After earning hard-fought wins in rounds one and two of the WMCH Playoffs, the Lady Flames came center ice for a conference championship rematch with No. 2 Midland University Feb. 24, who stole the WMCH crown from Liberty University just one season prior. This time around, the Lady Flames regained their WMCH supremacy on home ice, taking down the Warriors with late-game heroics that allowed Liberty to claim its fourth conference title in five years.
“They’re a very tough team to play, so the girls battled very hard and they brought their one hundred percent today, and we were rewarded for it,” Liberty graduate center Yannick Truter told Club Sports media.
Liberty hosted the WMCH Playoffs at the LaHaye Ice Center for the first time, shifting the event’s usual location from the St. Louis area and giving the Lady Flames a slight edge heading into Championship Saturday.
Photo by Anna Wheat
As soon as the puck dropped, Midland got to work, scoring the game’s first merely three minutes after the opening faceoff. Midland defenseman Darbi Poole sent a pass from the left boards, finding her forward Kaeleigh Kachmarski camped out in front of the net, who sent a one-timer past Liberty sophomore goaltender Alex Keith.
The Lady Flames couldn’t find an answer for Midland’s early score in the first period. But as the second came, Liberty’s offense developed rhythm. Just over two minutes into the second frame, Truter found herself one-on-one with a Midland defender in the Warriors’ defensive zone, taking the puck to her backhand and flipping it to the right corner of the net.
“What a big moment for Truter, tying the game at one,” Liberty Head Coach Chris Lowes said. “It’s just like her to make a big play in a big game.”
Photo by Anna Wheat | Yannick Truter
Just over a minute later, junior forward Haley Battles earned the go-ahead goal, receiving the puck from junior center Zosia Adamek at center ice and sliding it around a Warriors defender before netting a backhanded shot of her own. Battles’ goal was her 16th of the season, keeping her atop the list of Lady Flames scorers this season.
The momentum-shifting goal from the junior, however, wouldn’t be enough to turn Midland away. The Warriors had the man advantage in the third with 11 minutes remaining, and Liberty’s stout PK unit was unable to tame Midland’s power play. Warriors defenseman Grace Page took a shot from the point that found its way through traffic and past Keith, courtesy of the tip from Rylee Martin.
Now, with a 2-2 score late in the game, it grew evident that the next team to find the back of the net would likely be the one hoisting the WMCH trophy.
Photo by Anna Wheat
After a fierce eight minutes of offensive chances, a holding call on Midland’s Kayla Flanigan gave Liberty the opportunity for a last-minute game-breaker. Lady Flames junior defenseman Madison Glynn received a feed from Battles at the right circle, sending the puck through the five-hole of Warriors goaltender Hannah Stone and cementing Liberty’s conference victory in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
The Lady Flames managed to kill off a late penalty in the game’s dying minutes, embracing in celebration on the ice when time expired.
“I was really proud of the composure and calm showed by our girls in a high-intensity game,” Lowes said. “Midland has been the class of the league this year, and I liked how our girls prepared and performed this weekend.”
Photo by Anna Wheat
The resounding victory over a tough Midland team, however, is not the end of the road for the Lady Flames. The WMCH champions will head into the ACHA National Tournament as the No. 1 seed, eager to add to their astounding tally of five consecutive national championships and hang another banner in the LaHaye Ice Center.
“I think that is definitely a possibility (that we will see Midland in the ACHA National Tournament), and when it comes to nationals, we’ll take it one step at a time,” Truter said. “But if it does get there, I believe that the girls will play just as hard.”
Liberty will open play at nationals March 15, taking on the tournament’s lowest seed at the Centene Community Ice Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
Cory is the sports editor for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X.
