Hurricanes control their own fate

Sports

TECHNICIAN

PAGE 12 • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2018

Hurricanes control their own fate

Andrew Schnittker

Sports Editor

With 26 games to play, the Carolina Hurricanes find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Saturday night’s 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche vaulted the Canes into the Eastern Conference’s final wild card spot, with their 61 standings points one ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders*.

While Carolina has found itself in playoff position at different points this season, this is the first time the team has been in that spot this late in the year since the 2010-11 season. With under a third of the regular-season schedule left to play, Carolina is in a good spot — but staying there is another story.

The team has made its way into that spot before during this year, but ended up quickly falling back out.

So, what do the Canes need to do to ensure they play more than 82 games this year? On paper, it’s relatively simple: win divisional games. The Metropolitan Division is going to get five playoff teams, its customary top three and both Eastern Conference Wild Card spots.

That leaves five spots for eight teams. The Washington Capitals are in. They lead the division with 70 points in the standings, and are nine points clear of the Islanders on the outside of the playoff picture. The Pittsburgh Penguins will also likely make it. They sit second with 66 points, and while they have played more games than a number of teams, they are the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions and have a talented core led by forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

So, that leaves six teams fighting for three spots, the Hurricanes, Islanders, Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers. For the purpose of this exercise, we’re going to say the Rangers miss. While it’s foolish to count out a team with Henrik Lundqvist in net, the Rangers currently sit last in the division with 59 points, and general manager Jeff Gorton recently sent a letter to fans hinting that the team is looking at blowing up its roster.

Down to five teams for three spots. The Blue Jackets would appear to be a likely playoff team as well. Columbus is right outside the playoff picture with 60 points and struggles to score, but has a Vezina-caliber goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky. Goaltending counts the most this time of year, which should propel Columbus into the postseason.

Four teams for two spots. That leaves the Canes, the Devils right ahead of them at 62 points* (albeit with two fewer games played), the Islanders right behind them at 60 and the Flyers two points ahead at 63 (with one fewer game played)*. In order to make the playoffs, the Canes need to finish better than two of those teams, and they control their ability to do that.

The Canes have yet to play a single game this year against the Devils, with the four-game season series (two at home, two away) coming up. The Canes have played one game against the Flyers (an overtime loss at home on Feb. 6) and have one game at PNC Arena and two games in Philadelphia remaining. The team has split one home and one away game with the Islanders this year, with one of each left. Next weekend will be a big one for the Canes, with three games in four nights Thursday to Sunday, with two (home and away) with the Devils and one at home against the Islanders. That’s nine crucial games remaining on the schedule that will go a long way towards determining the team’s playoff fate. Carolina will need more of the same from both of its last two games, with balanced scoring throughout the lineup, good special teams play and strong goaltending from both Cam Ward and Scott Darling.

The door to the postseason is open for the Carolina Hurricanes. With so many headto-head games left against fellow wild card competitors, the team controls its fate. The Canes themselves are the ones who control whether or not they will be able to end the NHL’s longest active playoff drought.

ALEX ZACHMAN/TECHNICIAN Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal gets into the zone before a faceoff into the third period. Canes drop the Game to the Blues 2-1 at PNC Arena on Oct. 27 for a home record of 1-2-1. The Hurricanes are currently 7th in the Metropolitan Division.

*This story was written and published before the final results of Sunday’s Islanders, Devils and Flyers games.

Club Hockey looks to bring Admiral’s Cup back to Raleigh

Madison Bell

Staff Writer

The NC State club hockey team is heading to the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL) postseason tournament this weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia as the No. 3 seed to compete for the Admiral’s Cup.

The Wolfpack (14-6, 7-2 ACCHL) is set to take on James Madison University at Main Street Arena in Charlottesville for the quarterfinals.

If the Pack advances past the quarterfinals, it has the potential to face the No. 2 seed University of Virginia, who defeated NC State in last year’s Admiral’s Cup Finals.

NC State’s two league losses were an away loss against Charlotte and the only home loss of the season to Virginia. The season was highlighted by two wins in PNC Arena over UNC-Chapel Hill and an away win against the No. 5 tournament seed Wake Forest.

