NEWARK, Del. — After battling to a 1-1 tie through the first period, penalty trouble took its toll on the University of Delaware ACHA men’s Division 2 team in their season opener as North Carolina scored three power-play goals in the final 40 minutes en route to an 8-1 win Friday (Sept. 15) at Fred Rust Arena.
Patrick O’Shaughnessy, who led the Tar Heels with four goals, accounted for one of their three tallies on the man advantage, turning a cross-ice setup from Cole Kosowski into a 25-foot wrist shot that increased his side’s lead to 3-1 6:58 into the second period after linemate Tommy Gilligan converted on a Kosowski setup on the power play 3-1/2 minutes earlier. The Hens held North Carolina’s advantage to two through the remainder of the second period but were kept silent on three power plays of their own in the frame’s final eight minutes.
“We made some tweaks to our power play from last week to this week by putting Foster on the point and a defenceman out front, and I thought it was effective for them to generate more from the top end,” said North Carolina coach Adam Dauda, reflecting on his Tar Heels’ 3-for-8 power play production. “In the second period, they really found their groove. They moved pucks and found open plays.”
The Tar Heels added insult to injury in the third, throttling four rapid-fire goals on netminder Joey Hooper — two from O’Shaughnessy — in the first 4:05 before capping their route of a deflated Delaware squad with a Henry Foster power-play goal just before the final minute of the game.
“He’s been dominating at this level for the past year and continued it last night,” said Dauda about O’Shaughnessy, a sophomore who has stamped himself as one of the Tar Heels’ leading players. “He’s got the skill, great hands and a great release, but his work ethic is what stands out. I think we saw when we’re all pulling in the same direction and have that drive, our skill is able to take over.”
Dimitri Mihalios accounted for Delaware’s lone goal, connecting 13:00 into the first period off an assist from Patrick Olenski, one of six freshman in the lineup for the Hens.
Daniel Kauber and David Mahan also scored for the Tar Heels; Kosowski’s four assists were a team high, followed by two each from Gilligan, Leighton Walsh and Florian Zajic.
Hooper recorded 33 saves on 41 total shots in defeat for Delaware (0-1-0) while Joel Hughes stopped 16 of 17 shots for North Carolina (1-1-0).
The Blue Hens host Georgetown on Sunday (Sept. 17) at Fred Rust Arena. For tickets, visit this link.
To watch Friday’s game, click the following link: Friday, Sept. 15 | Delaware M2 vs. North Carolina
