US ready for much different Canada team

The United States mens hockey team has to be prepared for a different Canadian team if they want to return home with Olympic gold.

It all begins in goal where hometown hero Roberto Luongo will attempt to stop the American attack. Martin Brodeur was shaky in allowing four goals the last time the two teams squared off. He was replaced as the starter after that game and ever since the Canadians haven’t shown much of a weakness in goal.

The Canadians have been one of the top teams ever since they lost to the US squad back on February 21st. They have beaten Germany, Russia and Slovakia throughout the elimination round of the tournament. They outscored their opponents 18-7 during that span as well.

The United States, on the other hand, earned a bye in the first round by shocking the world and landing the top seed in the tournament. They out-toughed a gritty Swiss team 2-0 and cruised past Finland 6-1 to earn a chance to win gold for their country.

Canada survived a major scare in the semifinals against the Slovaks; as the US squad scored six goals in the first period and rested their stars (including starting goalie Ryan Miller) during the rest of the game.

The day the US thumped Finland to move into the gold medal game, the Canadians built a 3-0 lead on Slovakia only to require a desperate Luongo save in the final seconds to hang on to a 3-2 win.

If it’s any sign of the quality of competition, Finland then beat Slovakia to claim the bronze medal 5-3.

The Americans have every reason in the world to be confident, but it will take more than an ego boost to take down the Canadians on their own ice.

USA outwills Switzerland 2-0

It was around 4:40 in the afternoon on Wednesday, February 24th. The third period of the quarterfinal game between the United States men’s hockey team and the countering team from Switzerland was just beginning. It was also the defining moment for Ron Wilson and his US team in the 2010 Olympics.

The first two periods were played to a 0-0 deadlock. Swiss goalie Jonas Hiller had turned aside 32 American shots and was single-handedly responsible for his team being remotely close to being competitive. The Americans had thrown everything at Hiller and the Swiss net with nothing to show for it.

This would be frustrating for any team, but the way the second period ended could have broken the backs of a team that no one expected to be playing in the top position.

In the waning moments of the middle period, USA’s Ryan Kesler threw the puck on goal in a desperate attempt to find some offense. For the next two seconds the entire arena seemed to hold it’s breathe as the puck fluttered into the air. Hiller tried to swat the puck out of harms way to let the period expire, but instead the shaft of his stick nicked the edge of the puck, causing it to tumble towards the open Swiss net. The pucks path included a bounce off of Hiller’s shoulder as it careened backward.

As the puck crossed the goal line and nestled into the back of the net, the Americans celebrated and the arena’s goal horn sounded, seemingly ending the long search for offense on the United States’ bench. There was just one problem; there was no time left on the clock.

As the referees conferred and the benches pleaded their cases, videos were shown in the arena and on network television. As the arena crowd watched the video and corresponding clock, both cheers and jeers were loudly heard. The puck sat directly on the thin red line as the clock ticked down to 0.0 seconds. Evidence showed that the puck was around one tenth of a second away from crossing the goal line in time to count, marking another disappointing result for Team USA.

This is where the game could have turned.

The United States could have traveled down two different roads. They could have been deflated, feeling that there was just nothing they could do to score a goal that would actually count. However, they chose a different road, a road that included a never say die attitude implemented by Wilson and carried out by top-line forward Zach Parise.

Parise scored two third period goals to give the United States a less than comfortable win and a birth into the semifinals to face the winner of the game between Finland and the Czech Republic.

With the US on an early third period power play, the Americans showed their resolve and stuck with their game plan of simply continuing to try to crack the armor Hiller seemed to be hiding under his chest protector. Brain Rafalski, whose two goals helped the US defeat Canada earlier this week, fired a wrist shot from just inside the blueline. His shot was strategically tipped on goal by Parise, up and over Hiller for the first goal of the game and the first sigh of relief for the US players. The puck barely avoided being cleared away by Switzerland’s Thierry Paterlini as it slowly trickled into the goal past an outstretched Hiller.

Perhaps both teams seemed to relax a bit too much as the game really seemed to open up from there.

Just over a minute after the US took it’s much-deserved lead, Sandy Jeannin of the Swiss team took a pretty pass into the US zone and out waited a challenging Ryan Miller. He slid the puck past Miller’s pad and appeared to have tied the game. However, the puck grazed off the post and Kesler was there to save the day, sweeping the puck off the vacant goal line.

