RailHawks fair well in International Friendly

RailHawks striker Andriy Budnyy goes in for a sliding tackle against the Mexican Olympic Team

CARY ———– On Sunday evening under the bright lights at Wake Med Soccer Park in Cary, the Carolina RailHawks survived a shooting barrage from the Mexican Olympic Team to secure a 1-1 draw. Under tornado warning conditions, and continuous rain showers throughout the match, the RailHawks gutted out a hard-fought and much needed result in this International Friendly. The Hawks lone goal came from the boot of Andriy Budnyy in stoppage time at the end of the first half. In what was the final play of the first half, Budnyy stepped up to the ball and took advantage of the lackluster challenge by the Mexican Olympic Team and struck a powerful rip,  skidding off the slick ground, and past goalkeeper Alejandro Dautt into the far post netting. Budnyy changed his shot at the last minute when he saw teammate Matt Watson attract attention and take someone off the defensive wall, which allowed for the open far post angle. “I saw Matt Watson make a run past me and took someone off the wall which opened the back corner and had me change my shot at the last minute,” Budnyy later explained regarding the free kick goal.

The goal put the home squad in the locker room at the break with the one goal advantage, but to Carolina’s dismay, their scoring would continue, for the wrong team. In the 53rd minute, RailHawks defender and veteran captain Mark Schulte came into the box to defend a curling cross at the near post. When Schulte desperately flailed his foot out to intercept the service, his boot redirected the spinning cross and tucked it into his own net past a helpless Nic Platter in net and knotting the score at 1-1. “It’s was just a fluke, unlucky deflection. It happens and there’s nothing you can do, its part of the game,” Platter said. It was a great performance from the goalkeeper who made many key saves and provided the leadership and consistency to secure the draw. “It’s good to be on the field after preseason and training, it feels good. It’s a great feeling to come in and finally contribute a full 90 minutes in front of the fans,” he added.
With a plethora of shots being fired from all cylinders by the Mexican National Team during the second half, the momentum, seemed completely turned upside down after Schulte’s own goal gaff. It was a physical, aggressive, and at times personal affair between the two squads, with feisty tackles, and physical disputes. It was a high-energy, exhilarating atmosphere for the players and fans involved that made this affair so unique, with Mexican Olympic fans waving flags, blowing horns. At times, it felt like the game was being played in the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
The RailHawks supporters went toe to toe with the Mexican faithful in crowd support throughout the match. The passionate group of supporters call themselves the Tri Soccer Fanatics. They cheer, drum, and sing their hearts out every game in section 204 and are a big reason why the energy is always pumping through the park.
Keylor Halbur, a 23 year old die-hard member of the Tri Soccer Fanatics, said, “It’s cool to go back and forth with the other fans. Whey they yell MEXICO, we chant RAILHAWKS right back at them. It’s fun, and it’s not an everyday thing to have opposing fans to have cheering wars against.” Halbur has been a member since this year but has been coming to the games for years. He is just one of the fifty faithful RailHawks supporters in the group. “It’s cool to be part of a group that’s knowledgeable about the game. It’s a melting pot, we have guys from all over the country.”
The RailHawks game Sunday night offered so much more than 90 minutes of competitive, gut-wrenching football. There were tons of activities and events around Wake Med Park’s grounds Sunday that brought so much more to the game than 22 athletes playing on the field.
Under a tent and attracting a crowd behind the stadium was the live music band, “Sin Reservas.” They are a well-known band from Church Hope Café in the Hispanic Ministry. Sin Reservas play at many local community events, although, none as big a spectacle as the Carolina Railhawks game versus their home countries national squad. The genre of music varies playing all different types of music such as jazz, rock, latin pop, rap and reggatone. The event means a lot to the musical group says Jose Rivas, member of the band. “Being able to get the Latin people and American people to work together and bring a message of hope and inspiration is important and was a pleasure to bring to the Railhawks,” Rivas said.
All in all, it was a frustrating match offensively again for the RailHawks, having continual trouble constructing offensive chances and attacking with numbers up on offense. After the match, Manager Martin Rennie said, “I thought defensively we did a good job shutting their attack down. The season is still very young, only two games into regular season play, but they know that improvement has to be made in the upcoming weeks if they want to contend for a USSF Division II professional league crown.
Carolina can take a lot of experience and match play away from the battle against the Mexican Olympic Team. “We worked on some things this week and I think we did better at it,” Rennie said on his squads performance. Carolina will return to league play on May 1, when they will play the Rochester Rhinos in Rochester, N.Y. in what will be their first leg league match away from home. They will return to WakeMed Soccer Park for league play on May 14, when they will face the Tampa Bay Rowdies. “We’re just starting to make progress and it’s just another step at building our team for the season,” a confident Rennie smiled.

