It was a rocky trip for the Liberty men’s division 1 hockey team, as it skated away 1-3 from a pair of two-game series against the best of the ACHA.
After a stellar 4-0 start to the season, the Flames embarked on their stiffest journey yet, traveling up north to take on No. 4 Minot State and No. 3 Adrian College. The Minot State Beavers were first on the schedule, and Liberty had long been anticipating this matchup with the two-time national champions.
The Flames jumped out to an early lead in the first game as sophomore forward Truett Olsen netted a one-timer at the 8:18 mark in the first period. The second period, however, would prove troublesome for Liberty with three unanswered goals, two of which were on power play.
“We gave up two power-play goals, and that’s a big story in the second period,” Head Coach Kirk Handy told media. “Their power play goes 2-for-5 and ours goes 0-for-3 for the game. We’ve got to play 60 minutes of hockey. We played not bad for 40 (in the first and third periods), but you can’t give up two power-play goals in the second period.”
While junior forward Jason Foltz would attempt to revive the Flames’ attack with a goal at the 8:39 mark in the third, the penalty box would ultimately prove to be Liberty’s Achilles heel.
Handy’s group left the ice outshot by Minot, 40-25.
“That’s a big gap there,” Handy said. “We’ve got to get more pucks on net. We have to have all of the lines going and be better on special teams. Up front, we’ve got to get contributions from more guys offensively.”
Liberty returned to Maysa Arena the following night, hopeful to even things up with the Beavers.
Minot was first to put points on the board as Brayden Pawluk netted a wrist shot from the inside edge of the left circle at the 11:00 mark in the first period.
The Flames struggled to muster a response until senior captain Matt Bartel brought the equalizer just 40 seconds before the second intermission with a shot from the right circle past goalie Jake Anthony.
It was Beaver Carter Barley, however, who would seal the Flames’ fate with a one-timer off a pass from Drew Carter to put Minot ahead with 2:19 remaining in regulation.
While Liberty goalie Hunter Virostek had 40 saves on the night, the Flames’ offense failed to ignite a spark against one of the ACHA’s top defensive attacks. The Beavers dammed up Liberty’s offense, outshooting them by a 40-20 margin.
“We’ve got to find ways to generate more offense,” Handy said. “You’re not going to win many games being outshot two to one. That’s just a detail of the game we’ve got to get better at.”
With a week to rest and recover, the Flames returned home in preparation for an even stiffer opponent in the Adrian College Bulldogs.
Liberty then made the trek to Adrian, Michigan, for its first faceoff of the series Oct. 14.
The Bulldogs’ savvy offensive attack got to work early as freshman forward Dylan Gajewski one-timed a top-shelf shot for the score. Liberty junior forward DJ Schwenke would respond in the second, tipping in freshman forward Lazarus Kabel’s power-play shot with 8:38 remaining.
While Flames goalie Hunter Virostek made 42 saves on the night, a puck slipped past him with 4:00 remaining in the third. The Bulldogs snatched the late lead with a fast break give-and-go from Gajewski to Smith, who rifled a wrist shot from the right circle.
With the Flames’ backs against the wall, it appeared they would leave the ice with their third consecutive loss.
Lazarus Kaebel would then shock the arena with a one-timed slapshot with just seven seconds remaining in regulation. The equalizer was Kaebel’s second goal as a Flame.
“Laz has listened to what we’re saying and continued to improve, and he will continue to take his game to the next level,” Handy said. “He’s a great fit for Liberty and our culture on and off the ice. We’re glad he’s here.”
No pucks found the net in the overtime period, forcing the two ACHA superpowers to a shootout. Flames senior forward Jason Foltz was first to the ice, capitalizing with a shot inside the lower left post that put Liberty on top, 2-1.
Virostek stood on his head in the Bulldogs’ shootout attempts, blocking all three shot attempts to give Liberty the victory as it snapped Adrian’s 16-game win streak.
“It was definitely a good team win, and that’s what it takes, every single guy giving everything that they’ve got,” Handy said. “I was proud of our guys. That’s a big one, something we want to continue to build on.”
With one game remaining on the road, the Flames returned to the Arrington Ice Center Oct. 15 to attempt a sweep of the No. 3 Bulldogs.
Liberty’s momentum from the previous night, however, was immediately squashed as Adrian’s Sam Spaedt netted a goal merely 33 seconds into regulation. While Foltz would respond with an equalizer on power play, it wouldn’t take long for the Bulldogs to put out the fire.
Gajewski would net three consecutive goals for a hat trick, silencing Liberty’s attack and giving Adrian the 4-1 lead. The scoreboard would shift to 5-1 in the third as graduate defenseman Tyler Fyfe capitalized with 17:54 remaining in regulation.
The Flames’ leading scorer Jacob Kalandyk attempted to revive his offense with a power-play goal assisted by sophomore defenseman Colton Kovich. The Bulldogs, however, quickly regained a four-goal advantage off a score from Nash Hatcher.
The 6-2 score dealt Liberty its third loss of the season, as the Flames were outshot by Adrian, 44-36.
“We came out flat today, and they came out and scored on the first shift of the game,” Handy said. “That kind of put us back on our heels right away … The game today leaves us with a lot of work still to do to be a top program in the ACHA. I believe in our group and our team. It’s the middle of October, and (we) want to continue getting better every week and refining who we are as a team.”
Now, back in the Hill City, Liberty will have a bye week to recover before returning to action against the Robert-Morris Colonials at the LaHaye Ice Center Oct. 28-29. The game will broadcast on ESPN+.
Cory is the sports editor for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on Twitter