downtown Raleigh.

Sowing the seeds of growthThe whirlwind schedule of events concluded with a fundraiser.

With some seed funding, and coupled with the research presented by the engineering students from NC State, DeMontis left the Triangle accomplishing his mission of increasing awareness for the sport reaping the results of a successful execution of the Courage Carolina Blind Puck Project initiative.

The work completed in Raleigh helped to advance support of more creations of prototypes in coming years.

Those would eventually be used as the foundation of research and development to eventually create the puck’s current version used in play.

There was a standardized puck to be used in Blind Hockey, and that was a pivotal advancement to improve the quality of play and growth of the sport to this day.

Taking it to the next levelDeMontis has returned to Raleigh in 2023 to continue to promote the sport of Blind Hockey while he takes in Saturday’s 2023 NHL Stadium Series Outdoor Game.

We reminisced the other night on how much has happened since 2011, feeling really good about it all when we really think about it.

Since his first arrival in the City of Oaks 12 years earlier, the sport is now played competitively internationally and has continued to grow and develop in six countries currently.

A long way from just three teams in Canada.

The tireless efforts of Mark and his supporters, including those in the Triangle, will continue to fuel his efforts to fulfill his hopes of getting the sport that much closer to being recognized as an official Para-Olympic sport.

It will happen, definitely sooner than later.

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Staff Reports

National Hockey League (NHL)Hurricanes fall 6-2 to RangersPanarın nets four against Carolina

The Carolina Hurricanes didn’t have enough to hold off, nor match the New York Rangers, and as a result suffered a 6-2 loss at PNC Arena on Saturday.

Artemi Panarin led the Rangers offense with a four-goal finish on five shots against goaltender Frederik Andersen, who made 13 stops in the loss despite Carolina putting 29 shots on opposing keeper Jaroslav Halak.

Goals from Teuvo Teravainen and Jesperi Kotkaniemi was all the Hurricanes could come up with against Halak, leading 2-1 midway through the second period.

The Rangers then took advantage of numerous turnovers after that, scoring five goals, including an empty-netter and iced the road win in convincing fashion.

Notes: Carolina went 0-for-2 on the power play, now 35-for-177 (19.8%) on the season, while finishing 0-for-1 on the penalty kill, sitting at 145-for-178 (81.5%) on the PK to-date…Teravainen extended his point streak to three games (1/31-2/11: 2g, 1a). After opening the season with just eight assists through 19 games (10/12-12/15), he has posted 17 points in his last 23 contests (12/17-2/11: 6g, 11a)…Kotkaniemi scored his first goal in 11 games (1/12-2/11: 1g, 6a). He also extended his point streak to three games (1/31-2/11: 1g, 3a), and has registered five points in his last five games (1/27-2/11: 1g, 4a).

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NCAA Women’s BasketballAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC)

NCSU WBB: Virginia 71, No. 22 NC State 59NC State (17-8, 7-7 ACC) ran out of time and fell 71-59 against the Virginia Cavaliers (15-11, 4-11 ACC) at John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday.

The Wolfpack trailed by 12 (48-36) going into the fourth quarter after getting outscored 20-12 in the third.

NC State turned on the full-court press late in the third period, ultimately forcing Virginia into seven turnovers as a direct result of the pressure, but the Cavaliers converted on 15 free throw attempts to make sure the Pack got no closer than seven points in the final period.

Forward Jada Boyd led the Wolfpack with a season-high 22 points, while Jakia Brown-Turner pitched in 11 points, and Saniya Rivers hauled in a game-best 13 rebounds, the most for an NC State player this season.

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UNC WBB: No. 14 UNC 73, Boston College 55Redshirt freshman Kayla McPherson scored a career-best 22 points to lead No. 14 North Carolina to a 73-55 win over Boston College at Carmichael Arena on Sunday.

McPherson was one of three players to hit double figures and also one of three making their first career starts.

UNC improved to 18-7 overall and 9-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play while Boston College fell to 14-14 (4-11 ACC).

Kennedy Todd-Williams and Deja Kelly were the only two members of the team’s usual starting lineup able to play on Sunday.

Kelly finished with 12 points and Todd-Williams had 16, along with a team-high nine rebounds.

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DUKE WBB: No. 9 Duke 50, Miami 40The Duke Blue Devils pushed their win streak to four games on Sunday with a 50-40 victory over Miami, remaining undefeated at Cameron Indoor Stadium so far this season.

Reigan Richardson led a balanced scoring effort for the Blue Devils (22-3, 12-2 ACC) for the second straight game as she matched her season high of 14 points while also grabbing three rebounds.

Celeste Taylor added nine points and two rebounds and Elizabeth Balogun chipped in seven points, three rebounds and two assists.

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RALEIGH, NC – Despite being winless in three games coming out of last weekend, the Carolina Hurricanes were sitting where they needed to be after 40 games – on top of the Metropolitan Division.

After reaching the quarter mark of the season at 10-6-4 with an even goal differential, following a 4-3 shootout loss in Columbus on Saturday, the Hurricanes were only one of three teams league-wide sitting with single-digit losses, holding a 25-8-7 ledger line with 57 points and a plus-19 goal differential.

In the Metro, they led the New Jersey Devils by four points (53) and the New York Rangers by six,(51), while sitting in second in the Eastern Conference, still trailing the Boston Bruins.

