Men’s D1 Hockey defeats Stony Brook 3-2, 8-5 to claim 2-0 series win

The Flames Men’s Division I Hockey team shut down former ESCHL rival Stony Brook University in a two-game weekend home series Oct. 25 and 26, winning 3-2 and 8-5 against the Seawolves.

Game one began with the Flames taking immediate control of the puck, but the Seawolves barked back, gaining possession as each team duked it out for an early lead.

The Seawolves beat the Flames in the battle for a goal at 8:76 as the puck glided right underneath sophomore goalie Konrad Kausch. Stony Brook shot another one off shortly after, but this one did not get by.

The Flames fought for a goal of their own with sophomore defenseman Nick Pomerleau firing a quick shot straight for the net, but it was caught right between the knee pads of Stony Brook’s goalie.

“The first period was again not very good; that is a couple games in a row now that the other team has scored the first goal,” Head Coach Kirk Handy said. “We need to score the first goal. That’s big, and we have to win the first period.”

The second period began with Stony Brook taking command of the puck and trying for a goal, but it would not get through Kausch as he flipped around to redirect the puck with his pads for an unconventional save.

The Flames found their first goal early in the second quarter with sophomore forward Mason Smith breaking past a barrier of red sweaters standing strong around the crease. Smith’s goal was the match that lit the Flames. 

Less than a minute later, freshman left wing Liam Cox-Smith scored Liberty’s second goal. 

Both teams were more energized in the final period as they each embarked on a journey to the back of the net. The Flames came out shooting rapid fire but were unable to score. The Seawolves responded to the Flames’ attempts by scoring a second goal, bringing the score to a tie halfway through the third period.

The Flames would not be put out so quickly, as graduate forward Truett Olson found a hole and sunk one in for the game-winning goal off an assist by freshman forward Kal Essenmacher and junior defenseman Laz Kaebel. This goal reunited the Flames with the lead at 12:53.

“We were just trying to keep the puck in the zone and shoot everything every time we got the chance,” Olson said. “I just got to the net and Kal got a good shot, so I tipped it.”

Despite their efforts to rally back and pull their goalie, the Seawolves fell short, ending game one 3-2 for a Flames win.

In game two, the Flames were determined to find their momentum early. They accomplished that mission when senior defenseman Kevin Bite scored the Flames’ first goal of the night at 4:17, assisted by both freshman forward Michael Debrito and Smith.

“I feel like we were hesitant yesterday, but today we knew we wanted to get everything to the net and just test this goalie,” Essenmacher said. 

This momentum would remain in the Flames’ favor, as Essenmacher went on to score a second goal two minutes later with the help of Pomerleau. 

Aggression built up throughout the night as the Flames and Seawolves continuously tussled, getting tossed in the sin bin. This allowed the Seawolves to capitalize during power play as they found their first goal of game two.

The Seawolves were anxious for another goal, but junior goalie Nicholas Bernstein was a wall between the pipes. With several of the Seawolves fallen on the ice after failed scoring attempts, Cox-Smith found an open space for a straight shot, flicking the puck into the back of the net.

With just one minute remaining in the period, graduate forward Jackson Vercellono snapped one into the net during power play with an assist from Pomerleau and Olson, securing a strong lead for the Flames as they entered the next period. 

“We haven’t started well in the past, so getting two goals right off the start and ending the first period 4-1 was big for us,” Pomerleau said.

After the Seawolves were able to sneak the puck into the net for a second time, Vercellono found another goal for the Flames with an assist by Debrito, once again striking momentum. Essenmacher followed suit, scoring his second goal of the night with an assist by freshman defenseman Joe Feamster.

“It was a full-team effort. I feel like just getting pucks to the net was the key tonight,” Essenmacher said.

The Seawolves responded, scoring another goal. Less than a minute later, they found another one as the puck grazed past Bernstein’s shoulder, hitting the top right corner of the net and bringing them to only a 2-point deficit. The Flames lengthened that deficit as Smith scored another goal to end the period. 

“The encouraging thing is our offense was strong tonight,” Handy said. “We’ve just got to tighten up some areas on the defensive part of our game, especially those two goals off the faceoff.”

Both teams had a slower start in the final period, as neither team was able to score for over 10 minutes. The Flames sounded the alarm first after Division II junior forward Thomas Kayner found a pocket and netted one in at 8:55 with an assist by Vercellono and Bite.

“Hats off to him (Kayner), he played well for us this weekend,” Handy said. “It was awesome to have him up, and it’s great to have him score.”

The Seawolves put one more on the board with two minutes to go, bringing the game to 8-5 at the final for another Flames win. 

“I really like where our team is. I like where we’re heading,” Handy said. “Now we’re getting to play some big teams soon like Niagara and Ohio, and then we go to the showcase before Thanksgiving, so we’ve got some big contests ahead of us here.” 

The Flames look to continue this streak as they travel to face Niagara University Nov. 1 and 2 for a two-game weekend series. 

White is the asst. sports editor for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X.