Liberty University’s Men’s Division I Hockey team took to the ice as they faced off against the University of Utah Oct. 3-4 for a weekend-series sweep 8-2 and 3-2.
The Flames and their fans rounded up their best country attire for Rodeo Night in the LaHaye Ice Center Oct. 4.
Liberty corralled the puck on the opening faceoff to gain possession early in the first period. Utah showcased its physicality as sophomore center Brady Schwab was the first player from either team to step into the penalty box for tripping.
This weekend series was the first time the teams have met, and Liberty came out strong with an 8-2 win over Utah on Friday. After facing defeat the night before, Utah returned to the rink looking for redemption on Saturday.
The Utes did not go down without a fight as multiple penalties were handed out for both teams on Saturday. Senior forward Michael DeBrito, sophomore defenseman Joe Feamster and freshman defenseman Michael Fischer all received roughing penalties for Liberty.
On Utah’s side of the box, junior left wing Tyler Sunagel received one for holding, sophomore right wing Trevor Kruczek for slashing and freshman center Zach Laurila for interference all 12:18 into the period.
Tensions continued to rise as 20 seconds later Liberty sophomore forward Liam Cox-Smith and Schwab were both sent to the sin bin for roughing. Junior goalkeeper Konrad Kausch picked up his own roughing penalty which was served by senior forward Ryan Finch.
The Utes were the first to put a number on the board with a goal from freshman right wing Paul Waldhauser, assisted by junior defenseman Jake Laurila and junior defenseman Matthew Delany.
With Utah up 1-0, Jake Laurila collected an interference penalty to put Liberty on the power play. To give the Flames a two-man advantage, the Utes picked up another penalty on Kruczek for holding.
Liberty capitalized on this advantage with Finch netting a power-play goal off assists from DeBrito and junior defenseman Nick Pomerleau at 16:08. This goal brought the score up to an even 1-1 to close out the first period.
“He (Finch) is an elite player, and he’s doing the right things,” Head Coach Kirk Handy said. “He is just shooting, and he is in those situations, and he gets that ice time because he is dominant right now.”
To begin the second period, Zach Laurila was given a hooking penalty to put Liberty back onto the power play. Despite Liberty’s man advantage, the Utes were successful with their penalty kill.
Utah junior right wing Jacob Slater wanted in on the action but was instead rewarded with a penalty for tripping. With their second power play of the period, Liberty could not secure a goal to break the stalemate.
Defensemen sophomore Michael Adamek and senior Connor Diem each took their turn in the penalty box for interference and slashing. The Utes got the chance to show their skills on the power play but quickly fell as freshman right wing Gavin Barr had to serve a bench minor penalty for too many men on the ice.
To put Utah back on the power play, senior forward Aidan Carney went to the box for the Flames. The Utes could not find the momentum as the second period came to a close with the score remaining 1-1.
Both teams returned in the third period, determined to be the first to break the tie game. Penalties were handed out early again as freshman forward Seth Huygen got one for roughing and Utah freshman center Joseph Crowley got one for slashing, both 3:22 into the period.
After getting back to 5-on-5 play, senior forward Sam Feamster was handed a penalty for charging Utah senior goalkeeper Joseph Greilich. With this man advantage for Utah, Kruczek was able to score a power-play goal with assists from Zach Laurila and Waldhauser.
“That’s part of the game. You got to keep your emotions in check, and sometimes that’s hard,” Handy said. “I thought our guys did a great job channeling their emotions and battling a lot of adversity. A lot of the calls maybe I didn’t agree with, but you have to develop through that.”
Each team continued to trade penalties and power plays as the clock ticked down with Utah in the lead 2-1. As regulation time ran dangerously low, sophomore forward Tucker Shields put one in between the pipes with the help of Pomerleau and junior forward Luke Munroe with 54 seconds left on the clock.
This goal from the Flames tied the score at 2-2 to send the game into overtime. As the teams played 3-on-3, neither one could net a goal in the allotted five minutes of overtime, resulting in a shootout finish.
Finch was up first for the Flames as he went toward Greilich and slotted one in to put the Flames on the board. Waldhauser was up for Utah, but his shot was saved by Kausch. Liberty then sent out Munroe to take their second shot which Greilich saved.
Desperate to remain in the shootout fight, the Utes chose Kruczek to take their second shot. In return, Kausch made another crucial save.
Shields was the final shooter for the Flames. With the Liberty fans on the edge of their seats, Shields snuck one past Greilich to secure the goal and the 3-2 win for the Flames.
“Every single person in the lineup did their job and did it extremely well. I’m just extremely proud of my teammates,” Shields said. “I was lucky enough to be the guy to score, but truthfully, every single guy on this roster should get the credit for that.”
As the Flames remain undefeated 8-0, their next matchup will be against Adrian College for a weekend series in Adrian, Michigan Oct. 10-11 at 7 p.m. and 1:05 p.m.
Schlösser is the assistant sports editor for the Liberty Champion.