State is on a five-game winning streak heading into the tournament and is looking for another run to the championship game after having two consecutive appearances, both ending in losses for the Pack. The last time State won the Admiral’s Cup was back in 2011.

NC State is led by seven seniors, including forward Luis Gimenez who has 16 goals and 21 assists. Senior forward Sam Banasiewicz leads the team with 25 goals and 18 assists.

Freshman defenseman Cam Mazikowski will be a big factor for the Pack defensively and offensively heading into the tournament as he has scored 10 goals and has nine assists. Mazikowski recently received the league’s Rookie of the Year honors.

Junior forward Tyler Alfonzetti also received ACCHL Scholar Athlete of the Year and has contributed six goals and two assists.

In net, junior goalie Joey Hall has played the most games for the Pack and has a .893 save

SINDY HUANGTECHNICIAN Sam Banasiewicz, a fourth-year majoring in public relations, hits the hockey puck during the club hockey game against UNC-Chapel Hill on Jan. 29 in PNC Arena. The Wolfpack beat the Tar Heels 6-5 for its second Brickyard Brawl win this season.

Sports

TECHNICIAN

PAGE 13 • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2018

Wolfpack sweeps season series over rival Heels

Shrijan Tallury

Correspondent &

Kailee Jurnak

Correspondent

Sophomore Aislinn Konig scored all of her 18 points in the second half to help lead NC State women’s basketball team to a huge victory over rival UNCChapel Hill, 73-54, Sunday in Reynolds Coliseum.

Despite only making 34 percent of its shots from the field, the Pack (20-6, 9-4 ACC) used free throws and perimeter shooting to bury the Tar Heels (14-11, 4-8 ACC). The Pack hit nine 3-pointers and drained 16 free throws in the game. The Wolfpack had a great second quarter after being down by one at the end of the first. State held UNC to only 6 points, while pouring in 20 in the second frame in a balanced effort.

“A little sluggish start,” head coach Wes Moore said. “After the first quarter, we settled down and did a much better job taking care of the ball, getting back in transition defense.”

Redshirt sophomore Kaila Ealey scored all 9 of her points to lead State in the opening half. The scoring was spread around though, as senior Chelsea Nelson and redshirt junior Armani Hawkins had 8 points each, while redshirt junior Kiara Leslie poured in 7.

The second half belonged to Konig as she came out on fire, going 4 for 7 from the field with two 3-pointers in the third quarter. She continued the trend into the fourth going 3 for 6 with another two shots from distance. Konig ran the offense during this time, racking up three assists as well.

“I had a lot of opportunities to shoot the ball today,” Konig said. “Fortunately my teammates found me and I had prepared myself and let go of the past. Today it was a good day, Miami was a bad day, hopefully we have more good days than bad days.”

The Tar Heels were dangerous in the paint against the Pack and dealt some

WOLFPACK continued page 14

DAVID TRACEY/TECHNICIAN Sophomore guard Aislinn Konig drives to the basket against UNC on Sunday at Reynolds Coliseum. Konig scored a team-high 18 points, leading the team to a 73-54 victory. The win pushed the Wolfpack to 20-6 overall and 9-4 in the ACC

Pack softball starts 3-2

Ethan Barry

Staff Writer

The NC State softball team finished 3-2 in the FGCU Kickoff Classic in Fort Myers, Florida, to open the 2018 season.

The season started with a 12-2 mercyrule victory over Georgetown. Freshman third baseman Timberlyn Shurbutt started the scoring with a three-run double in the first inning. Freshman shortstop Chandley Garner led the offensive attack by going 2-3, including a grand slam in the third inning to help break open the game.

Also, freshman pitcher Kama Woodall threw a complete game, only allowing two runs in five innings. She walked one and struck out two to get the first win of her collegiate career.

Friday night, the Pack faced host Florida Gulf Coast and fell 7-2. Garner and sophomore left fielder Angie Rizzi led State at the plate with two hits apiece. Senior second baseman Alyssa Compton scored both runs for the Wolfpack. Sophomore pitcher Devin Wallace got the start and gave up five runs in five innings and took the loss.