Looking at compsIn comparison to 2021-2022, after 40 games, the Hurricanes sat with a 29-9-2 record (60 points, +47), tied for 1st in the Metro with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Rangers, and tied for 3rd in the Eastern Conference behind the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Similar overall results, but scoring depth requires a focus of attention this season.

No doubt the second quarter presented quite an about-face stretch, the Hurricanes’ last 20 games resulted in a 15-2-3 record-setting stretch that returned Carolina to the front of the pack, and emerging from the middle of it.

What’s been the difference?Well, obviously scoring goals, combined with exceptional goaltending resulted in winning games and tallying multiple points to climb up in the standings.

Putting pucks to the net has helped, and that has consistently been a strength of this team in recent years.

This won’t change any time soon either – nor should it.

Carolina leads the league with 1434 SOGs to date, but like its most recent 67-shot barrage on Nashville goalie Jusse Saros, outshooting the opposition doesn’t always result in a win.

However, it does a majority of the time as the Hurricanes hold a 22-6-4 line when letting the pucks fly while goaltenders Pyotr Kochetkov and Antti Raanta are making stops, and as a result, winning games.

Both keepers earned league recognition accordingly for their exceptional performances recently.

Special teams effectiveThe power play improved by six percentage points while the penalty kill remained steady.

Stefan Noesen has been pivotal in that regard, leading the team with six power play goals.

Andrei Svechnikov still leads the team in goals (19), followed by Martin Necas (17) and Sebastian Aho (12) – the Big Three.

While Aho was injured and missed seven games, Svechnikov and Necas carried a lot of the load and tallied nine and eight goals, respectively in 20 games.

That production, plus more depth contributions helped to win games.

Captain Jordan Staal went on a scoring tear, posting seven goals with linemate Jordan Martinook impressively potting five himself.

From the back end, Brady Skjei emerged as the team’s leading backline scorer with eight goals to-date.

Since coming back from injury, Teuvo Teravainen has been working back into form in setting up plays, but still needs to provide more.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi has also provided a little more offensively, but along with Seth Jarvis, sitting at six goals each, hold totals that need to be built upon.

With four holding double-digit goal production totals (Svechnikov, Necas, Aho, Staal), depth scoring has been growing with seven sitting with at least five goals apiece.

That will be critical to future success.

Where do we go now?So, now leading the Metro, albeit by a slim margin, in a similar spot to last season, is scoring still a concern for the Hurricanes?

To place it in the proper perspective – goal production can always increase, but becomes tougher as the season progresses.

Opposing team defenses are tighter to create seams to pass and shoot through, so special teams play at both ends becomes more critical.

That open real estate is valuable and must be taken advantage of.

During their recent winning streak and during the recent 20-game stretch, Carolina’s power play was relevant, and improved to raise its extra-man production to connect at a 20% rate (28-142).

Commendable, yet not dominating, sitting 23rd in the league, but enough to pull out a number of one-goal wins when needed.

The penalty kill was steady, at mid-league level, and holding at 79% (141-29).

Cruising alongThough its winning momentum has been slowed recently, Carolina has put itself in the position it needed to be in at the midpoint of the season.

While the Big Three maintain the team’s identity offensively, the increased scoring contribution from the depth positions has provided that uncertainty opposing teams must plan for and play against.

Feeling more comfortable in producing at a three-plus goal pace, the key to success for Carolina will lie in defensive play and goaltending.

The main difference at the 40-game mark comparing this season to last is that the margin between offensive production and defensive consistency is much closer coming into each game, and will be so moving forward.

Expect to see this team embark on a roller coaster ride of short streaks – win and losses – for the next 20 games, and likely the remainder of the season.

In doing so, it will be both most interesting and difficult to determine what finite elements are identifiable and responsible for the cause and effect of each win and loss as it comes.

The term ‘puck luck’ will likely be used more often in such conversation.

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National Hockey LeagueCarolina Hurricanes goalies earn NHL awardsCarolina Hurricanes goaltenders Pyotr Kochetkov and Antti Raanta both earned NHL recognition for their recent play during the team’s current 11-game win streak.

Kochetkov was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for December, while Raanta earned Third Star of the Week honors.

Kochetkov, 23, posted a 7-0-1 record, 1.63 goals-against average, .939 save percentage and two shutouts in eight December appearances.

Among NHL goaltenders with at least five games played last month, he ranked first in goals-against average, tied for first in shutouts, third in save percentage and fifth in wins, leading rookie netminders in all four categories.

Raanta, 33, registered a 3-0-0 record, 1.30 goals-against average, .944 save percentage and two shutouts in three starts last week.

Among all NHL goaltenders with multiple games played, he ranked first in shutouts and goals-against average, tied for first in wins and fifth in save percentage.

Raanta has posted a 10-2-2 record, 2.62 goals-against average, .897 save percentage and two shutouts in 15 appearances with Carolina in 2022-23 and ranks tied with Kochetkov for the team lead in wins.

Raanta and Kochetkov have combined for a league-leading five shutouts, and the Hurricanes are the only team with multiple shutouts from two different goaltenders.

Atlantic Coast Conference – Women’s BasketballDuke debuts at No. 19 in AP PollFollowing a pair of recent victories against No. 10 NC State and Louisville this past week, the Duke women’s basketball team made its debut in the 2022-23 Associated Press (AP) Top-25 Poll, checking in at No. 19 in the Week Nine rankings.

