When autocomplete options are available, use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.
Apply Give

ACHA DI men’s hockey team rides 10-game win streak into national championships

Freshman forward Brock Thompson smiles from Liberty’s bench beside sophomore defenseman Kyle Crane (20) in a recent game at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photo by Caroline Cummings)

Liberty University’s ACHA Division I men’s hockey team embarked on the road to the ACHA DI National Championships in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, seeking to complete a journey it started in September.

The Flames (29-12), who are making their ninth national tournament appearance in the 11 seasons since moving up from the ACHA DII level in 2006, are vying to become the 14th team in the 26-year history of the league to capture an ACHA DI national championship.

Seeded 16th, Liberty will face 17th-seeded Colorado State in Thursday’s 8 p.m. opening-round contest in the OhioHealth Ice Haus, the practice rink for the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets located inside Nationwide Arena. It will be the first meeting between the Flames and the Rams since Colorado State defeated Liberty, 4-3, in the 2005 ACHA DII tournament.

As a first-year member of the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL), Liberty extended its winning streak to 10 games by upsetting four-time defending champion Stony Brook in the ESCHL tournament championship game, Feb. 26 in Kingston, R.I.

“There’s lots of energy around our team,” Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy said. “We believe in this group of guys and we’ve been working hard to be able to be in the national tournament. What we’ve got to duplicate is the effort and energy that we’ve had since the end of January, to play this playoff style of hockey that we’ve been playing and keep rolling.”

Only the top 12-seeded teams at nationals received first-round byes, so in order for a 13th- through a 20th-seeded team to capture the crown, it must win five consecutive games in the single-elimination tournament.

The championship game is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Ice Haus. The complete tournament schedule is available online.

The Flames’ DI squad is the first of three Liberty representatives in the ACHA National Championships, which, for the first year, are being played at one central location. The Lady Flames’ DI women’s program — winners of 16 of its final 17 regular-season games and ranked No. 1 in the final four ACHA DI computer polls — and Flames’ DII men’s team, which received its second consecutive autobid by finishing the regular season ranked No. 2 in the Southeast Region, will compete in their respective tournaments from March 15-19.

Read more about Liberty’s ACHA DI men’s hockey’s team’s pursuit of a national title on the Club Sports website.

Chat Live Chat Live Request Info Request Info Apply Now Apply Now Visit Liberty Visit Liberty