The Florida Panthers scored three goals in the first five minutes of the Carolina Hurricanes’ exhibition opener and went on to win 4-1. For more information, please click here.

One of the good stories in the Triangle has been the surprising rise of N.C. State in volleyball. Last December, athletics director Lee Fowler fired Charita Stubbs after she couldn’t produce a winning season in four tries. Given State’s mediocre history in the sport, that was no surprise.

But State, under new coach Bryan Bunn, started 10-3 and came into Tuesday night’s match with North Carolina looking to see where it stands compared to the ACC powers. State lost 25-20, 20-19, 25-20 in a match that was hard-fought, fast-paced and fun to watch.
Volleyball is quite a bargain. You can take your daughter, park for free, sit in a front-row seat, buy her a scoop of ice cream and not spend more than $3. If you do go to Reynolds, remember there is food being sold right nearby at the student union, and you can easily walk over and walk back to Reynolds in a matter of minutes. Given the quality of play, and ease of getting into Reynolds Coliseum, it’s an amazing deal.

State had about 1,000 people at Tuesday’s contest, including athletics director Debbie Yow. One of the frustrations with Fowler that Wolfpack fans voiced was State was at the bottom of the ACC in sports across the board, including volleyball. Yow didn’t hire Bunn, but the Wolfpack appears to have a winner in a coach with 20 years of experience, including the last three as associate head coach at Baylor.

Carolina’s experience and talent was obvious Tuesday. Emily McGee had 16 kills and 13 digs for UNC, but the Tar Heel who seemed to give State the most trouble was 6-2 Courtney Johnston, who officially had nine kills but seemed to rise well above the net and slam down impressive shots.

State got a great game from Luciana Shafer, the UNC-Greensboro transfer who features a brilliant serve and ability to spike with real force. Watching the women on both sides rise to block spikes and dive to save balls was a joy. And a free joy at that.

NEWS RELEASE – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed center Jeff Skinner to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Beginning with his first full professional season, the contract will pay Skinner $810,000 per season at the NHL level or $67,500 per season at the minor-league level. Skinner receives a $270,000 signing bonus as a part of the contract.

“Jeff was one of the OHL’s top forwards last season and really stood out at the prospects tournament in Michigan,” said Rutherford. “He’s an exciting, young player and an important part of the future for the Hurricanes.”

Skinner, 18, finished the 2009-10 season ranked second in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with 50 goals, and ranked seventh in the OHL with 40 assists while playing in 64 games with the Kitchener Rangers. The Markham, Ont., native ranked tied for first in OHL playoff goals (20), and second in OHL playoff points (33), as Kitchener won two postseason series before falling to the Windsor Spitfires in the Western Conference Finals.

The Hurricanes selected Skinner (5’10”, 193 lbs.) in the first round, seventh overall, of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He played for Team Orr in the 2010 Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects Game, and was named Most Valuable Player after picking up a goal and an assist in the contest. Skinner also played for the gold medal-winning Team Ontario at the 2009 World Under-17 Challenge, scoring the game-winning goal against Russia in the championship final.

Under the guidelines of the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, Skinner may still be reassigned to his junior hockey team, Kitchener, but may not be assigned to the Hurricanes’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.

– Ken Preston

The Carolina Hurricanes had trouble scoring goals and creating scoring chances last season. Jeff Skinner, the team’s first-round draft pick, scored 70 goals in 84 games last year for the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers.

Sure, there will be growing pains if the Hurricanes give the 18-year-old Skinner a roster spot. But the Canes are looking for a third-line center behind Eric Staal and Brandon Sutter, and the Canes have decided to go young. So, why not give the youngster a chance?

By all accounts, he is mature for his age. He comes from a good family. He can handle the fame and limelight. He’s a competitor. He plays intelligently. He works hard as evidenced, in part, by his commitment to conditioning and strength training that he’s done with Gary Roberts. He’s quick and a natural goal scorer.

While he’s relatively small at 5-foot-10, 195 pounds and he’s not known for his skating ability, those aren’t things that are going to change after another year in the Ontario Hockey League.

Hopefully the Canes will find a roster spot for Skinner. If they have someone else they want on the squad as the third center, they can try Skinner at wing. But the Hurricanes need scoring and Skinner can score.

Canes Notes: The Carolina Hurricanes open their 2010 exhibition schedule against the Florida Panthers Tuesday at the RBC Center.

The Hurricanes signed former Edmonton Oiler Patrick O’Sullivan, who was raised in Winston-Salem. He had an undistinguished season a year ago but he’s only 25 and will be playing for his home state. Maybe his career can get back on track. O’Sullivan was the American Hockey League’s Outstanding Rookie and was named to the 2006 AHL All-Star game.

Carolina begins the regular-season with two games against the Minnesota Wild in Helsinki, Finland on Oct. 7-8. For the record, I’m not fond of playing regular season games overseas – for any sport.

NEWS RELEASE – The Carolina Hurricanes will hold a player-signing news conference tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 21, at noon in the RBC Center Arena Club Restaurant.

President/General Manager Jim Rutherford will speak at the news conference, and Rutherford and other members of the team’s management, as well as the signing player, will be available for comment.

Live streaming of the press conference will be available on CarolinaHurricanes.com.

The Panthers got lucky in the draft when Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen was available in the second round. Now Carolina is about to find out how lucky it was, and the future of coach John Fox depends on it.

Carolina’s offense was brutal in the preseason and not much better through two games. Matt Moore threw one interception Sunday against Tampa Bay that was just inexcusable, trying to rifle a pass between three defenders to Steve Smith. Smith has to have help from other receivers, but Carolina just hasn’t been able to provide that for him.

The Panthers have a brilliant running game, but the modern NFL isn’t the SEC of the 1960s. You have to throw the ball, and Moore is nothing more than a decent backup. Clausen has a tremendous arm, as anyone who saw Notre Dame at Kenan Stadium last year knows. Given that the Panthers are 0-2 – and that Fox doesn’t have a contract after this season – Carolina had to make a move. It was clear where this team was headed with Moore.