Saturday afternoon the Wolfpack faced the Blackbirds from LIU-Brooklyn. Junior first baseman Cheyenne Balzer opened the scoring with a three-RBI double in the third inning, and State had 14 hits total. Including two each from Rizzi, Shurbutt, sophomore second baseman Haley Finn and freshman right fielder Sam Russ.

Russ scored three runs for the Pack on the way to a 10-1 win in five innings. Wallace got the win on the mound for State, throwing four innings and giving up one run.

The fourth game of the weekend was against the Ball State Cardinals. Woodall got the start for the Pack and pitched well until giving up five runs, two of them unearned in the sixth inning which broke the game open, as the Cardinals went on to win 8-2. Woodall fell to 1-1 on the season.

Russ had three hits to lead the way for State and Compton went 2-3 at the plate as well. The Pack combined for eight hits, but only had one extra base hit, a double from Russ.

State finished the weekend Sunday morning against Memphis and Wallace threw six excellent innings, allowing one run on two hits, while walking zero and striking out seven.

Offense was hard to come by, but Rizzi provided all the Pack would need with a two-run triple in the third inning. That was all the help Wallace and Woodall, who pitched the seventh, would need. The Tigers scored a run in the seventh, and had the tying run on second with none out, but were unable to tie it up against the Wolfpack. State won 2-1 and finished opening weekend with a 3-2 record.

State now enters the Big 10/ACC Challenge next weekend with a 3-2 record. The Pack will face Ohio State and Northwestern two times each at Dail Softball Stadium.

BRANDON LANG/TECHNICIAN Sophmore outfielder Angie Rizzi rounds second base as she watches the ball go into the outfield during the game against ECU. The Wolfpack defended Dail Softball Stadium winning game one 8-1 and tying game two 5-5 on Oct 6.

Sports

TECHNICIAN

PAGE 14 • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2018

Takeaways from Wolfpack’s tough week

Jake Caccavaro

Correspondent

On the heels of a three-game winning streak that saw NC State beat then-No. 10 UNC-Chapel Hill in the Dean Dome, and an 18-point home win over Notre Dame, the NC State men’s basketball team has now dropped two games in a row.

The Wolfpack (16-9, 6-6 ACC) dropped a road game against Virginia Tech, 85-75, on Wednesday in a game that saw the Wolfpack keep trying to creep back into the game after trailing by as many as 18 points in the second half.

On Saturday, the Wolfpack lost a close home game against the Tar Heels, 96-89. NC State led by as many as 9 points in the first half, but UNC closed out the half on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 2, and the Tar Heels quickly took the lead in the second half and never looked back.

After peaking at fifth in the ACC standings, NC State now sits in eighth place and is hoping to finish out the season strong in order to keep its tournament hopes alive. Here are four takeaways from the Wolfpack’s last two games:

Markell Johnson seems to be the only player capable of creating shots for teammates.

In each of the last two games, sophomore guard Markell Johnson has had more assists than the rest of the team combined; against Virginia Tech, Johnson had 10 assists to the rest of the team’s seven, and against UNC, Johnson picked up nine assists with the rest of the team garnering just eight.

Johnson has emerged as one of the best point guards in the ACC, but the Wolfpack will need guards Al Freeman, Torin Dorn and Braxton Beverly to pick up some of the playmaking duties when Johnson is on the bench or is ineffective

Torin Dorn is officially the Tobacco Road Killer.

Dorn, a senior guard from Charlotte has had his three best games of ACC play against NC State’s biggest rivals, Duke and UNC.

Dorn led the Wolfpack past then-No. 2 Duke at home earlier this season, scoring 16 points on 55 percent shooting from the field. What Wolfpack fans will likely remember forever, was Dorn’s game-clinching, and-1 3-pointer he hit in the final minutes of the game to propel the Wolfpack past Duke.