The Blue Devils had received votes in previous weeks this season.

The Blue Devils were also selected ESPN Women’s Basketball Team of the Week and placed in the ESPN Power Rankings for the first time this season at No. 15.

In the 72-58 road win at then-No. 6 NC State last Thursday, Celeste Taylor led the team to victory with a 23 point, eight-rebound performance.

In the 63-56 victory over the Cardinals at Cameron Indoor on Sunday, Elizabeth Balogun led the way with a double-double, dropping 20 points and claiming 10 boards.

Currently riding an eight-game win streak, Duke is off to its best start in recent history – boasting a 13-1 overall record and a 3-0 mark in ACC play.

The Blue Devils’ 13 wins in 14 games, along with their three consecutive wins to open conference action, mark program bests dating back to the 2013-14 campaign.

Duke has held opponents to 50.3 points per game on 33.2 percent shooting from the floor, marks that currently rank second and fifth in the NCAA, respectively, as well as first in the ACC.

Upcoming ACC WBB ScheduleThurs., Jan. 5

Pitt at Syracuse | 6 p.m. | ACCN

#22 North Carolina at Miami | 6 p.m. | ACCNX

#19 Duke at Wake Forest | 6 p.m. | ACCNX

Clemson at Florida State | 6 p.m. | ACCNX

Boston College at #10 NC State | 7 p.m. | ACCNX

Virginia at #9 Virginia Tech | 7 p.m. | RSN/ACCNX

Georgia Tech at Louisville | 8 p.m. | ACCN

Sun., Jan. 8

Florida State at Boston College | Noon | ACCN

9 Virginia Tech at Miami | 1 p.m. | RSN/ACCNX

Georgia Tech at Wake Forest | 2 p.m. | ACCNX

Pitt at Louisville | 2 p.m. | ACCN

Syracuse at Clemson | 2 p.m. | ACCNX

Virginia at #10 NC State | 3 p.m. | RSN/ACCNX

#4 Notre Dame at #22 North Carolina | 4 p.m. | ACCN

Rankings according to most recent Associated Press Poll

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – With a 4-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, the Carolina Hurricanes (10-6-4) reached the twenty-game mark of the 2022-2023 season on Wednesday. While Pyotr Kochetkov’s 23-save performance [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com CARY, NC – Fred Couples was coming to play in the 2022 SAS Championship regardless of his intended finish at Prestonwood Country Club. That decision eventually resulted in a memorable [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com CARY, NC – Currently sitting as the co-leader heading into Sunday’s final round of the 2022 SAS Championship at Prestonwood Country Club, Fred Couples is following his plan. Coming into the [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com CARY, NC – When they tee it up for the final round of the 2022 SAS Championship at Prestonwood Country Club on Sunday, it’s anyone’s tournament to win. By the [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com CARY, NC – Rocco Mediate kept it simple during first-round play on the SAS Championship course layout at Prestonwood Country Club on Friday. He carded a 7-under 65 that put [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – It was a great start to the Carolina Hurricanes 25th anniversary season. Martin Necas led the way with a goal and two assists while goaltender Frederik Andersen made [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Tuesday that the team had completed all roster moves ahead of Wednesday’s opening game of the 2022-23 season against the Columbus Blue [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – Following the end of the team’s preseason schedule, the Carolina Hurricanes announced on Wednesday, a significant paring down of its training camp roster. Finishing the preseason with a [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – It didn’t take long for Brent Burns to make an impression at PNC Arena on Saturday.  The former Norris trophy winner tallied two goals, the first and last [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – Icing a veteran-laden squad for the first preseason game of the year, the Carolina Hurricanes maintained the upper hand on the Tampa Bay Lightning for most of [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – Getting acquainted on and off the ice usually takes time for new teammates. For the Carolina Hurricanes, they’ve got a Welcome Committee plan of action that gets new team [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – As times change, and faces too, the song remains the same. Training camp on-ice sessions for the Carolina Hurricanes began at PNC Arena on Thursday morning. Two groups, [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, N.C. – The Carolina Hurricanes announced the schedule for the upcoming 2022 NHL Prospects Showcase that will take place from Sept. 16-19 at Invisalign Arena and PNC Arena, as detailed [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com SOUTHERN PINES, NC – With the sun beaming, complemented with a distinct and strong breeze all day, Minjee Lee claimed the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com SOUTHERN PINES, NC – Best to keep expectations low coming into a major championship. Particularly with little previous success to draw from. A conservative mindset at best anyway, but that’s what [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com SOUTHERN PINES, NC – The course at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club has yielded lower scores than anticipated, some of the record-setting variety at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open. [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com SOUTHERN PINES, NC – Birdies were chirping at the 2022 Women’s U.S. Open on the course at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club on Friday. Mina Harigae followed up her first-round [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com SOUTHERN PINES, NC – It was sunny and hot at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, and so was Mina Harigae who sat atop the leaderboard at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – There’s always a first time. For Jeremy Paul, that was posting a bogey-free 8-under 63 in Thursday’s opening round of play at the 2022 REX Hospital Open, recording [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – The 156-player field at the 2022 Rex Hospital Open teed off on Thursday morning. The 15th tournament of the Korn Ferry Tour’s 26-event season, the 28th edition of [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com SOUTHERN PINES, NC – The United States Golf Association (USGA) announced on Monday tee times for the first two rounds of the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Championship, beginning Thursday (June 2) and [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – With the final addition of 2009 U.S. Women’s Open champion Eun-Hee Ji, winner of the LPGA’s Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play on Sunday, the field for the 2022 [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – The 77th U.S. Women’s Open will be contested this coming week, June 2-5, at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines. With the best golfers in [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – It wasn’t perfect, but it was enough, and the home team won – again. In order, a short-handed goal, a power play goal, and a late breakaway finish [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – It was a clinical execution of their game plan. It was as good a display of the style of play the majority of the over-sold out crowd of [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – They were simple adjustments – necessary ones to achieve success. The Carolina Hurricanes pieced together an orchestral ensemble of puck possesson, passing, shooting and physical toughness and endurance [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, N.C. – They got the start that they needed to open the 2022 NHL playoffs. Supported by a 35-save performance from goaltender Antti Raanta, the Carolina Hurricanes compiled a 5-1 [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – They needed a resurgence, and they got it. With rookie Seth Jarvis jamming the puck in past Jets netminder Eric Comrie for the eventual game-winner at 8:21 of [...]

