Liberty University Club Sports
University of Rhode Island
Lady Flames use seven-goal first-period flurry to sleigh past visiting Rams
1/15/2022 6:49:48 PM | Women's D1 Hockey
With the area under a winter storm watch overnight, Liberty University’s top-ranked, three-time defending ACHA DI national championship women’s hockey team again buried Rhode Island with a blizzard of goals in Saturday afternoon’s 10-0 triumph over Rhode Island at the LaHaye Ice Center.
After routing the Rams 14-0 on Friday, the Lady Flames (16-0) used a seven-goal flurry in the first period to maintain their momentum and complete the series sweep with their 31st win in a row.
“The girls were playing with a lot of confidence today,” Liberty Head Coach Chris Lowes said. “We’re a really dangerous team when we’re confident, when we’re on the edge. Our girls looked inspired and motivated and I was really happy.”
Nine different players scored and the Lady Flames (16-0) outshot Rhode Island (4-9-1) by a 50-14 margin and reached double figures in scoring for the sixth time this season.
“That (balance) is why we’re such a tough matchup, and we continue to see that week-in and week-out,” Lowes said.
Graduate forward Shelby Bradford started the scoring just 31 seconds after the opening faceoff, finishing an assist from freshman forward Brielle Fussy.
“We do rely on certain girls that have energy to give us that boost,” Lowes said. “We scored on our first three shifts, and they were three different lines, so today was one of those all-around efforts.”
Just 1:11 later, graduate forward Shannon Fehr doubled the advantage before Fussy put the Lady Flames up 3-0 with another unassisted score just 42 seconds later.
Sophomore forward Carly Glover extended Liberty’s lead to 4-0 only 1:12 later off an assist from freshman forward Haley Battles before freshman forward Zosia Adamek finished a feed from Glover to make it 5-0 at the 12:07 mark of the first period.
Graduate forward and head captain Vanessa DeMerchant, the only player with multiple goals on the day, capitalized on assists from freshman defenseman Madison Glynn and sophomore forward Brityn Fussy with 10:43 remaining in the period. Freshman forward Isabella Hervert then put away a pass from freshman forward Laura Arfstrom to cap the first-period score at 7-0.
The Lady Flames added two goals in the second period — by senior forward Yannick Truter off an Arfstrom assist and junior defenseman Julia McDonald, who finished a feed from senior forward Linzy Jedrzejek — and one in the third, DeMerchant’s second assisted by Glynn and Fehr.
All 10 goals were scored at even strength as both teams were only whistled for one penalty.
Sophomore goalie Amanda Storey made 10 saves through the first two periods before sophomore Alex Ritter, a call-up from the Division II team, stopped four shots by the Rams in the third period to preserve the shutout.
“We kept (injured sophomore goalie) Kylie (Mebs) out as precaution,” Lowes said. “She should be good to go for next weekend. Alex Ritter was good to play a period there and get her some reps, and we’re always thankful to have (the DII team) supporting us.”
Liberty, which completed a seven-game homestand, will play its next five games on the road — starting next Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. at No. 7-ranked Indiana Tech (15-4-1) — before returning to the LIC for a final home series of the season, Feb. 18-19 against No. 2 Adrian College (15-4-2).
“The girls still have plenty of early-semester excitement, and as we prep for Indiana Tech next weekend, they will be fired up,” Lowes said. “(The Warriors) are a first-year program and they were good when we played them early in the year, so I suspect they’ll be an even better team, and I hope they feel the same way when they see us play — that we’re ahead of where we were the last time we skated.”
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media
