The Carolina Hurricanes are gearing up for the Eastern Conference Finals, set to begin tomorrow night, with the advantage of playing on their home ice. The Hurricanes will face the Florida Panthers, the team that defeated them in the Eastern Finals two years ago.
In a surprising statistic, the Hurricanes have lost 12 consecutive Eastern Conference Final games. Their last victory in an Eastern Final game was in 2006, the year they won the Stanley Cup. However, Carolina has been formidable at home this postseason, boasting a 5-0 record in Raleigh.
The Hurricanes won two out of three games against the Panthers during the regular season. Game 1 of the series is scheduled for tomorrow night, with Game 2 following on Thursday in Raleigh. The series will then move to Miami for Game 3 on Saturday.
In other sports news, the college baseball conference tournaments are underway. East Carolina University enters the American Athletic Conference tournament as the sixth seed and must win the tournament to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Pirates will face South Florida again after losing two out of three games to the Bulls this past weekend. Their game is set for Tuesday night.
The ACC baseball tournament has introduced a new format this year, featuring all 16 teams in a single-elimination tournament starting tomorrow in Charlotte. Wake Forest and Duke will play on Wednesday, while NC State and UNC, having received double byes, will play later in the week. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday.
In college basketball, former Farmville Central star Jah Short is returning to North Carolina. After two seasons at New Orleans, where he averaged nine points per game, Short will now play at UNC Pembroke, stepping down to the Division II level.
The third round of the high school soccer playoffs includes six teams from the area, with East Duplin and Washington facing off at Choppy Wagner Stadium. The winners will advance to the state quarterfinals on Thursday.
Team USA has announced its final flag football rosters for this year’s national team. Greenville native and former South Central and UNC star Amber Clark has been named to the 12-person roster for the third time. The U.S. National Teams will compete in Panama City at the 2025 IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship in September, followed by The World Games in China in August. Clark is currently the head women’s flag football coach at the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas.
In NASCAR, the All-Star Race concluded last night in North Wilkesboro. Christopher Bell emerged victorious after a final 28-lap green-flag run, overtaking last year’s winner Joey Logano for the lead on Lap 241 of 250.