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Peter Koutoumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, N.C. – There wasn’t much of a doubt, but there was some uneasiness felt early on in NC State’s 96-68 First-round NCAA Tournament win over Longwood at Reynolds Coliseum [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, N.C.- For anyone walking by Reynolds Coliseum on Thursday, the noise they would have heard was not from tailgating Wolfpack fans prepping for Saturday’s First-round NCAA Tournament game. No, that [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, N.C. – While First Four and First and Second-round play in the Bridgeport Region of the 2022 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament begins on Thursday at Reynolds Coliseum, the local [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State Wolfpack earned a number one seed in the upcoming 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament, as announced by the selection committee on Sunday. [...]

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Peter Koutroumpis  (@pksport) editor@trianglesportsnet.com RALEIGH, NC – A deflected point shot made the difference as the Carolina Hurricanes, led by goaltender Antti Raanta’s 36 saves, blanked the Colorado Avalanche 2-0 at PNC Arena on Thursday. Defenseman [...]

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RALEIGH, NC – Andrei Svechnikov ended a hard-fought battle between the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins at PNC Arena on Friday.

The 3–2 overtime decision in Carolina’s favor came about as the result of a power play following Kris Letang’s slashing penalty at 2:47 in overtime.

Goals from Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby put the Penguins up 2-0 in the first period.

Canes captain Jordan Staal netted both goals in regulation, in the second and third periods, before Svechnikov’s 23rd goal of the season earned the second point over the Penguins.

“They’re a good team – I thought they played with a lot of urgency tonight,” Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan noted.

“They lost a couple in a row. We knew what we were up against. When you play a team like Carolina, territory is important. If you’re going to spend time in your end defending, if you can keep pucks in their zone and make them expend energy defending, that takes them out of their game a little bit. I just didn’t think we did that consistently enough in the second and the third.”

Smother brothers Crosby and Guentzel led the Penguins into the Carolina zone early and often from the opening puck drop.

Even while closing gaps with its smothering play, Canes netminder Annti Raanta stayed sharp after the Pens posted a 2-0 lead 14 minutes in.

He eventually earned the 22-save win, while Pens goalie Casey DeSmith faced 42 shots, frustrating Carolina’s shooters many times.

For Staal, posting his fourth and fifth goals in the past seven games, a recipient of the hard work put in by his linemates, Jesper Fast and Nino Niederreiter, hounding pucks and creating havoc.

“They may not be the prettiest ones (plays), but it’s tough to defend,” Staal said.

“Creating quick turnovers and bringing it to the net, good things happen.”

Catching up Staal pointed out how Pittsburgh established the pace and tempo of the game, challenging him and his teammates.

“They jumped on us early; they did a great job and made it hard on us. Going down two to them, we had to get going.”

An increasingly engaged effort during the second and third periods eventually produced the desired result.

We got what we deserved Canes head coach Rod Brind’Amour thought his team played a good first period, despite what looked to many as the other way around.

“I thought we were good in the first period,” he said.

“We just gave them the first one. They made good plays, you gotta give them credit. For three or four shifts, we didn’t make smart plays, but the rest of the time we were good.”

Fire it up! Svechnikov and his teammates kept the pressure on DeSmith and the Pens in overtime.

It was a an emotionally charged game between the Metro Division’s top two teams.

The building, fully of strong contingents from both teams erupted when Canes forward Vincent Trocheck and Pens defenseman Mark Friedman got into it early in the third period.

Trocheck tried to hold off Friedman as the two engaged.

Punches were thrown by both, jerseys pulled over each other’s heads and both eventually dropped hard onto the ice with Trocheck on top.

With both skaters heading to the penalty box, Trocheck waved both arms upwards for the crowd to get louder.

The energy created from the melee impacted the players, including Svechnikov.

“That was fun to see, for sure,” he said.

“Oh yeah, it fired me up for sure, big time.”

Fortunately for Carolina, Letang couldn’t resist responding to Trocheck’s pesky ways in overtime and resulted in the man advantage that Svechnikov soon channeled his energy towards in cleaning up a rebound in the slot, flipping the puck over DeSmith’s shoulder with the winning goal.

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RALEIGH, NC – The Carolina Hurricanes extended their win streak to five games with a 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers at PNC Arena on Sunday.

