The Liberty women’s DI ice hockey team hosted its fourth straight American Collegiate Hockey Association championship trophy after a dominant 5-1 win over Midland March 20.
After blanking Maryville 7-0 in the quarterfinals and besting Lindenwood 4-2 in the semifinals, the Lady Flames looked poised to complete the four-peat in St. Louis.
A No. 2 Midland squad looked to dethrone the reigning champs, but that task would prove to be a difficult one against Liberty’s offense.
ACHA D1 Player of the Year junior Yannick Truter proved to be Liberty’s catalyst for offensive success, netting great play in the game to seal the victory.
“It’s not about me,” Truter said regarding her play. “It’s not about how I’m playing. It’s not about necessarily my performance, but it’s about our team.”
The coaching staff utilized three main lines, bringing different strengths to the ice. Veteran players composed one of these lines while rookies made up most of another.
It was freshman forward Haley Battles and the freshman line who performed well under pressure and put the Lady Flames on the board with 2:04 left in the first period.
“No matter what line is coming out on that ice, the other team has to watch out, and I think that’s what gave us the advantage this year,” Truter said.
The lead was short lived, however, as the Warriors tied it up with a goal from Maxine Mass in the second period.
“I think we had a still confidence about us that they may have gotten one, but they’re not getting anymore,” Truter said.
Liberty rarely trailed during the regular season, and the postseason was no different. Two minutes after Mass’ goal, defensemen Aislyn Stretch scored off the post after a face-off assist from forward Brityn Fussy. This quick response put the game in the hands of Liberty’s offense, who would go on to expand its lead.
“I didn’t need to say anything,” fifth-year Head Coach Chris Lowes said. “It’s just kind of automatic that we’re going to go out and have our best shift right now.”
Truter continued that momentum with a goal in the final seconds of a Liberty power play to net her lone goal of the game. All attempts of a Midland comeback were silenced after a wrist shot from grad student forward Shannon Fehr made it 4-1 Liberty.
In the final three minutes, Battles gave an assist off a rebound to Brielle Fussy, who scored the Lady Flame’s fifth goal, cementing Liberty as the top team in the league.
The ACHA title is the Flames fourth in a row and fifth in seven seasons.
“It’s almost hard to describe what we’ve done in the last five years as a program,” Lowes said. “I think our girls have done a good job of representing our school and our creator, on and off the ice.”
Liberty ends the season with a 25-0 record and extends its winning streak to 40 games. The last time the Lady Flames lost was in January 2021 against Lindenwood University, who they dispatched in the quarterfinals.
COSENTINO is a sports reporter. Follow him on Twitter