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This is an official Florida Gulf Coast University Hockey Team webpage.
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Eagles Roll Through Raleigh With Ease
FGCU Takes Both Games From NC State!
February 5, 2007
As the final ranking period drew to a close this past weekend, the FGCU Eagles traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina  to take on the NC State Wolfpack. After an arduous 14-hour bus trip from Ft. Myers to Raleigh, the Eagles were eager to get off the road and on the ice. As the two team took to the ice on Saturday evening, their was a sense of anticipation on the FGCU bench as both the players and coaching staff realized this was the final weekend series of the ACHA regular season.

As the puck dropped to open up the contest, NC State was able to get off to a great start by dominating possession and controlling most of the play in the early minutes of the game. It was evident that FGCU was battling with themselves as many players looked sluggish, thanks in part to the long bus trip. As the Eagles settled down, they started to get their legs back and took control of the game from midway through the first period. To start things off for FGCU, Brett Galbraith scored off a rebound to put the Eagles on the board and get the ball rolling. From there, it was an offensive onslaught by the Eagles as they dictated the pace of play for the rest of the game.  The Wolfpack managed to put two pucks past Andrew Kobrin, who made several key saves throughout the game to shut down the NC State offense. The game ended in favor of the Eagles with a score of 8-2. Other goal scores included: Justin Moore (2), Tyler Mackereth, John Barraco, Matt Maida, Chase Traeger, and Mike Marrero. Notably, Mike Marrero & Captain Zach Messer both retuned to action this weekend after rehabbing from a lower body injuries and both made a significant contributions to the team. The Eagles capitalized on their power-play opportunities scoring five goals with the man advantage. FGCU certainly did not look like a team that had been on a bus for fourteen hours that arrived just a couple of hours prior to game time.
JB Barraco battles NC State forward for position in the Eagle's zone during the first game.
The Eagles gather for a team huddle at their bench prior to the opening faceoff of the series.
Mike Marreo and Brain Scholtz pressure the NC State netminder looking for a tip or rebound.
Allan Penny fends off Wolfpack player in the neutral zone to create a turnover.
Freshman sensation Mike Lendino scored a highlight reel goal on Sunday night.
Coach Jensen carries a heavy responsibility as the Eagles prepare for the post season.
FGCU is lucky to have one of the best goaltending crews in the ACHA.
Tyler Mackereth decks an NC State forward while protecting Eagle goalie Jordan Hume.
As American families from coast to coast were preparing to host super bowl parties and watch arguably the most demanded sporting event in the entire world, the FGCU Hockey Team was at the Rec Zone in North Carolina preparing to take on NC State for the second time in as many nights. Both teams are to be commended for their dedication to the sport of hockey for sacrificing their time during such a monumental event. The Superbowl Sunday match-up would end in favor of the FGCU. Rookie goalie Jordan Hume would get the start for the Eagles and played one of his best games of the season stopping 36 of 37 shots. NC State would strike first with a great individual rush by #14 Dan Masiulis from NC State. The Eagles quickly answered back, as Tanner Bacik buried a rebound on the powerplay to even the score at one a piece. The rest of the game belonged to the Eagles as Tyler Mackereth notched one goal in the second period and Justin Moore and Mike Lendino racked up a goal apiece in the third period.  The highlight of the weekend series belonged to Mike Lendino, who scored possibly one of the nicest goals in FGCU hockey history. Lendino's out skated the Wolfpack defense to earn a half ice breakaway and completely humiliated the NC State net minder with an unbelievable move. The final score was 4-1 for FGCU improving the Eagle's season record to 27-4-1-2.
With the weekend series sweep, FGCU will make the rankings committee decision for the final rankings much more difficult. The Eagles currently sit one vote behind Indiana, who got swept by Michigan State this weekend. Either way, the Eagles will be preparing to go to the Southeast Regionals Tournament being hosted in Youngstown, Ohio from February 16-17, 2007. This weekend FGCU returns home to Germain Arena to host their Canadian affiliate, the Mississauga Hornets Juvenile "AAA" Team from the Greater Toronto Area. Mississauga will prove to be a good tune up for the Eagles before they head to Regionals and the weekend series will also expose the program to prospective players from the Hornets program. The Mississauga Hornets compete in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, which consists of over fifty member clubs and is Canada's premier minor hockey league.