Liberty Men’s D1 Hockey Team Sweeps Weekend At Home Against Adrian University

Liberty University’s Men’s Division 1 Hockey team faced off against Adrian University, the current reigning ACHA National Champions, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 and swept the weekend at home.   

Adrian won the faceoff to start the game Jan. 31. The Bulldogs have had a history of being a physical team, but they did not shake off the Flames. Freshman center Tucker Shields put the Flames on the board first just 28 seconds into the first period with an assist from freshman left wing Brad Barker.  

The Flames took a series of shots before freshman center Hayden Demars netted his first goal of the game 6:06 into the first period with an assist from senior forward Jacob Kalandyk. The Bulldogs then took their chances in the shooting lanes but failed to capitalize on any shots.   

Freshman forward Kal Essenmacher boosted the score with an assist from graduate student forward Jackson Vercellono and freshman forward Michael Debrito 13:06 into the first period.  

After allowing three goals during the first period, Adrian chose to pull senior goalie Noah Decottignies swapping for sophomore goalie Peyton Trzaska. Shortly after, sophomore forward Mason Smith picked up his first penalty for boarding. Liberty succeeded in completing the penalty kill.  

Each team received another penalty. Adrian sophomore forward Blake Wideman was penalized for slashing and Liberty sophomore defenseman Luke Anderson received a penalty for grabbing a facemask. The first period concluded with four-on-four play and the score at 3-0.  

The Bulldogs managed to find an opening and get their first goal on the board from senior forward Matthew DiCesare. The goal was secured with assists from sophomore forward Matteo Turrin and junior forward Justin Jamer. This goal closed out the second period with Liberty leading and the score at 3-1.    

Both teams continued fighting until Adrian graduate student forward Nash Hatcher received a five-minute major penalty for head butting and a game misconduct. This penalty was served by Wideman to finish off the third with a final score of 3-1 for a Liberty win.  

The second game of the weekend started off quietly until sophomore goalie Konrad Kausch picked up a roughing penalty which was served by Vercellono. The Bulldogs continued to push after suffering a loss the previous night.  

Junior defenseman Grant Morton received a roughing penalty, resulting in another Adrian power play. The Flames managed to kill off the penalty ending the first period with the score locked at zero.  

In the second period, Vercellono saw an opening and netted a goal with an assist from graduate student forward Truett Olson and freshman defenseman Joe Feamster.  

Smith quickly followed with a goal of his own with assists from Barker and Essenmacher. A penalty on Wideman resulted in a Liberty power play, but the Bulldogs killed it off. With Adrian trying to fight its way back into the game, junior forward Dylan Gajewski found the back of the net without an assist.  

Adrian sophomore forward Chad Noetzel received an elbowing penalty, quickly followed by Liberty freshman left wing Liam Cox-Smith for hooking. The teams managed to kill off both penalties, ending the second period 2-1 with Liberty leading.  

Early in the third period, Adrian sophomore forward Cash Regan was dealt a hooking penalty, putting Liberty on the power play. With the man advantage, DeMars managed to put one between the pipes with an assist from freshman forward Mac Ratzlaff and Shields.  

An interference penalty on Barker gave the main advantage over to Adrian. They capitalized on the power play and secured a goal from Adrian’s Keegan DeCaluwe, who was assisted by Gajewski and freshman defenseman Griffin Zaske.  

Another penalty on Adrian allowed Liberty to finish out the game on the power play. Demars was able to profit with his second power-play goal of the game. He was assisted by Vercellono to bring the final score to 4-2 for a Liberty weekend sweep.  

“I think the lines were great this weekend. I think all the lines were going,” Head Coach Kirk Handy said. “It’s just our commitment to get better, and I think we’re doing a way better job of turning our negative emotions into positive emotions.” 

The Flames will be back in action against Ohio University Feb. 7-8 at 7 p.m. in Athens, Ohio.  

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

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