Liberty University Club Sports
Ohio University
Flames’ bid for fifth comeback win in past six games denied by stealthy Bobcats
11/13/2021 11:29:35 PM | Men's D1 Hockey
It was beginning to look a bit like Christmas at the LaHaye Ice Center on Saturday night, with Liberty University’s ACHA Division I men’s hockey team decked out in its red sweaters for its rematch with Ohio University, sporting its green jerseys.
And the stage was set for the No. 3 Flames (11-3) to pull off another dramatic late-game victory, rallying from a 3-1 deficit before the No. 14 Bobcats (11-7) played the role of Grinches in stealing Christmas — and a 3-2 upset win — from the home team, with its fans anticipating another miracle on ice.
“You never want to put yourself in that position,” Liberty Associate Head Coach Jeff Boettger said. “We’ve had a little bit of a tendency the last couple weekends to do that and it’s not been normal, across the board, but we’ve got to figure out our starts and how we put a full 60 minutes together to be successful."
Liberty killed off two penalties in the first period, with junior goalie Hunter Virostek making a high glove save of a quality shot through the slot at the end of the second. But with 4:49 remaining, the Bobcats capitalized on a second two-on-one break in the span of a minute. Virostek stopped a breakaway chance by JT Schimizzi before the Flames were snuffed on a four-on-two counterattack. Ohio forward Andrew Wells was left unguarded on the ensuing two-on-one while skating down the inside edge of the right circle and beat Virostek glove-side on his shot.
“The first goal was because of turnovers,” Boettger said. “They had two odd-man rushes in a row. That’s not good puck management. Kudos to Ohio. They came to play and continued to believe in themselves and they took advantage of the mistakes that we made.”
Flames senior forward Devin Melice helped prevent further damage in the first period, covering the cage and helping Virostek block two shots by Bobcats forward Philippe Angervil near the right post in the closing minute.
Liberty generated a scoring chance at the start of the second period before the Bobcats went on the prowl again, cycling the puck around the cage before Ryan Higgins put away a crossing pass from Schimizzi for a 2-0 advantage at the 18:36 mark.
The Flames cut the deficit in half less than three minutes later on a goal manufactured by its fourth line when sophomore forward Truett Olson converted a putback of freshman forward Nate Albers’ shot down the slot from the left circle with 15:25 left in the second.
Ohio’s penalty kill staved off consecutive power-play opportunities by the Flames in the middle of the second stanza before Liberty’s PK held the Bobcats scoreless on their third man advantage of the night.
After going a combined three-for-four on power-play chances in Friday night’s opener, a 4-1 triumph for the Flames, both teams were 0-for-3 in Saturday’s rematch as their PK units were much more effective.
“Really great job by the penalty kill,” Boettger said. “Even our power play was firing pretty good, though a lot of times those shots were coming from the outside where they were maybe not quite as dangerous.”
Liberty kept the pressure on Ohio for much of the first half of the third period, with freshman forward Jacob Kalandyk's shot from the top of the right circle clanging off the crossbar, before the Bobcats pounced on a loose puck deep in the Flames’ defensive zone. Schimizzi scored off a short feed by Higgins from behind the net for what held up as the deciding goal with 9:25 remaining in regulation.
Liberty's fourth line produced a second goal in the final 3:22, pulling the Flames back within 3-2 on a rebound by Melice around a scrum in the cage. Albers was checked on top of a pile with Ohio goalie Max Karlenzig on the bottom and the net coming off of its moorings a split second after the puck crossed the goal line.
That was the kind of urgency Liberty needed to play with from the outset to avoid digging itself a hole it couldn’t climb out of in the end. The Flames outshot the Bobcats, 32-28, and Virostek made 25 saves to 30 for Karlenzig.
“It just looked like there was a little less tenaciousness out there,” Boettger said. “It came in waves, but it wasn’t consistent, and I feel like we’ve had a lot more consistency in that area, just work ethic and frame of mind. The guys wanted it, but it was just a little lackadaisical, not as intentional as it has been.”
“I think it’s a bit of a mental (thing),” he added. “It’s a maturing process; we’ve got a lot of new guys. I’m not sure what contributed to that but sometimes you’ve got to go through bumps in the road to get to where you want to go, so it’s important to face that and to learn from it and grow and then move on.”
The Flames will leave Thursday for Chicago to play in a three-game showcase from Friday through Sunday hosted by Illinois and featuring defending national champion Adrian College, Arizona State, UNLV, Minot State, Davenport, and Rhode Island.
“There will be some great competition there, a tough three games in three days and another feel of what nationals will be like, with all of those teams there, playing at different times of day,” Boettger said. “I think we need to decide who we are going to be and remember that no matter who it is that you’re facing up against, you have to be ready to compete.”
Liberty will return to the LIC for a Dec. 3-4 series against West Virginia, with the opener being the second of three Midnight Mayhem matchups this season.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media
