The biggest weekend of the season for Virginia Tech concluded on Saturday night as the Hokies defeated the North Carolina State Icepack 3-2 in overtime. Gavin Peduzzi's top-shelf score notched the team's first win over its divisional rival for the first time since December 5, 2016.
Virginia Tech (11-11-1) came into Saturday's game with one thing in mind: Revenge. On Friday night, the Hokies fell on the road to the Icepack 3-2, a critical loss Coach Joey Mullen and his players knew they could have won. All of the Hokies' offensive production came in the second period when Evan Dutil scored a powerplay goal, and later on, Daniel Gelman broke free of the Icepack defense, scoring his 7th goal of the season.
NC State would score three goals, one each period, and would come away with their 8th straight win over the Hokies, which had spanned back to the start of the 2016-2017 season.
"I think after the last whistle, there is room for 10 minutes to think about the game and some video on the bus, but that's it," spoke forward Daniel Gelman. "The focus is on the next game, and of course, we want to win and we definitely can."
Saturday night's game advertised the biggest, and most critical matchup of Virginia Tech's season. With only one game left in ACCHL divisional play, the Hokies needed a win over the Icepack, a team they had lost to the previous night and had not defeated in over seven years.
In a jam-packed Lancerlot Arena, the first period went as well as one could imagine for the Hokies. A rookie-to-rookie connection got things started on the scoreboard for Virginia Tech as Ewan Andrew found Kam Khazai who delivered his team-leading 20th goal of the season. The Icepack would respond with a goal of their own before Ewan Andrew would regain Tech's lead with his 9th of the season to make it 2-1.
The second period saw the Hokies unable to maintain their one-goal lead as the Icepack evened the score 2-2. Junior goalkeeper Ian Kee's performance was mesmerizing, showcasing his premier athletic ability with unbelievable saves, and denying the Icepack several times on odd-man rushes into the zone. Kee finished the night 39/41 in saves.
Much like the second, the third period was quiet in means of scoring. Kee and Icepack's goaltender Issac Tawyer shut down both offensive attacks, forcing extra time to decide the 2-2 game.
This was only the second time this season Virginia Tech had played extra time as in October of last year, they had lost to Lousiville 6-5 in a shootout. Coach Mullen set the 3 man line of Gavin Peduzzi, Kam Khazai, and Thao Lanagan out for the Hokies to win the game against the Icepack.
It only took 35 seconds for Gavin Peduzzi to hammer a wrist shot past Isaac Tawyer to win the game for Virginia Tech. Peduzzi, who notched his team-leading 45th point, secured Tech's 3-2 win over NC State, their first win against the Icepack in over seven years.
This was a historic win for the program, as the Icepack had been a thorn in the team's side for almost a decade. With this win, the Hokies climb back to an even .500 record and set their eyes toward the ACCHL playoffs in two weeks. As of January 29, the Hokies are currently the third seed and will play Friday at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds for a chance to win the ACCHL President's Trophy.
Here are some key stats after Saturday night's win over the Icepack:
When the Hokies score first this season, they are now 8-1-1.
When leading after the first period, the Hokies are now 8-0-1
When outshot by an opponent, the Hokies are now 1-7-1
With two points over the weekend, Gavin Peduzzi needs 26 more points to become Tech's all-time leading scorer
The Hokies will host one more game this season on February 2, against the Duke Blue Devils. The team will have its annual Senior Night where players who are set to graduate this semester will receive a pregame ceremony dedicated to their accomplishments during their playing career at Virginia Tech.
Puck drop is slated for 7:30 P.M. EST at the Lancerlot Sports Complex, and you can watch the game on the Virginia Tech Hockey Network on Youtube. Tickets to the game are $5 ($2 with VT ID) and can only be purchased at the doors of the arena.
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