The Liberty University Men’s Division III Hockey team defeated a series of foes Feb. 28 through March 1 to clinch its second consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship title and maintained its perfect 14-0 record at home for the 2025-26 season.
The ACC tournament was hosted by Liberty, with 11 universities making the trip to the Mountain to compete in a bracket style conference championship, all vying for the Commodore’s Cup.
The Flames had an automatic bye into the quarterfinals on Friday where they faced the Catholic University of America. Liberty advanced to the semifinals after a dominant 13-1 victory as the Red Cardinals flew the coop.
On Saturday, the Flames faced a tougher opponent in Rowan University, who handed them their first loss on Oct. 3, 5-4. Seeking revenge, the Flames took a commanding 6-1 win to knock Rowan out of the championship, and Liberty advanced to the final round.
In the final game, standing between Liberty and a back-to-back conference title, was the College of William & Mary. Liberty swept the two-game series against the team Oct. 26 and came away with an 8-0 win. The Tribe returned to the LaHaye Ice Center as a battle-tested team.
The Flames managed to come away with the decisive 3-1 victory. However, the Tribe still exited the rink with something to be proud of.
“They were a better team than we were expecting,” Head Coach Joshua Wagner said to Club Sports. “We had a lot of opportunities to score, and at the end of the game, (the tournament director) gave their goalie (Camden Siwik) the MVP because he had 50 saves.”
The seniors celebrated their final home rink victory and underclassmen hoisted the cup for the first time. Despite the enthusiasm, the celebration was kept to a minimum because there is still work to be done for the team as they prepare for the national tournament.
“The guys were very excited to win the conference tournament, but I have never seen a group more dialed in to win at nationals,” Wagner said.
With this win, the Flames earn the No. 1 seed for the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) D3 National Championships. Liberty is set to face the No. 16 seed Alvernia University in Jacksonville, Florida in the quarterfinals March 11. The game is set for 10:15 a.m.
White is the Editor-in-chief for the Liberty Champion.