RailHawks fall to visiting Minnesota

CARY — The Carolina RailHawks dropped their first match of their young 2010 campaign on Friday night at Wake Med Soccer Park at the hands of first-year franchise Minnesota Stars one nil.

Entering the game with budding confidence from their opening match shutout against AC St. Louis 2-0, and positive results in preseason play, Minnesota came into the game with a clean slate, and a determination to come out of Wake Med with three points to their name. That’s exactly what they did.

The first half was dominated by the Stars, comfortably handling the possession in the midfield, with crisp switches, on-cue runs down the flank, and productive shots in the RailHawks attacking third of the field.

“Last week we won the game in the first half. Tonight, we lost it in the first half. That is not even close to the standards that we have set for ourselves and a long way from where we want to be,” said a frustrated Martin Rennie, Manager of the Carolina RailHawks.

He couldn’t have been more right. The Stars pounded strikes at goalkeeper Eric Reed all night and eagerly pounced on the rebounds he conceded. Just 9 minutes in, Stars striker Warren Ukah had a powerful strike on goal which just missed the left post. Moments later in the 21st minute, midfielder Andrei Gotsmanov took brilliant right footed rip which soared wide and over the bar by a matter of inches, but beating keeper Reed again.

The RailHawks continued to play choppy tentative defense out of the back and continuously sent their clearances back to the feet of Stars players. Carolina’s luck finally ran out when they conceded their first goal of the game from the boot of Stars defender Daniel Wasson in the 37th minute. Midfielder Leilei Gao sent the curling corner kick into the box, and after a number of desperation clearances from Carolina, Wasson pounced on the rebound and powerfully struck the ball down the middle past Reed to put his visiting squad up 1 nil.

The RailHawks best chances came at the boot of midfielder Josh Gardner who received a sneaky through ball carved past two Stars defenders. After he beat his man, he took a well-driven, far post shot that skidded past the far post of Minnesota backup goalkeeper Joe Warren and resulted in another missed opportunity for the home side.

“We just started slow, it happens. We got down a goal and had to play catch up. We regrouped with a good halftime talk but we just didn’t get it done tonight,” Rennie later added.

The RailHawks come out in the second half with fire in their bellies, putting deep pressure on the Stars defenders, giving them little time to react, and showing glimpses of the team they are expected to be.

The second half soon became a shooting barrage for Carolina, a sign that maybe they can turn around their 0-29-5 record after conceding the first goal in a match.

In the 58th minute Gardner was at it again, producing a screaming strike on goal off a dangerous corner kick which the keeper was unable to hold onto, but later tracked down by a Stars defender.

Again in the 66th, a stunning powerful strike came off the laces of Daniel Paladini’s boots which just flew wide of the net. The rip beat a diving keeper but just went inches wide of the right goal post. It was one of the best chances of the game for Carolina.

Other quality goal-scoring chances came from midfielder Etienne Barbara, Matt Watson, and Matt Bobo in the latter stages of the second half, although none were able to cash in and find the equalizer.

The best chance of the game for the Railhawks came off another dangerous curling left-footed corner kick from Garder which found the head of a streaking Bobo who flailed himself in desperation at the ball, redirected the cross powerfully on goal, but goalkeeper Warren brilliantly got his fingertips on the ball to keep it off the goal line and secure the three points for his club. It was a game defining moment that shot the life out of the RailHawks players and fans as they made their last gasp at a late game desperation equalizer.