A mere 29 seconds after the Swiss scoring scare, the Americans came blasting into the Swiss zone. Patrick Kane grabbed the puck from a hustling Kesler and fed it back to defenseman Ryan Suter. Suter fired a snap shot which found the side of the net off to Hiller’s stick side. The horn again sounded, but referee Paul Devorski immediately waved the goal off saying Kesler, who just played hero at one side of the rink, interfered with Mathias Seger in front of the net. Instead of the 2-0 lead, the Americans were forced to kill a penalty.

They killed that penalty and held off any other Swiss attack that was formulated, resulting in Hiller having to be pulled for an extra attacker in the final seconds. Parise poked the puck off a Swiss stick and hurried to wrist a shot into a wide open net for his second goal of the period and an insurmountable 2-0 lead.

Ryan Miller recorded a 19-save shutout, the first since Mike Richter did it against Germany in 2002.

The Americans celebrated as if the gold medal was theirs after the game, but in order to capture something the US hasn’t claimed in 30 years they will need to continue their strong effort into the next game, staying focused and maintaining their hungry attitude as the hopes of a nation rest on their starred shoulders.

US Hockey proves it belongs

For all the talk about how young of a team USA hockey has, I suppose someone forgot to tell the Canadians to show some respect for the old guns.

The Red Wings Brian Rafalski scored two goals for the second straight game and Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller recorded 42 saves as the underdog American team beat Canada 5-3 Sunday night in Vancouver.

Much has been noted about the Americans being the youngest team in the tournament, but it was the likes of Rafalski, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Chris Drury (all Olympic veterans) who helped seal USA’s win over the favored Canadians. Ryan Kesler added an empty-net goal for the Americans, marking the lone Olympic rookie to tally for the red, white, and blue.

The Americans are now 3-0 and have done it in convincing fashion. They have scored the most goals in the tournament (one that includes a team featuring Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuck and Pavel Datsyuk; and another one that features Sidney Crosby, Joe Thornton, and Jarome Iginla) and have gotten solid goaltending out of Miller – making this team one of the favorites to medal in this years Olympic Games.

On the other side, the Canadians looked as if they were lost.

One point that will stick out in many minds as a defining moment was when Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal , who arguably was one of the better players in a Canadian jersey on the night, almost knocked out teammate Corey Perry with an accidental hit. Those two were joined by defenseman Chris Pronger who skated into them, falling over the two bodies. As the three high-profile NHL stars sat on the ice in a pile of red one could only wonder if maybe this was the Americans night.

Canada looked to have the strongest roster of any team going into the Olympics, including the goaltending position. With hometown hero Roberto Luongo, Stanley Cup Champion Marc-Andre Fluery, and Olympic hero Martain Brodeur it looked as if any team was going to have trouble putting pucks into the Canadian net. This, all of a sudden, doesn’t seem to be the case.

While Luongo looked solid against Norway to open the tournament, Brodeur has looked only like a shell of his former self. In his last NHL game before the Olympic Break Brodeur looked shaky and was eventually yanked in a 5-2 loss to the streaking Carolina Hurricanes. This tournament has looked no different for the former gold medal winner.

Brodeur showed his athleticism midway through the first period by batting the puck out of midair on a dump-in but he turned the puck over to Rafalski and tried to slide into a two pad stack to stop the defenseman’s wrist shot but was off his mark and fell awkwardly to the ice as the American’s scored.

Every time it appeared the Canadians were taking strides to looking like the team hyped to win the gold medal, they took a step back and the Americans were taking advantage of any mistake they could find.

Staal tied the game at one in the first on a brilliant deflection off a shot by Chicago’s Brent Seabrook, but Brodeur’s miscue allowed the Americans to take the lead again just twenty-three seconds later. USA carried a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

Midway through the second period it appeared as if Canada was finally hitting it’s stride. Dany Heatley eluded USA’s defense and slammed in an easy rebound of a Jonathan Toews shot past Miller to tie the game at two. Canada then began to carry the play as Miller was forced to make big save after big save, keeping the Americans in the game. The Americans stuck to their game plan and were forced to weather numerous waves of Canadian offense.

