It’s always a battle when the Beavers come to town. This past weekend was no different, as the Lady Flames D1 hockey team took on the Minot State Beavers in a three-game series Jan. 27-29.
The first two games belonged to Liberty, with final scores of 4-1 and 4-0. The third time around, however, ushered a different result, as the Lady Flames lost 4-3 in the final matchup.
The Lady Flames were simply dominant in the first two games of the series. They controlled the puck well while on offense and played clean yet aggressive defense. During Thursday’s game, Liberty forced a handful of turnovers that would ultimately lead to several scoring chances as the team pulled off the 4-1 victory.
Defense was the deciding factor in the Friday’s match, as Minot State was held to merely 13 shots. Freshman goalie Alex Keith impressed yet again, pitching her fourth shutout on the year.
Coming off two wins to open the series, the Flames were confident. Despite having their 57-game win streak snapped the previous week against McKendree University, Liberty had the chance to get back on their feet against the Beavers, a team they had never lost a game to. A three-game series, however, is uncommon in the collegiate hockey regular season, and the final matchup would be a test of wills for both sides.
“I think we’ll see conditioning today; we’ll see if our speed is still there,” Head Coach Chris Lowes said before the final matchup.
The game started fast, as Minot State took an early lead off a goal from junior defenseman Anna German. Junior wing Carly Glover answered back one minute later with the first goal for Liberty. Minot would score once more in the first period, as a shot from senior forward Ensley Fendelet bounced off the skate of Liberty goalie Keith into the back of the net.
Trailing 2-1 entering the second period, Liberty rallied back as sophomore defenseman Peyton Carle scored to tie the game at 2-2. A goal from junior forward Gillian Gervin, however, would put the Beavers back up by a score.
By the third game in any series, the players grew on edge. This was evident in the game’s chippy feel, and players from both sides spent several minutes in the penalty box. With the frequency of power plays came a lack of penalty kills, as two of the Minot State goals in the game came while Liberty was shorthanded.
Late in the second period, senior center Yannick Truter made a backhanded shot on the power play to knot the score at three apiece going into the second intermission.
The third period saw Minot State hit what would end up being the game-winning goal. Senior forward Sidney Spicer made a top-slot shot to put the Beavers ahead for good.
Minot State would defeat the Flames 4-3 in the final game of the weekend, handing the Flames their second loss in five games. Liberty looked strong early on, but the team seemed to lose focus as the night wore on.
“I didn’t love our composure in the final five (minutes),” Lowes said following the contest. “You’ve got to be able to win three games in a row to win conference and Nationals, and we came up one short today.”
Despite the loss, however, the team holds a growth mindset.
“That’s why we play these (games) right?” Lowes said. “This is playoff prep. That’s why we want to play the best teams and be in these games. We want to expose areas in our game where there’s room for improvement, and I think we’ll do that. The video will be pretty telling.”
The Lady Flames have another tough test up next, as they will host No. 2 Adrian Bulldogs to close the regular season on Feb. 17 and 18.
Wheeler is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on Twitter