In the first matchup against UNC, Dorn scored 20 points on 53 percent shooting to go along with four rebounds and three assists. In the same game, Dorn also hit a season-high four 3-pointers on seven attempts.

On Saturday against the Heels, Dorn oneupped his previous performance. Dorn scored 21 points on 67 percent shooting and was a terror for the Tar Heels on the defensive end, nabbing three steals and helping force the Tar Heels into 19 turnovers.

Defense needs to step up if the Wolfpack wants to go dancing.

NC State’s defense has struggled as of late, allowing 85 points to Virginia Tech and 96 to UNC in what has been a season-long trend.

The Wolfpack defense was only able to force Virginia Tech into 11 turnovers on Wednesday and allowed guard Justin Robinson to explode for 32 points on just 17 shots. The Hokies shot over 63 percent from the field as a team and took the Wolfpack to school inside the 3-point line, shooting 71 percent from inside the arc.

UNC forward Luke Maye took his turn abusing the Wolfpack on Saturday, scoring a career-high 33 points, 27 of which came in a second half that saw NC State allow 61 points. UNC had its way with NC State, shooting 56 percent from the field and 36 percent from the 3-point line. If not for the Wolfpack forcing the Tar Heels into 19 turnovers, UNC likely would have put up 100 on the Pack.

Yurtseven not playing up to his size

Sophomore center Omer Yurtseven struggled on the boards against Virginia Tech and

DAVID TRACEY/TECHNICIAN Redshirt junior guard Torin Dorn drives the baseline against No. 21 UNC on Saturday at PNC Arena. Dorn scored a team-high 21 points, along with three rebounds and three steals in the Wolfpack’s 96-89 loss.

the Tar Heels to the tune of just five rebounds per game for the 7-footer from Turkey.

Yurtseven has never been the most prolific rebounder, and this problem reared its ugly head in a big way on Saturday against the Tar Heels. Yurtseven mustered just five rebounds, only one of which came on the offensive glass, and was constantly pushed around by Maye and forward Theo Pinson.

Maye dominated Yurtseven on the glass in the Wolfpack’s loss to the Tar Heels, bullying Yurtseven for 17 rebounds, eight of which were offensive rebounds. Maye was consistently able to box out Yurtseven for easy offensive boards, leading to second-chance opportunities for the Tar Heels.

The Wolfpack is going to need Yurtseven to play up to his size and assert himself on the glass if it wants to make a run in the ACC Tournament or the NCAA Tournament.

WOLFPACK

continued from page 13

tough blows. The Heels managed to go on an early 6-1 run. The Pack’s offense broke down a little when Konig received an unexpected pass before throwing it down low and out of bounds. This allowed the Tar Heels to maintain a five point lead 10-5.

The second quarter had a change in momentum as the Pack went on the offensive and quickly took back the lead and kept it for the rest of the game. State held UNC to only 6 points in the second quarter.

Hawkins found her rhythm on the floor, scoring two perimeter shots and a jump shot. Nelson got a rebound for a put back, and made her free throws for an 11 point advantage, 32-21.

“I’m happy to contribute any way I can and today was shooting,” Hawkins said. “I have to give it to my teammates for finding me and making a good pass and I’m glad I could hit the shots for them.” Hawkins tied her career high with 14 points, and hit a personal record four three-pointers.

The Pack was able to go into halftime with a 13-point lead, 34-21, after preventing the Tar Heels from scoring in the last three-and-a-half minutes.

Returning to the court, the Wolfpack was challenged by the Tar Heels, but for the entire second half, the team managed to easily keep its lead.

Part of the reason was that the Wolfpack slowed down and chose better shots to take. Instead of pulling up, Ealey bounce-passed the ball down to Konig who was cutting along the baseline for an easy layup.

The amount of fouls the Pack was able to draw out from its opponents was also a big factor as both Cassell and Nelson were able to shoot bonuses from the foul line and broke 50 points for a 20-point lead over UNC.

Now up by 21 points in the start of the final quarter, the Pack still refused to loosen up on offense as Konig and Hawkins hit a couple of perimeter shots.