Then it was Brodeur…

With the Americans surrounding the net and creating havoc in the crease for Brodeur, Chris Drury tucked home a rebound after Brodeur foolishly dove after a Bobby Ryan shot. He missed the puck as Ryan chipped it into the crease to a wide-open Drury. This time the Americans were not looking back.

The 3-2 lead lasted into the third period until Rafalski let a booming slapshot go on the powerplay. The shot clicked off of former Devils teammate, and team USA captain Langenbrunner and between Brodeur’s pads for a two goal advantage.

It appeared as if the Americans would nurse that lead until the end, but penalty trouble began to catch up with them as they took two late-game penalties to allow Canada a chance to get back into the game. Team USA showed poise and patience in killing off a Patrick Kane hooking call but two minutes later St. Louis Blues defenseman Erik Johnson was whistled for tripping and the Canadians knew this powerplay was do or die for them.

Duncan Keith held in a USA clearing attempt with under four minutes to go in the game and swept the put down low to Rick Nash. Nash then centered the puck in front of Miller. The puck glanced off Sidney Crosby and through Miller to make this much anticipated game even more suspenseful.

With the game in doubt, Ryan Miller proves his worth to the team by standing on his head stopping Canadian shot after shot to preserve the lead. His excellance in goal led to Zach Parise flipping the puck out to center ice to a rushing Kelser who beat Perry to the puck and flipped it into the empty net sealing one of the most improbable American victories since their 1980 gold medal run.

While it may not count in the end, the victory gives American hockey high hopes for the elimination portion of the tournament and for future World Championships and Olympic Games.

Local Notes:

Finnish players Tuomo Ruutu and Joni Pitkanen followed their first goals against Germany with a dissappointing 3-0 loss to defending gold medalists Sweden. Pitkanen received a five minute major penalty and a game misconduct for elbowing Sweden’s Patric Hornqvist on the head. As a result he will be suspended for Finland’s quarterfinal-round game.

Miller finally claims Olympic gold

Bode Miller celebrates on the potium after winning his first Olympic gold medal in the men's alpine skiing super-combined.

It was a day on the perfectly groomed slopes of Whistler Mountain in Vancouver that Bode Miller had been dreaming about his whole life. When he reached the bottom of a nearly flawless run in the men’s super combined, he took a moment, breathed a sigh of relief, held both of his arms over his head, and showed an uncharacteristic glistening smile to the cheering crowd. It was a Bode Miller we had never seen before, a gold medalist, a champion.

After Miller’s horrendous performance at the 2006 Torino Winter Olympic games going in as a favorite to sweep gold and came out as the laughing stock of the American skiing team, the media proclaimed “bad boy” completely turned the tides in this year’s games and silenced the critics by finally winning the gold medal he had been waiting for his whole career.

So far in these games, Miller has had one of the most impressive performances of any athlete in these winter games, winning a medal in every event he has competed in. He has taken silver in Men’s Super G, bronze in Men’s downhill and finally the gold medal in Men’s Super Combined. In these Vancouver Olympic games, Miller has transformed himself from an Olympic wash-out into one of the best men’s skiiers of all-time.

“It was unbelievable,” Miller said. “I couldn’t ask for anything more…. It was absolutely perfect,” and on Sunday afternoon, he had every reason to cheer about his accomplishments. Four years ago, this performance seemed impossible and unimaginable for Miller to produce after he was dubbed as more of a partier than a skiier. Quietly and confidently, Miller came into these games under the radar and with no expectations for him to deliver. Regardless of the fact he has two more events remaining, he will leave Vancouver proud and dignified for standing firmly on the top podium singing the national anthem with the upmost pride.

“I skied with 100 percent heart. I didn’t hold anything back,” Miller said. “It’s just awesome. There’s nothing else to say. The way I executed, the way I skied, is something I’ll be proud of the rest of my life.” Millers efforts in Vancouver not only rejuvinated himself as an Olympic champion, but showed the world he is a different person then he was four years ago. This is one of the great comeback stories of the two week event in Vancouver and Miller has certainly made his mark on the history of the winter games.

*Quotes compiled with help from The Salt Lake Tribune*

Underachieving Pack oust inconsistant Deacons

Pack's CJ Williams (21) contests Deacons Al-Farouq Aminu's (01) layup.