Goals from Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho were enough to earn the win while goaltender Frederik Andersen backstopped the effort with 29 saves.

Former Hurricanes forward Derek Ryan kept his hot hand going following a hat trick performance the day before against Florida.

However, his goal early in the second was not enough combined with goaltender Mike Smith’s 27 saves to pull Edmonton closer for the remainder.

Killing it The Hurricanes’ league-leading penalty kill played a critical role in this one, denying Oilers star Connor McDavid and his teammates on four occasions as the NHL’s second ranked power play went 0-for-4 on the day.

Just 51 seconds in, it was McDavid who caught Andersen off guard with a speedy break off the right wing that resulted in an easy-looking on-ice slider under the pads that put Edmonton up 1-0 in front of a packed-house crowd of Caniacs.

The joy shown by the handfuls of blue jersey-wearing fans in the crowd was soon silenced by the roar of the Carolina faithful as the referee announced no goal due to offside following a video review initiated by Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour.

Riding the wave Teravainen’s and Aho’s goals came five minutes apart in the latter half of the first period following a significant 4-minute penalty kill as a result of defenseman Brady Skjei’s high stick that caught McDavid in the mouth and removed him from the game to get tended to.

Without their power play quarterback, the Oilers were unable to produce anything during that man-advantage sequence.

“Our captain and leader was not on the ice for that (power play), and that affects things,” Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said.

“McDavid took one to the jibs there – a laceration and some dental work – and came back to play the rest of the game.”

Even with a woozier-looking McDavid back in the game, Edmonton still couldn’t pull even with “one of the more talented and hardest working teams in the league”, to paraphrase Woodcroft on the Hurricanes’ performance.

Shutting it down Coupled with 19 saves for his third shutout of the season in a 4-0 win over Columbus on Friday, Andersen recorded his fourth straight win – his league-leading 29th win this season.

He has now posted an 18-2-2 record, 2.03 goals-against average, .931 save percentage and two shutouts in his last 22 games, dating back to Dec. 7.

When asked Friday, Brind’Amour noted that his starter never gets too high or too low – “Nah, nope.”

When asked on Sunday, “anything in particular you like in Andersen’s game?,”

Brind’Amour provided another simple response: “He stops the puck.”

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RALEIGH, N.C. – The Carolina Hurricanes posted a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at PNC Arena on Saturday.

They hung on and staved off the tenacious Devils thanks to a 24-save performance from goaltender Antti Raanta who recorded his sixth win of the season.

The Canes earned the advantage on goals from Jordan Martinook and Andrei Svechnikov in the first, and maintained their 2-1 margin for the rest of the game.

Jesper Boqvist tallied the lone marker for New Jersey.

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network Get by with a little help from my friends “It’s been a lot hard work, and it’s great to be rewarded on the game,” Raantaa said following his first start since Jan. 1 – missing three games due to an upper-body injury.

“Nice to make a couple of big saves in the second period, and in the third period we played really well. The guys helped me out a lot.”

Despite being outshot by the Devils 22-13 after two periods, Carolina hovered around New Jersey netminder Jon Gillies, who did his part and made 21 saves, including 10 in the third, to keep his team in contention the entire 60 minutes.

Whale of a time It wasn’t a pretty win for the Canes, but it was one that provided a lot of excitement and fun for the fans, both on and off the ice.

A packed house was treated to eye-catching retro green Hartford Whalers uniforms worn by the players, throwback 80s and 90s music classics permeating the upper levels of the arena, and the baritone notes of Brass Bonanza following each Canes goal.

It was great cover for what otherwise seemed a tough and monotonous battle between two teams vying for two points in the standings.

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network Halfway home Thanks to Raanta, Carolina claimed both points, and extended its record to 30-9-2 at the midpoint of the season.

“He was the difference,” Canes head coach Rod Brind’Amour said of Raanta.

“Key saves at real big times. We weren’t at our best. The other team was really comin’ at us there for a little while and he kept us in the game…The third (period) was great – the play was elite. It wasn’t a great first couple of periods, but give the guys a lot of credit, when the game was on the line, they turned it up.”

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DURHAM, N.C. – Number 21-ranked Duke (13-5, 4-4) dropped a 78-62 decision to in-state rival North Carolina (16-3, 6-3) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Thursday.

Despite not having head coach Kara Lawson on the bench, sitting out due to health and safety protocols, as well as missing Celeste Taylor’s scoring and rebounding for a fifth straight game, three players posted double-digit finishes for Duke – Elizabeth Balogun and Miela Goodchild each had a team-high 14 points and freshman Shayeann Day-Wilson added 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

Only trailing by one following the opening 10 minutes, the Blue Devils couldn’t overcome a disastrous second period as the Tar Heels outscored them 28-8, and carried a 47-26 lead into halftime.

It was an uphill battle that couldn’t be won for the remainder of the game.

Alyssa Ustby led UNC with 20 points followed by an impressive performance from Kennedy Todd-Williams who added 15, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and led the Tar Heels with seven rebounds.

The bright spot for Duke was that Goodchild dropped 13 points in the fourth period as she made good on her final three 3-point attempts and Balogun added seven of her 14 points as the Blue Devils outscored the Tarheels 24-17 in the quarter.

However, the halftime deficit proved too much to overcome as North Carolina claimed the decisive 16-point win – a product of tenacious play at both ends of the court that forced Duke to commit numerous turnovers and fouls throughout.