Three-pointers weren’t the only focus for the team as Ealey and Konig made a fast break down opposite lanes for Ealey to assist Konig in a layup, putting the Pack up 70-45.

“I’m proud of this group,” Moore said. “Proud of them as any team I’ve had because as you said, not a lot was expected. They’ve got my back so far. And we’re not there yet, still some work to do.”

The Wolfpack will return for its final home game Sunday at noon for the annual Play4Kay game against Wake Forest in Reynolds Coliseum.

Classified

PAGE 15 • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2018

To place a classified ad, call 919.515.2411 or visit technicianonline.com/classifieds

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Near NCSU: Exceptional 3,4, & 5 Bedroom Houses Close to Campus. Available August 1st for upcoming school year. Very attractive. Ideal for students. Call Day: 919-833-7142 and Evening: 919-783-9410. Please visit our Website: www.jansenproperties.com

APARTMENTS FOR RENT

3 Bedrom 2.5 bath Townhouse Camden Crossing $1300 per month 3 Bedroom, 2.5 bathroom Townhouse in popular Camden Crossing. All appliances including washer/dryer, lawn maintenance included, pool, clubhouse and fitness room. Perfect for students and young professionals. Available August 1st for the 2018-19 school year. Call Alan at 919-909-9686 for viewing. Email robinjonesnc@gmail.com

SPRING BREAK

BAHAMAS SPRING BREAK $189 for 5-Days. All prices include: Round-trip luxury party cruise. Accommodations on the island at your choice of ten resorts. Appalachia Travel. www.BahamaSun.com 800-867-5018

YEARBOOK SALE! $68 AGROMECK

ENDS MARCH 9

Order the 2017-2018 Agromeck, NC State’s official yearbook and most award-winning publication, at ncsu.edu/agromeck and Own Your Year!

@NCSUAGROMECK

@NCSUAGROMECK

/AGROMECK

Level: 1 2 3 4

ACROSS 1 Send (to), as an inferior place 9 Partner of Paul and Mary 14 Trite 15 WWII bomber __

Gay 16 Trifling matters 18 Iroquois enemies 19 Editor’s “never mind” 20 IRS form IDs 21 One out on the lake, e.g. 24 Cookie holder 27 Focal point in a theater 29 That girl 32 18-wheeler 33 Tablet with Mini and Pro versions 34 John Paul Jones was a commander in it 39 Chevy subcompact 40 Rowlands of

“The Notebook” 41 Originally named 42 May observance for those who died in military service 46 Two-__ tissue 47 Troubled state 48 Has a midnight snack, say 52 __ upon a time ... 53 Kate’s TV sidekick 54 Statesman born 2/12/1809 whose surname can precede the starts of four long puzzle answers 59 Señor’s squiggle 60 Schemed 61 Bottomless chasm 62 Ones storming the castle, say

By Jerry Edelstein

DOWN 1 Lassos 2 Activist Medgar 3 Russian Revolution Level: 1leader 4 Diving seabirds2 3 4 5 Fellows 6 Busy __ bee 7 Bill with Hamilton on it 8 NYC summer hrs. 9 Be a nuisance to 10 Goes in 11 Promote big-time 12 North Pole worker 13 U.K. flying squad 17 East, to 48-Down 21 “__ there, done that” 22 “I’ve got this round” 23 Prickling with excitement 24 Tokyo’s country 25 Tequila source 26 Color again, as hair 27 TV forensic series 28 __ Pan Alley 29 Rascal 30 Ramshackle home 31 Hostile force 35 In addition 36 Kennedy and Koppel 37 Gray’s subj. 38 Dismiss from work temporarily, with “off” 43 Put spots in magazines 44 Foot’s 12 45 Side squared, for a square 48 Legendary

Spanish hero 49 “__ like ours /

Could never die ... ”: Beatles 50 Flooring specialist 51 Mails 52 Paris airport 53 Kendrick of

“Twilight” 54 One step __ time 55 Baby’s spilled food protector 56 1101, to Romans 57 Chaney of horror 58 Bill for mdse.

2/12/18 Saturday’s Puzzle Solved

©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC 2/12/18