After losing seven straight Atlantic Coast Conference games and realistically squandering any hopes at earning a trip to a postseason tournament, the North Carolina State Wolfpack knew their season was soon coming to a screeching hault.

Although, the Wolfpack (15-13 overall, 3-10 ACC) uncharacteristically came out and played one of their most complete games of the season in defeating the No. 23 Wake Forest Demon Deacons 68-54 at the RBC Center on Saturday afternoon. From start to finish, the underachieving Wolfpack showed the 15,324 fans in attendance what they were capable of producing in another failed season, as far as N.C. State fans are concerned.

The win by the Wolfpack on Saturday was the fifth consecutive victory over the Demon Deacons in Raleigh. It was an all-around team effort from N.C. State with five players scoring in double figures. Pack leading scorer junior Tracy Smith dropped 14 points and senior Farnold Degand followed closely behind adding 13.

For Wake Forest (18-7, 8-5), it was a puzzling loss that left Demon Deacon fans scratching their heads on the lack of consistency their club plays with at times. With eight wins in the ACC this season and currently fourth place in the standings, the Deacons are in good position to earn an NCAA tournament berth, and with their talent and potential, they have a great opportunity to make a deep run. But, with lackluster losses by Dino Gaudio’s squad as today’s loss was, many people wonder whether they will have enough gas left in the tank to even compete in the postseason.

“Our offense really hurt us today. But you can’t win, especially on the road, if you turn the ball over 23 times,” Dino Gaudio, Wake head coach said after this afternoons loss. The Deacons were 0 for 12 from behind the three-point arc, and had an overall 34.8 percent shooting from the field. Nothing seemed to be functioning properly on the offensive side of the ball for Wake Forest today.

Regardless of Wake Forest’s offensive woes throughout the game, credit has to be given to the defensive work that State put in for a full forty minutes in shutting down Ishmael Smith and the dangerous Wake Forest offfense. “You have to stop their transition offense or they will beat you every time,” said Wolfpack head coach Sidney Lowe said of his teams work on defense.” As far as that aspect, it’s probably the best defensive game we’ve played. Our kids were committed and it showed.”

It was a third impressive win over a ranked ACC opponent for the Wolfpack, and with performances like today, it makes you wonder where this N.C. State team could have been this season if they had played up to their full potential for more than three dodgy games. It was rushing the court after a 14 point victory over No. 6 Duke, or a 31 point shooting barrage by freshman sharpshooter Scott Wood for a big on the road win at Florida State 88-81, which showed the potential of this talented Wolfpack squad. But they know that three conference wins is simply not good enough in such a storied program with such high standards.

Today’s win was a sign of hope and possibility once again for N.C. State but its the same song and dance we have seen brief glimpses of for four years. Until they change their easily giving up attitude into a championship mentality, N.C. State Men’s Basketball will continue to be an underachieving program that will never reach its maximum potential.

*Quotes compiled with help from Gopack.com*

USA dominant in Winter Olympics

American Shani Davis skates to win the Gold Medal in the men’s 1000 meter Short Track race.

In the first week of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, there have been so many action-packed story lines, it is hard to even know where to begin. There have been fatal falls, tragic deaths, tears of joy shed, jubilation of victory, and squandered opportunities in these winter games which have provided the world with one of the most enjoyable and quality weeks this event has to offer. It has become an art to watch these world-class athletes conquer the seemingly impossible at the highest level of their sport. The competition has been gut-wrenching, races have been determined by one hundredth of a second, and every competitor is one wrong turn away from a lifetime of shattered dreams. So far though, the big winner of these Winter Olympics has been the fans.

As of Friday, February 19, the United States Olympic team is in cruise control in almost all aspects claiming twenty medals and not slowing down anytime soon. Beginning in men’s Downhill skiing, 2002 Salt Lake City flopping disappointment, Bode Miller has shown he is out for more than just participation and recognition this winter games. Thus far, he has silenced many of his doubters and claimed two medals in these games, a bronze medal in Downhill, and a silver medal in the super-G title. On Sunday, Miller will have his eyes on the prize during his third and final medal race, the Super-Combined Downhill which he will hope to claim hardware in and cement himself as a tri-medal champion in these games.