“We talked about being able to play on the second side, which is when good things happen,” Duke assistant coach Winston Gandy noted after leading the Blue Devils bench in Lawson’s absence.

“We took some quick shots, which puts stress on our defense. We went around the room and I think everybody agreed that that’s not us, in that second quarter. I thought we did a great job in the second half of moving on and flipping that script. I thought we saw some great areas of growth as we moved forward.”

The Tar Heels committed a season-low six turnovers while forcing 18, which they then turned into 27 points.

They outscored Duke 40-24 in the paint and 19-12 in transition.

“Coach said before the game, ‘throw the first punch,’” Ustby added.

“We took that to heart. We looked at our five starters like, ‘we start the game off, we start the tempo,’ and that’s what we did. We set the game on a trajectory that we were in control of every possession, offensively and defensively. We were being active, not reactive. We just trusted one another, and that’s what it takes to win a big ball game like this.”

It was North Carolina’s first win against Duke since an overtime win in Chapel Hill on Jan. 21, 2018, a game that featured former head coach Sylvia Hatchell being honored at halftime for recording 1000 career wins.

The Tar Heels had lost five in a row to the Blue Devils since then and had lost six in a row in Durham since beating the Blue Devils at Cameron dating back to Feb. 10, 2014.

“This is a great environment for a college basketball game,” UNC head coach Courtney Banghart said following her first win leading the Tar Heels over Duke.

“This Duke-Carolina rivalry means a lot to a lot of people, especially those involved in it. I’m happy we get to bring home a win on the road.”

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GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced on Saturday changes to its Women’s Basketball schedule, including rescheduled games, adjustments to tipoff times and television networks.

Triangle-area ACC team schedule changes in bold.

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Following the ACC’s modified 2021-22 COVID-19 Game Rescheduling Policy, three previously postponed games have been rescheduled:

Tuesday, Feb. 1 – Georgia Tech at Duke, 7 p.m., ACCNX (Originally scheduled for Jan. 6)

Tuesday, Feb. 1 – NC State at Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ACCNX (Originally scheduled for Jan. 9)

Tuesday, Feb. 8 – Clemson at Virginia Tech, 6 p.m., ACCNX (Originally scheduled for Jan. 16)

Additionally, two game times and broadcast designations have been adjusted:

Thursday, Feb. 10 – Wake Forest at Clemson, 2 p.m., ACCN

Thursday, Feb. 10 – NC State at Boston College, 6 p.m., ACCN

Thursday, Feb. 10 – Florida State at Duke, 6 p.m., ACCNX

The ACC also announced that the Notre Dame at Virginia game scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 25 has been postponed. The league will look to reschedule the game.

Tip times and television networks have been announced for each of the games below:

Sunday, Jan. 30 – Duke at Louisville, 3 p.m., ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 30 – NC State at North Carolina, 4 p.m., ACCN

Monday, Feb. 7 – Georgia Tech at NC State, 6 p.m., ESPN2

Sunday, Feb. 13 – Notre Dame at Louisville, 2 p.m., ESPN

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The full 2021-22 ACC women’s basketball schedule can be found on theACC.com.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – It was the start to the NHL season many expected of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Maybe, even better, sitting at 15-6-1 following an impressive undefeated month of October (8-0), that helped fuel a six-game road stint in November that raked in nine of a possible 12 points.

A dominating 6-3 win on Nov. 26 in Philadelphia brought the Canes back home feeling good about their all-around play.

Scoring pipeline flow slows While averaging four-plus goals per game in each of those road wins, a 2-1 overtime loss in San Jose eventually initiated a trend in scoring under two goals a night that has resulted in four losses in the team’s last five games played.

The offensive pipeline that Carolina drew from during the opening sprint to the top of the league standings flowed endlessly and resulted in 10 players posting four or more goals to the ledger so far.

However, that flow has slowed.

It’s gonna come Coupled with exceptional opposing goaltending efforts and anemic results on the power play, head coach Brind’Amour is just waiting for the next big outpouring of goals to come.

As usual with this team, a lack of effort is not the reason for pucks not going in – they’ve outshot each of their recent triumphant opponents (Seattle 36-22; Washington 32-25; Dallas 40-17; Ottawa 49-20).

After a 0-for-17 drought on the power play, Teuvo Teravainen’s 100th career goal against the Senators on Thursday hopefully will reignite that critical component to success in upcoming games.

With Buffalo in town on Saturday, getting pace of puck movement, positioning and confidence back with successful results with the man-advantage will not just help to end a losing streak, but prep the Hurricanes for their upcoming grueling five-game road trip through Western Canada and Minnesota.

Shutting it down Goaltender Frederik Andersen has been the workhorse for this team, and the major reason for the productive start to the season.

Currently in the top-five in wins among NHL goalies, holding an 11-5 record, Andersen’s backup, Antti Raanta, has done his part with a 3-1-1 record.

Even AHL starter Alex Lyon posted a win to keep Carolina on track and showed that he’s capable of stepping in for Raanta or Andersen, if needed.

All three have been more than up to the task of playing the positional and dynamic style needed to fit into Brind’Amour’s up-tempo style of play in all zones.

Very little elbow room So as the Hurricanes begin their second 20-game stretch of the season, it is evident that as hard as they’ve played and collected points to start the season, so have quite a few others.

