Liberty University Club Sports
Lindenwood University
Reigning national champion Lady Flames rule Lions in ACHA opener
10/2/2021 8:02:00 PM | Women's D1 Hockey
A rematch of the ACHA Division I women's hockey National Championship game turned into a one-sided showdown for Liberty University's three-time-defending champion team, which rallied for a 7-2 triumph over Lindenwood University, Saturday afternoon at the LaHaye Ice Center.
The Lady Flames erased the Lions' 1-0 lead by scoring twice in the final 10 minutes of the first period before padding their advantage to 5-2 by the end of the second.
"We got down kind of early, which is rare for us, but the girls did a good job of just battling and sticking to our game," Liberty Assistant Coach Justin Forth said. "Obviously, there's lots of work to be done and we made some mistakes out there, but overall, we're happy with the result."
The Lady Flames (3-0) outshot Lindenwood (1-2) by a 56-26 count and sophomore goalie Amanda Storey made 24 saves in her second start of the season.
Defenseman Kim Turcotte gave the Lions early life and a 1-0 lead at the 10:57 mark with a shot from the blue line that zipped past Storey inside the left post.
But as it did after both Lions' scores, Liberty responded nearly immediately. Just 11 seconds into a power play, graduate defenseman Dana McLeod launched a shot from the high slot that was blocked by Lindenwood goalie Maia Busi right to junior forward Yannick Truter in front. She sent it across the cage to graduate forward Shelby Bradford for an open-net finish in the left crease, tying the score at 1-1 with 9:31 left in the first period.
Less than three minutes after that, Haley Battles received an outlet pass from fellow freshman forward Brielle Fussy and skated the puck on a three-on-one fast break. Her shot in the right crease was blocked by Musi right back to her for an open finish in the left side of the net and a 2-1 advantage that the Lady Flames would never relinquish.
Then, with 12:44 to play in the second period, sophomore forward Brityn Fussy received a feed from Truter and skated the puck up the left wing before slicing through the right circle and netting an open forehand in the right crease, pushing Liberty's lead to 3-1.
"Brityn Fussy's really patient with the puck, so it was nice for her to get rewarded and showcase her skill on that one," Forth said. "Our speed and talent are hard for other teams to control. The girls continued to do a good job of showcasing that and sticking to what we're trying to do every night."
Moments later, Truter had an apparent power play goal on a wrist shot from the right circle disallowed, but the Lady Flames kept the pressure on around the Lions' cage and eventually broke through. They put five shots on net in a span of 25 seconds before Brielle Fussy finally put away the rebound of freshman defenseman Madison Glynn's shot through the slot, stretching Liberty's lead to 4-1 with 5:57 left in the second period.
Fussy was excited to score her first goal as a Lady Flame, tracing her older sister's skate tracks.
"It's been fun getting to see her play and following up after her," Brielle Fussy said of her sister Brityn. "She really sets the momentum for both of us. I feed off her energy, and our line is really buzzing right now. We're all getting goals and getting assists, and we're all happy for each other, so it's fun."
Soon after that, freshman Zosia Adamek stole the puck along the left boards and kicked it to Brielle Fussy, who set up Battles' second score. Fussy spotted Battles with a pass through the slot before she skated around Busi for an easy backhanded finish inside the right side of the net.
"Execution was there second period, especially five-on-five, battling hard," Forth said. "The girls did a good job taking advantage of the opportunities they had."
Less than five minutes into the third period, Lindenwood junior captain Kennedy Frank lifted a wrist shot over Storey after a failed clearing attempt, trimming Liberty's lead to 5-2 with 15:41 remaining in regulation. This time, the Lady Flames needed just 32 seconds to answer when Brielle Fussy skated left to right across the high slot and rifled a high-precision shot into the top-left corner of the net, stretching the Flames' advantage to 6-2 with 15:09 left.
"Getting that momentum back definitely helps us tremendously, so getting a goal right after they score really helps us get moving and grooving against them," Fussy said.
Finally, seconds after Battles nearly completed her second hat trick in as many games shorthanded with her wrist shot clanging off the crossbar, she assisted Glynn on the game's final goal with the Lions still on the power play. Glynn skated down the left wing before pouncing on the loose puck freed by Battles in the left circle for a sharp-angled shot just under the crossbar, stretching Liberty's lead to 7-2 with 2:55 remaining.
"The first three games of the year we've had a lot of freshmen chipping in, so it's really nice to see," Forth said. "They're leading the way in scoring, so that's really good. We graduated some big players last year, so for freshmen to come in and fill those roles, it's good."
"I absolutely love all of the freshmen that have come in with me," Brielle Fussy added. "They're all great girls to work with, and our returners are all just awesome, and they make us really comfortable."
After opening the 2020-21 season with their lone loss of the year to Lindenwood, the Lady Flames tied the Lions for most consecutive (three) and most overall national titles, hoisting their fourth trophy in seven seasons, April 19 in Minot, N.D.
"They lost two really important pieces to their puzzle last year, but they've got a handful of young freshmen, and they're still going to be competitive because they're tough to play against," Forth said. "They'll get used to each other and be even more dangerous down the road."
Liberty will look to complete the sweep of the Lions in Sunday's 1:30 p.m. rematch, streamed live from the LIC.
"We've got to take this momentum from today and pour it into (Sunday's) game," Brielle Fussy said.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media