On the women’s side of the skiing circuit, the proclaimed “best women’s skier of all-time”, Lindsey Vonn had a tragic beginning to her third Winter Olympics by badly crashing in a practice run a day before the games and damaging her left shin. Many thought she was going to miss her events due to this injury, although, there was nothing that was going to bring this champion down. In her first women’s Downhill race, Vonn cruised to the gold medal crown, the first, and certainly not the last of her budding career. Although the second race did not go as picture perfect as the first. Instead of overcoming adversity to win gold, in Thursdays women’s Super Combined, Vonn clipped a gate and crashed after being the events leader following the downhill portion and shattering her attempts at a second medal, temporarily.

In the snowboarding events in this years winter games, the constant topic of conversation has been the “flying tomato”, also known as Shaun White. After winning the gold medal for men’s halfpipe in the 2006 Torino games, it became clear that White was going to have a target on his back throughout the competition in his pursuit of defending his crown. Although, it seemed as though nobody was even close to competing with White who cruised into the gold and buried his competition after just his first run. With his recapturing of gold at this years games, he became the first ever  snowboarder to successfully defend the Gold medal in halfpipe, a result that he had always dreamed of achieving growing up. After landing his new prized trick, the Double McTwist 1260 on his first run and mesmerizing the crowd with his free-flowing talent, he gracefully celebrated winning gold again, and gave the Vancouver faithful a victory lap of a second run simply because, well, he’s Shaun White.

Seth Wescott also added a gold medal to his impressive resume after a  glamorous run in the final race to defend his gold medal crown in the Snowboard Cross event and claim his prize once again. It was another unbelievable run from Wescott who has proven himself as a world champion and rapped himself in his grandfathers World War II flag over his shoulders after another valiant winning moment.

In the men’s Speed skating competition, Apollo Anton Ohno has become one of the most well-known and greatest Olympic champions in the sport and is an icon for this event. On Saturday, February 13, Ohno skated to his sixth medal of his career and won silver in the men’s 1500 meter short track race. As great a mark as he has already set, he knows he is not even close to being satisfied. He still has three races left in these Vancouver games, the men’s 500 and 1000 meter Short track races and the 5000 meter relay race, and has a great chance to become the best and most decorated Speed Skater of all time.

Another incredible American Speed Skating talent, Shani Davis, has already claimed a gold medal in these Vancouver games by successfully defending his 1000 meter Short Track title from the Torino games. By taking gold in the 1000 again, this puts his complete focus now on the 1500 meter race, a race he is the world-record holder in but will be facing fellow American and rival Chad Hedrick who won bronze in the men’s 1000 meter and considers the 1500 his best event. This will be a must see race since Hedrick made the rivalry even more interesting by beating Davis twice in the past few months leading up to these games.

This has been one of the most exciting and fulfilling first weeks for the American’s in the Winter Olympic games in quite some time. This is just another reflection of the dominance the United States has shown in their winter sports and development programs for the variety of worldwide events. This next week is certain to be a crowd-pleaser as well, but it will have a tough act to follow.

Mcdonald’s team selected recruiting classes set

Ryan Harrow hopes to bring excitement to N.C. State Hoops next season.

After the 2010 High School Mcdonald’s All-American team was selected on Sunday, there was a lot of noise in the triangle about the selections. Although most would think the noise came from the UNC Tar Heels having three players on the sqad, the real controversy came when NC State’s top recruit, point guard Ryan Harrow was left off the roster. It was a suprising and rather interesting decision that left many triangle fans speculating and scratching their heads on this decision.

The Heels three recruits, all of which are five star recruits, were all a part of the All-American roster, as expected. The group included point guard Kendal Marshall, shooting guard Reggie Bullock, and the number one overall recruit on the ESPN U Rankings, Harrison Barnes from Aimes Iowa.  A team that many fans are talking surprising less about regarding their 2010 recruiting class is the Duke Blue Devils. This is nothing out of the ordinary for Duke who usually makes little noise about their recruits and quietly takes care of their recruiting business, although that takes nothing away from the quality players they are bringing in for next season. Five star point guard and budding talent Kyrie Irving was named to the All-American roster and will compete for a starting spot on next year’s Blue Devils roster which will be loaded with talent and promise to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. They are also adding four star 6′ 8″ power forward Joshua Hairston and three star Tyler Thorton.

