Mayhem

Flames get rolled by Alabama during midnight game

Whether it was punishing body checks, broken glass or 80s classics, the Flames Midnight Mayhem hockey game had everything one could ask for except a Flames victory.

The Flames Division I hockey team fell 7-5 to the Alabama Frozen Tide in the first matchup of its two-game series. According to the ACHA Men’s DI rankings, The Flames (3-1-0) came into the game ranked No. 17 and Alabama (3-2-0) was ranked No. 24.

The upset-caliber performance was evident throughout the game, as the Flames outshot the Frozen Tide 37-21 but were unable to capitalize on most of their chances.

“I think it centers around our D-zone,” Flames Coach Kirk Handy said. “We didn’t have a great night. That many quality chances on the shots that they got, we have to do better in our D-zone.”

The Flames also committed multiple unnecessary penalties and failed to capitalize on power plays of their own.

The inability to take advantage of those opportunities proved costly for the Flames, as the game went back and forth in all three periods.

The Flames started the game with the intimidating support of 4,000-plus fans rocking the rink at midnight.

They used that energy to help propel them to a 1-0 lead with 11:49 left in the first period, with a goal rebounded in by senior forward Colt Steele.

From that point on, the matchup would become a shoot-out with each team taking their respective leads throughout the game.

The Frozen Tide evened the score just two minutes after the Flames first goal, with a goal by defenseman Pierre Ouellette off of a power play.

After Alabama tied the game, the Flames countered with a newfound sense of urgency.

The Flames put constant pressure on the Tide’s defense, one example being senior forward Grant Garvin’s one-on-one with Alabama goalie John Grenier in which he tried to slap it in from the crease but was stopped short by Grenier.

The back-and-forth action remained even until late in the first period when Alabama’s leading scorer, Taylor Joseph, slapped in a shot to give the Frozen Tide their first lead at 2-1.

The Flames responded almost immediately with a goal by sophomore forward n Alabama defenseman before slamming the puck into the net to even the score 2-2. The goal set the crowd roaring and kept them standing, despite the event staff’s attempts to get the fans to sit down.

Alabama regained the lead 3-2 in the beginning of the 2nd period, after a controversial no-call where a Liberty player was tripped and lost the puck to a wide-open Taylor Joseph, who then easily buried the puck.

The Flames responded with 11:22 left in the 2nd period, with a goal rebounded in by Roberts off of a slap shot from sophomore defenseman Zane Schartz, making the score 3-3.

Less than a minute later, Alabama broke the tie once again with a goal from Dylan Teed, putting the Frozen Tide up 4-3.

But the shootout continued with yet another tie, after a scramble at the net that was cleaned up by sophomore forward Owen Harris, leveling the score again at 4-4.

The game was then brought to a halt because of fans who had gotten out of hand.

One of the fiberglass panels in the rink was broken by fans banging on the glass. As the ice rink staff worked on fixing the glass, the crowd sang “Living on a prayer” by Bon Jovi, “move that wall” chants, and continued heckling the Alabama bench.

Once the game was back in motion, the Flames turned that energy into a late lead.

The teams remained level through the end of the 2nd period, but two minutes into the final period, the Flames took a 5-4 lead off of an easy tap in from sophomore defenseman Kyle Crane who received a pass from freshman forward Andy Clarke.

With the crowd and the momentum on their side, it looked as though the Flames were on their way to victory, but Alabama took control of the game.

With 13:43 left in the final period, the Frozen Tide’s Oullette scored a slap shot to even the game once again at 5-5. Two minutes later, the Tide took the lead with a goal by Jack Rooney, putting them up 6-5.

It seemed like the Flames were going to respond immediately when freshman forward Quinn Ryan broke away with a one-on-one opportunity, but was stopped by an Alabama defensemen’s check that brought him down to the ice.

Liberty had another near-chance a few minutes later when Schartz went coast-to-coast with the puck, but his pass to a teammate was just out of reach.

Alabama continued to shut down tying efforts and eventually closed the door with a late goal by Casey Donegan with 5:58 left in the period to make it 7-5. In the final five minutes, both teams had power play opportunities but were unable to capitalize, keeping the final score at 7-5.

According to libertyflames.com, the majority of the Flames leading scorers are underclassmen.

With such a young team, Handy understands the importance of keeping the younger players focused.

“I believe our guys have worked hard to this point,” Handy said.

“We got away from it tonight. We got a little bit selfish, and I think when that happens, whether they’re underclassmen or juniors and seniors, it’s not a recipe for success.”

Though it was a tough loss, the Flames still have five months of play left, and Handy knows what the team is capable of and expects the players to correct the minor mistakes.

“It’s a good lesson for us to learn and I believe in the guys we’ve got in there, and as a coaching staff we believe in the guys we’ve got in there,” Handy said. “We have to learn from these situations. It’s a great opportunity to learn early in the year, and I have no doubt that our team will be better tomorrow.”

Davis is a sports reporter.