Back to December
Flames end of year success continues
The Liberty men’s Division I hockey team extended their winning streak to four games Dec. 4 with a 6-1 victory over the Rutgers Ice Knights. The Flames have not lost in the month of December since 2012. The Flames were sporting their pink jerseys that were auctioned off in an effort to raise awareness in the fight against cancer.
Seeing their first action since before the Thanksgiving break, the Flames wasted no time putting points on the board. Senior forward Tyson Street worked from the left wing and was able to send the puck to the upper right corner across the goaltenders body 49 seconds into the game.
Pink — The Flames wore pink jerseys for Hockey Fights Cancer night in LaHaye. Photo credit: Jessie Rogers
Four minutes into the first period, graduate goalie Cary Byron was taken down behind the net by an Ice Knight forward. Byron was on the ice for a few minutes, but stayed in the game and stopped 24 of 25 shots.
On the Flames second power play of the game, Street continued to put pressure on the goaltender, firing a shot on net that ricocheted off the goaltender and was tapped in by junior defender Chase Harris.
“I thought we played a really good game tonight,” Head Coach Kirk Handy said. “I liked our penalty kill and scoring two power play goals is always a positive as well.”
Rutgers put themselves on the board 15 minutes into the first period with a slap shot that came from the feet in front of the blue line, cutting the Flames lead to just one. Less than a minute after the Flames responded. Graduate defenseman Peter Shantz found freshman forward Zechariah Roberts skating down the ice, Roberts then dished it to senior forward Kyle Garcia and Garcia put a wrist shot top shelf and gave the Flames a 3-1 lead.
In the third, the Knights turned the puck over and junior forward Robert Ward gained control and raced down the ice. Ward had only the goalie to beat as he deked left then right and placed the puck right over the goalie’s shoulder for the goal.
“I have terrible luck with scoring this year,” Ward said. “In my mind I just needed to get a shot on net and hit the net, don’t miss the net, and the puck went in.”
Ward found the net 25 seconds later off a feed from junior forward Grant Garvin. Ward positioned the puck on the top shelf again and extended the Flames lead.
Harris finished the scoring with his second power play goal of the night, taking a slap shot from the top right of the circle that slid past the goaltender and making the score 6-1.
Day is a sports reporter.