Both UNC and Duke are bringing in a pleathora of new talent to add to their already star-studded rosters and this can only mean one thing, the Duke-Carolina Tobacco Road rivalry is going to finally beback. Im tired of this years matchup of weak defense and conservative offensive sets, with the game flowing like a boring chess match. Next year’s games are going to be high-flying, back and forth gut renching dogfights, just like the rivalry games of the past that left everybody at the edges of their seats for forty minutes. The rivalry games we are all too familiar with witnessing first hand in this triangle rivalry, arguably the best in college sports.

Although as their are two powerhouse programs just down the road from one another only getting better as a program and recruiting more talent, we often forget about the once great Wolfpack of North Carolina State who contended for ACC Titles and were used to making deep runs in the NCAA Tournament and even occasionally winning a National Title. Blasphemy you might be saying to yourself after seeing this ACC celar squad embarrass their program’s name for the past four seasons, failing to make the NCAA Tournament for all four seasons under head coach Sidney Lowe. Well at one peak point in this schools basketball history, they were competition to Duke and UNC and encorporated themselves in the “Big Three” teams of the triangle and were feared competition on the national stage as well. Those days are clearly gone and passed but the solution to all of N.C. State’s problems might be on the way, or at they will do anything to believe that.

The 2010 men’s basketball recruiting class for North Carolina State is looking like one of the best to date that they have produced in quite some time. After lackluster performances and negative attitudes that have plagued this hitory-rich program for nearly half a decade now, help may finally be headed to Raleigh.

The class is led by Ryan Harrow, the 6′ 0″ five star point guard from Marrieta, Georgia. He is passionate, loves the game, and plays harder than anyone who has signed with State in quite some time. He has had countless “all-star” performances throughout his high school season this winter. Most notably came at the GlaxoSmithKline Invitational tournament at Broughton High School where he put on a show for the Triangle with his 36 point dominating effort in a 61-60 win over Millbrook and a 23 point first half scoring barage against Reggie Bullock and Kinston High School while he was very sick and collapsed during the game when he tried to come back in the second half. If thats not passion, then I dont know what is. It’s as much excitement has had in a recruit in quite some time and gives the Pack a glimmer of hope against old foes Duke and Carolina. Other top high school recruits include five star 6-4 guard Lorenzo Brown from Hargrave Miltary school in Virginia. Brown spent an extra year in high school to get his grades up and develop into more of a top class player. State also got a verbal commit from four star 6′ 8″ power forward Luke Cothron from Red Springs, North Carolina and is still in the running for #8 recruit in the nation C.J. Leslie of Word of God who decommitted from N.C. State back in 2008.

All in all, it was good to see UNC and Duke represented well with a combined four players on the Mcdonald’s All-American team roster but a surprising decision for Harrow to be left off the squad. Regardless of this controversial decision, Pack fans have a lot to look forward to with the 2010 recruiting class finally bringing the college basketball excitement back to Raleigh.

Canes believe in playoff hopes

Eric Staal #12 and Brian Gionta #14 face off in Game 6 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

After the way the Carolina Hurricanes began the first half of the 2009-2010 season, nobody thought people would still be attending the games much less have a chance at making the playoffs within their reach. Many thought that when the Canes reached the cellar of the National Hockey League with the worst record and the least amount of points that there was no chance whatsoever to make up for this complete debacle of a campaign.  Turns out, they were wrong, very wrong.

With twenty-two games remaining in the regular season and one game before the Olympic break, the Canes are ten points out of the eighth and final playoff spot, a position they could not have dreamed about being in three months ago. On a five game winning streak and winning eight of their last ten games, they have found themselves with all the momentum going forward and in the midst of their best run of the season.

Tonight, the Hurricanes will face the New Jersey Devils, an Eastern Conference foe they are all too familiar with, having squared off many times in pivotal situations, but none may be bigger to Carolina than picking up two points tonight. The Hurricanes know if they can pull of the win tonight at the RBC Center in Raleigh, and get their sixth straight win, this playoff dream could soon be a reality. The Olympic Break will also be very valuable to Jim Rutherford and his organization because it will give them two weeks to ten days or so to recuperate, iron out any final kinks, and practice hard for this final push at a playoff position.

