Flames Hockey Player Devin Pierce Succeeds On and Off the Ice

Two years ago, hockey player Devin Pierce sat in a Tim Horton’s coffee shop near Milton, Ontario, and spoke with men’s hockey head coach Kirk Handy and his wife. The conversation took place after one of Pierce’s hockey games and lasted more than two hours.

Handy encouraged Pierce to come to Liberty and play in college, but Pierce ultimately chose to attend Elmira College in New York and play hockey there.

The story was not over once Pierce committed to Elmira.

“I just remember that (Handy) and his wife had a light, and I figured out that that light was God,” Pierce said.

Pierce is an up-and-coming player for the Flames D1 men’s hockey team, even though he just enrolled at Liberty in January.

Just before Christmas 2017 Pierce reached out to Handy again and informed him that he wanted to come to Liberty and was soon signing his release with Elmira.

Pierce decided to leave Elmira for Liberty because he desired the Christian atmosphere and team.

“It’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life, I can confidently say. It’s been an incredible blessing since day one when I got here. It’s been nothing but wonderful,” Pierce said.

After he reconnected with Handy, Pierce decided to come to Liberty to play hockey, and a few weeks later he played his first game with the Flames on Saturday, Jan. 13, against Stony Brook University.

According to Handy, Pierce is already fitting into the team very well, despite missing four months of time with the team. He is proving himself to be a leader on the team and has earned the respect of his teammates.

“He sees himself as a leader on our team. He’s a guy who can lead. He’s not a guy who will step up in the locker room, necessarily, but he’ll lead by example,” Handy said. “This (leadership) is in the classroom, in the weight room, on the bus, in the locker room and during the games.”

Pierce is humble, hardworking and selfless toward those around him. To him, his opportunity at Liberty is not only to play hockey, but also to be a light to others.

“I hope God continues to bless me as far as being a light for people and showing his love,” Pierce said.

On top of playing hockey, Pierce is also pursuing a degree in biomedical sciences and plans to attend medical school after he graduates. He hopes to become an orthopedic surgeon after completing medical school.

He is working incredibly hard and has goals to maintain a 4.0 GPA, even while playing hockey full time.

Pierce chose his major and intended career path after an experience he had with an orthopedic surgeon when he injured his leg twice.

“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play again. With the way the doctor talked to me, I saw God work through everything. That sparked my interest in the field and led me to my calling to do that,” Pierce said.

Handy hopes to see him continue to grow, both as a player and as a person.

“We have a real positive outlook. He’s going to be a guy who’s part of our core group of guys for three more years to come. He’s driven academically, spiritually, and obviously driven to win the national championships,” Handy said.

The hockey team has high hopes for the season and is shooting for the stars. Both Handy and Pierce have goals to make it and win not only their conference championships, but also the national championships.

The Flames are looking forward to their first playoff game of the season Friday, Feb. 23, in the ESCHL playoffs.