Liberty University Club Sports
UMASS
Lady Flames repeat success against UMass, improve to 12-0 going into final series of fall semester
11/13/2021 6:03:20 PM | Women's D1 Hockey
Even without graduate defenseman Sally Hoerr and sophomore goalie Kylie Mebs available due to injury, Liberty University’s ACHA Division I women’s hockey team posted its second straight shutout in a 5-0, 5-0 sweep of the University of Massachusetts, Saturday afternoon at the LaHaye Ice Center.
In their place, sophomore goalie Amanda Storey made 14 saves in her third shutout of the season, as the No. 8 Minutewomen (4-2) struck a couple posts on shots from close range, while graduate defenseman Dana McLeod and a trio of freshmen stepped up as the top-ranked Lady Flames (12-0) showcased their depth in all phases of the game.
“Sally’s a big piece of our D-corps and Mebs is, too, but Storey did a good job (in goal and) we’re fortunate to have a lot of talent,” Liberty Head Coach Chris Lowes said. “We took care of our own end this weekend, and that was really encouraging. The best chances they had came on the power play, including a couple real big scrambles that went our way.”
With 3:54 left in the first period, junior forward Yannick Truter, who netted a hat trick in Friday night’s opener, got the Lady Flames on the scoreboard by skating the puck from the left boards through the circle toward the slot and lifting a wrist shot into the top right corner of the cage for a 1-0 lead.
Then, 53 seconds before the first intermission, graduate forward Shannon Fehr skated toward the right endline before sending a crossing pass to Truter, who pivoted the puck in the left crease and found graduate forward Shelby Bradford in front for a top-shelf finish and a 2-0 Liberty lead.
“The two goals at the end of the first were big because that could easily have been a 0-0 period,” Lowes said. “That gave us the momentum and we just kind of carried that through.”
Liberty capitalized on a power play at the 14:40 mark of the second period when freshman forward Zosia Adamek sent a crossing feed to Bradford in the left crease for a quick finish in front to stretch the Lady Flames’ lead to 3-0.
“We’ve been working on (power plays) a lot in practice, really solidifying our passes, getting our options set in stone, so that when it translates to the game, we know what we’re supposed to do,” Lady Flames freshman forward Haley Battles said.
Late in the third, Liberty tacked on two more goals to match the final score from Friday night. First, freshman defenseman Madison Glynn skated to the left backboards before tapping the puck back to Battles deep in the left circle where she blasted a shot that deflected off a UMass defenseman past goalie Casey Marshall to extend the Lady Flames’ lead to 4-0.
“Maddy had gone coast to coast, she went down and I stayed back for her because she went deep and then I just called for her,” Battles said. “It was a perfect pass, really good placement, and I think (the shot) went off two of their players, but it still found the back of the net so a goal’s a goal.”
“I don’t know if there’s many other teams that are getting the contributions that we are from first- and second-year players,” Lowes added. “We’re just so young with those first two classes that it is super exciting for the future.”
Finally, with 1:38 remaining in regulation and the Minutewomen on a power play, Bradford skated down the right wing shorthanded and sent a pass to junior defenseman Priscilla Ziefle. She dished it to sophomore forward Brityn Fussy, who was posting up in front of Marshall. Fussy tried to slip the puck under Marshall’s pad on a turnaround and to jam in the rebound with her backhand before being taken down by Minutewomen forward Elizabeth Emerson while Ziefle put the loose puck away top shelf for the final score.
“Fussy got driven pretty hard into the goalie in the crease, but it certainly wasn’t her fault and it was a good follow and finish by Priscilla (Ziefle),” Lowes said.
“It was a really good three-on-one, even shorthanded, and then just crashing the net and getting the dirty goals,” Battles added.
Lowes said the Lady Flames have netted at least five goals on opponents’ power plays so far this season.
“We’ve been really dangerous shorthanded this year and we’re on track to set the record,” he said. “Girls utilize their speed and patience and find little soft spots (in opponents’ defenses).”
Going into a fall semester-ending series against Arizona State next Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the LIC, Liberty (12-0) outshot UMass by a 37-14 margin and extended its winning streak to 27 games dating back to last season.
“We’re rolling,” Lowes said. “We’ve got one more weekend so it’s time for us to get ready and finish strong on home ice. I think the (Christmas) Break will be good, too. I think the girls’ fires are pretty stoked for second semester, too, getting back (for the second half).”
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media