The Carolina Hurricanes are making daring and important decisions to somehow salvage this proclaimed “underachieving and dissapointing” that fans were quick to call it early on in this up-and-down shaky year. Yesterday, veteran center Matt Cullen was dealt to the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Alexandre Picard and a second-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft just five days after the Canes traded defenseman Niclas Wallin and a fifth-round pick to the San Jose Sharks for a second-round draft pick. These were clearly tough decisions that the organization had to make but could be the difference in the future of acquiring young talents in the NHL Draft to improve this franchise. “We’re in tough economic times now, and that’s part of the reason why we have to make trades like we made today, when we have to say goodbye to a player we really, really like,” Rutherford said about shipping Cullen off to the Senators.

At this stage in the season, it is  important to see the all too familiar elegant display of of quality hockey that became expected in Raleigh after the Stanley Cup Championship in 2006 and the deep run at the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Everything is clicking right now for the squad in red and white and for the first time all season, they are getting solid production on both the offensive and defensive end of the puck on a consistent nightly basis. “You can see it. It shows in our play. Guys aren’t afraid to let the other guy do his job. It makes the game easier when you believe in each other,” Manny Legace, the Canes goaltender who replaced Cam Ward who went to the bench with a back injury.

With a win tonight, the belief is back for the Carolina Hurricanes to make a real push at the postseason against all odds. It would be an opportunity to silence all the critics and doubters who counted them out months ago. We know with this group that with the belief of their team and heart of their fans, there is nothing stopping them from success.

*Quotes compiled with help from News and Observer*

Heels Pack meet with respect to play for

Tracy Smith is swarmed by three UNC defenders in last years meeting.

With the bottom two teams in the ACC Men’s Basketball standings meeting for the second time of this 2010 season, for the first time in quite some time, neither UNC nor N.C. State have anything left to play for other than pride and respect. Closing in on the final weeks of the season, both storied programs have severely underachieved throughout, one coming off a historical and triumphant National Title run and the other in the midst of a five year NCAA Tournament appearance drought. When the Tar Heels 14-11 (2-7) meet the Wolfpack 13-11 (2-8) this afternoon in the Dean Dome at Chapel Hill, the biggest motivation for either team will be winning a rivalry game that means the world to both schools pride and morale.

After hearing the news on Thursday that sophomore center and projected lottery pick Ed Davis will be out for six weeks with a broken wrist, it felt like nothing could go right for the National Champs. The type of season that the Heels have suffered is unfamiliar territory for most of this young roster who were used to the play makers and veterans of last season to bail them out when the game, and even more importantly, the season was on the line. When tonight, both Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson’s numbers will be retired and will forever hang in the rafters of the historical Dean Dome, It will be difficult for Roy to not flashback to just a year ago when he was brought to tears in Detroit after dominating his way to his second national title in five years. Although, he knows now that the situation he is currently in is quite less surreal and glamorous.

At this point in the the minds of N.C. State fan purists, the time has come to be counting the days until Sidney Lowe will be replaced as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach. After Herb Sendek took the Pack to five straight NCAA Tournament berths and two Sweet Sixteen appearances, the expectations were marginally high for Lowe to provide instant results. Instead, this “always wanting something better” mentality that N.C. State has lived and died by has backfired during Lowe’s reign, failing to reach the NCAA or NIT tournaments in any of his four tiring seasons. Although, with the recruiting class of two five star and a four star recruits and still in pursuit of Word of Gods C.J. Leslie, (#8 in the nation on Rivals.com) help- might be on the way to digging out this program from the depths of defeat.

Already with a huge win over secondary rival Duke by a 84-71 margin earlier this season, the Pack has shown they can rise to the occasion on the big stage. But with inconsistent shotting and lackluster performances down the stretch, who knows what Wolfpack team will show up in tonight’s clash with the Heels. The Tar Heels will do anything for a win tonight after dropping the past four of five games and being plagued with front-court injuries, North Carolina is running out of time to prove their case for post season play, even the NIT is in jeopardy at this point.

It would take a miracle for either of these teams to contend for any trophies this season or climb out of this pit of losses they have forced themselves into this season but tonight is the first place to get begin to get back on track. Known as one of the best rivalries in college hoops and with pride on the line, look for both teams to put it all on the line and fight till their deaths to get the win  tonight.