They are eighth overall, only four points behind league-leading Florida, while sitting third in the Metropolitan and Eastern Division wildcard behind Washington and the New York Rangers.

That seems like a comfortable spot, but there is very little room to suffer a major setback, even at this still early point of the year.

Covid a real threat to lineup insecurity While they’ve taken some lumps lately in suffering losses, league Covid-19 protocol rules have kept much-needed defensemen Ethan Bear, Brett Pesce, and Tony DeAngelo out of the lineup.

Those issues arose in the middle of the Canes’ first extended road trip out West, and the road ahead up North will be an equally challenging one.

Boarding the plane shortly after playing the Sabres, Carolina will travel to face Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Minnesota, respectively.

Matchups against the physically punishing and talented Jets (11-8-4) and Canucks (8-14-2) will bookend the Canadian leg.

There will be little room for error when facing the Flames (15-4-5), Oilers (16-6-0), and Wild (16-6-1), all currently playing exceptionally well and sitting higher in the standings.

Passport, Vax card and swab please Traveling from Manitoba out to British Columbia and then back through the Land of 10,000 Lakes will only make it tougher and grueling to follow even stricter Covid-19 protocols to ensure no further positive tests are confirmed.

Who knows what the status of Bear, Pesce, and DeAngelo will be due to recent positive test results and following Covid-19 protocol compliance.

Concerns regarding border crossing issues entering Canada and re-entering the U.S. with the recent Omicron variant have only heightened attention, and probably will not make travel on this trip easy at all.

What if other players test positive and have to remain in Canada?

What a mess that would create.

General manager Don Waddell’s speed-dial to Chicago may get worn out if that were to happen.

To avoid thinking about such possibilities would be unrealistic.

Barely past the quarter point of the season, and it already seems like so much has happened, and with so much more to come.

Hang on.

Next turn coming soon.

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Peter Koutroumpis: 401-323-8960, @pksport

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Peter Koutroumpis

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Cary, N.C. – What a difference a day can make.

It’s one worth looking back on, as dramatic and unexpected it was to even the eventual winner.

Back-to-back putts on almost the identical line launched Lee Janzen to victory at the 2021 SAS Championship at Prestonwood Country Club last Sunday.

Forcing the issue Tied with Miguel Angel Jimenez at 11-under par, Janzen’s birdie putt off the collar on 18 dropped to a thunderous ovation, and gave him the clubhouse lead with the Spaniard approaching the final tee box.

It was Jimenez’s win for the taking as he stared down what looked like an inevitable birdie.

It was not a gimme, a subtle left-to-right slider, but one that resulted in a stroke that pulled left of the intended line, and set the stage for the tournament’s first-ever playoff finish.

We’re talking playoff Both players headed back to the 18th tee box to start the sudden-victory match.

Jimenez pulled his tee shot into the fairway bunker while Janzen striped his drive down the fairway.

Out of the bunker, Jimenez’s second shot ended up in the fluffy Bermuda rough close to the grandstand, left of the back hole location.

Janzen landed his approach shot on the left part of the green, just down the line of Jimenez’s upcoming chip attempt after taking relief from the grandstand.

Not only did Jimenez have to deal with striking the ball just right out of the rough to land softly on the downslope of the green toward the hole, he had sun glaring into his eyes which he had to cover with his hand, in addition to sunglasses he removed and put back on a few times, before attempting his shot for birdie.

The contact was just right, the ball landed on the green in the right spot, but just broke away from the hole , and came to rest a foot short of going into the hole.

The rest as they say became history.

Focusing on playing well Janzen knew the putt, the line, and he had a few less feet to roll the ball into the hole for the win again – and this time for good.

“It’s been long enough. I just was trying to have a good tournament. Forget winning the tournament, I just wanted to have a good tournament”, Janzen said

“Somewhere in the middle of back nine I started thinking I might actually have a chance to win this. If I can hit some good shots and hole some putts… my putting just kept getting better and better and better.

“I did have a fairly short putt on 17, but to make these two putts I made on 18; you know, if you’re having a putting match for nothing, and you’re completely calm, it’s hard to make those putts. With the tournament on the line, it’s even harder still.”

Peter Koutroumpis – 401-323-8960, @pksport

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RALEIGH, N.C. – For the first time since February 2020, the Carolina Hurricanes played in front of a sold-out, full-capacity crowd (18,680 fans) at PNC Arena, posting a 6-3 win over the NewYork Islanders to open the 2021-2022 season.

Andrei Svechnikov led the way for the Canes with two goals and an assist, while goaltender Frederik Andersen stopped 25 of 28 shots and posted his first win in net with Carolina.

Forwards Teuvo Teravainen, Nino Niederreiter, Jordan Martinook, and Jesper Fast all tallied singles to support the winning effort.

Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, and Anders Lee scored for New York while goaltender Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves in the losing effort.

“Everyone played well”, Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour said.

“Everyone played hard; it was a tough game out there. It was a tough, physical game, and fast too.”

Notables: Svechnikov posted his 33rd multi-point game and seventh multi-goal game of his NHL/Hurricanes career…Six players made their Hurricanes debuts: Andersen, Ethan Bear, Ian Cole, Tony DeAngelo, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Derek Stepan…DeAngelo (2a), Bear (1a), and Stepan (1a) recorded their first points with Carolina…The Canes’ six goals marked the first time the team has scored six or more goals in a season opener since 2008-09.