“I thought we started off the second half better than the first, but a one nil loss is always very bitter. If we learn from our mistakes from next week, we will do much better,” Paladini said after the conclusion of the match.

The RailHawks know they have much to improve on before they face the Mexican Olympic National Team next Sunday night before a projected sell out crowd. Carolina knows what they are capable of, and how they need to progress before they return to league play on May 1st at Rochester.

“We need a solid performance for 90 minutes and tonight showed us how much we need to work on. We will get better at it. I have no doubt in my mind,” said Matt Bobo.

When asked about the new orange RailHawks kits, Bobo humorously said, “Right now, I’m liking the blue kit, but it will look much better once we start winning in it.”

Railhawks earn 1-1 draw with Impact

Goalkeeper Matt Reed came out to make a sliding save, the one of many he was forced to make on Saturday night.

It’s amazing the difference a day can make. Just 24 hours earlier, the Carolina Railhawks took a two nil defeat to the University of North Carolina Men’s Soccer team in Southern Pines in underachieving fashion. Saturday night was a completely different story.

The Railhawks came out alive and rejuvenated after a lackluster performance Friday night and earned a 1-1 draw against the defending USL First Division champion Montreal Impact. It was a back-and-forth hard fought effort against a well-respected squad for the Railhawks tonight who were tested from the opening whistle. I think its safe to say they passed this preseason test. “I think that was a very good preseason match against a team that is a month ahead of us in preseason matches,” Head Coach of the Railhawks Martin Rennie said after the match. “We passed the ball well and played very competitively.”

The first half action was mostly possession in the midfield with sporadic offensive attacking chances on goal but none really troubling either goalkeeper. The action started in the 13th minute  when Railhawks midfielder Daniel Paladini had a close chance to finish in front of goal which sailed over the cross bar. The Impact got in on the offensive side when forward Rocco Placentino had a powerful free kick sail over goal in the 20th minute. Later in the 40th, Impact midfielder Tony Donatelli ripped a vicious half-volley on goal but to his dismay went just wide of Hawks goalkeeper Eric Reed.

After a scoreless first half ended with little offensive rumble and choppy mistake-prone passing, the second half proved quite the contrary. In the 52 minute, the best chance of the game thus far came at the boot of Paladini again. Striker Joseph Ngwenya made a darting run down the left flank and played a brilliant soaring ball across the goal mouth towards Paladini which resulted in an off-balance shank wide.

With the game becoming feisty, three yellow cards being booked, and tempers flaring on both sides, the games took its first major turn in the 67th minute when the Railhawks were awarded a penalty kick. Impact defender Simon Gatti pulled the shirt of Railhawks midfielder Amir Lowry which warranted a foul. The call resulted in a trip to the penalty spot for defender Kapono Low who slotted one to the right corner past the keeper and put the home squad up one nil.

Although, 15 minutes later, referee Saeed Mohamed was forced to point to the penalty spot again, this time eighty yards down field in favor of the Impact. Carolina defender Josh Gardner illegally slid from behind Impact substitute Peter Byers. Moments later defender Nevio Pizzolitto silenced the home crowd and celebrated in jubilation as he put his side dead locked  at 1-1 in the 82 minute.

A last gasp effort by the Impact in the 92 minute of stoppage time came when defender Hicham Abou bou scorched a header in on goal but was miraculously saved on the goal line by the body of Gardner and saved the day for Carolina.

“There was a great squad out there in front of me tonight. We waited all preseason to come together as tonight, we worked really well as a cohesive unit,” goalkeeper and MVP of the match Eric Reed said. “We like where we are in preseason right now but we know we have a long season ahead of us. We have more to grow if we want to win a championship this season.”

With the season opening in two weeks and two final matches remaining in preseason action, the Railhawks have plenty of time to still iron out any chinks in their armor before the beginning of their 2010 campaign in the NASL (National American Soccer League). Saturday was an important stepping stone in the long and arduous process of a professional soccer season. With a close 2-1 loss against Major League Soccer powerhouse New England Revolution, and 1-1 draw against defending champion Montreal Impact, the Carolina Railhawks have proven they can play with anyone. Both results are encouraging signs of a successful upcoming season.

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.