Peter Koutroumpis – 401-323-8960, @pksport

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour set the tone following the first day of on-ice sessions of training camp at PNC Arena on Thursday.

The message he relayed to local media during his in-person presser was clear – “it’s we, not me.”

With many new players on the camp roster with significant NHL experience, along with an ample stock of prospects and free agents, Brind’Amour indicated that anyone could make the team if they have the right attitude and put in the work to earn a spot.

Earning it After three years as a head coach capped off by a Jack Adams trophy win last season, he sounded very much like the more experienced and accomplished coach that he now is.

During those formative years, his pace in answering questions from the media was mindful and selective, indicating many times that he and his team were feeling things out.

He didn’t exhibit any bravado or overconfidence in doing so – not his style.

The points of emphasis always included putting in the effort and energy in doing the ‘little things’ together to win.

Don’t just say it, feel it Hard work and effort were the tenets of success.

That philosophy still holds; thus the Team Attitude and Team Energy labels to define the two playing groups at camp this year.

But those are just descriptive words of what needs to be done and how to do it.

Brind’Amour referred to ingraining ‘culture’ as an intrinsic appreciation of the process.

He was very clear in pointing out that he wants his players to ‘feel it’, and commit to the collective goal.

Not just because he says so, but rather to understand it individually and be willing to sacrifice personal gain for team success.

Knows what he wants From an X’s and O’s perspective, Brind’Amour knows what works for him – he’s been able to sell his core players on that incrementally for the past three years.

They’ve bought in.

For the new guys, the parameters are set, and all they have to do is simply play within them according to the coach’s direction and guidance.

Otherwise, someone younger and hungrier will get the chance to do so.

Cashing in The trust of the players is a valuable commodity for a head coach to possess in the NHL.

So is exhibiting the ability to lead confidently and have a team follow the set plan without question.

The stakes are high, and so are the rewards.

Brind’Amour has his hands full in bringing so many up to speed, but the players know that he’s ready to and will carry that load.

And they better be ready to shoulder it right along with him.

Peter Koutroumpis – 401-323-8960, @pksport

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RALEIGH, N.C.- It was the first day of NHL free agency, and it was a busy one at PNC Arena on Wednesday.

There were a lot of options, quality players available to improve the Carolina Hurricanes roster for next season – a tweak here, a tweak there would have been good to do just that.

After all, three straight trips to the postseason didn’t require a complete overhaul, did it?

All-points inspection

With head coach Rod Brind’Amour recently signed to a three-year deal, he could continue making progress in preparing one of the league’s fastest-skating teams – one with a dedicated and consistent work ethic displayed throughout the roster.

However, facing contract issues for a number of restricted and unrestricted free agents, what was previously set as a functional and solid foundation of personnel, was picked apart and repatched.

By the end of the day, a substantial portion of the roster was stripped down.

Seven new players to replace seven departed.

New parts

Coming in were goaltenders Frederik Andersen and Annti Raanta, defensemen lan Cole, Ethan Bear, and Tony DeAngelo, along with forwards Josh Leivo and CJ Smith.

Going out were homegrown favorites Alex Nedeljkovic (G) and Brock McGinn (F) who signed deals with Detroit and Pittsburgh, respectively, while Warren Foegele (F) was traded in the deal with Edmonton to get Bear.

Unable to sign deals to stay in Carolina, goaltenders Petr Mrazek, James Reimer, forward Cedric Paquette, and defenseman Dougie Hamilton found their pots of gold in Toronto, San Jose, Montreal, and New Jersey, respectively.

Forward and assistant captain Jordan Martinook was the only rostered mainstay who signed a new three-year deal to stay.

Check engine light is on

What would have been an easy handing over of the keys to Brind’Amour to get to work on revving up the Canes engine was delayed – GM Don Waddell had a major issue to deal with first, and it was one he expected.

The signing of DeAngelo was a controversial one that had the Hurricanes fan base incensed due to the 25-year old defenseman’s documented history of suspensions in junior hockey, altercations with a teammate in New York, and social media behavior that only added more tarnish to a problematic reputation that preceded him.

The former first-round pick was such a problem that the Rangers bought out the remainder of his contract.

So why would Carolina take him on?

“We did our research on who this person is beyond the perception of him,” Waddell said on a Zoom media call later in the day.

“There’s no doubt he has made mistakes. We acknowledge that and more importantly he recognizes that he’s made mistakes, and he knows he’s got to continue to work and grow as a person. We talked to his teammates, coaches, support staff. We have guys who played with him. And everybody who has worked with him, the common thread, the message, was that they support this player.

“Did we know there was going to be some people not happy about this? 100 percent. Did we make sure we checked all our boxes from an organizational standpoint and that we felt comfortable moving forward? 100 percent.

Again, time will tell, but we really feel this is headed in a good direction.”

Rolling on

So with that, Brind’Amour now has the task of retooling and re-synching all the replacement parts, keeping the drive towards winning a Stanley Cup in gear, and with no loss in momentum.

A task that’s now become harder than it seemed days ago.

The coach can only work with what he’s given.

What was a pretty smooth ride in Raleigh has all-of-a-sudden become a stressful and uncomfortable one.

Buckle up and hang on.

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Peter Koutroumpis – 401-323-8960, @pksport

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