Liberty University Club Sports
Rowan University
DII Lady Flames off to second-best start in program history after topping, tying Rowan
10/21/2022 3:21:00 PM | Women's D2 Hockey
Liberty University’s ACHA Division II women’s hockey team improved to 5-1-1 and 3-0-1 at the LaHaye Ice Center by posting a 4-2 win and 4-4 tie against Rowan University over Homecoming Weekend, after winning two out of three games at the Oct. 7-9 Delaware Showcase.
The fast start stands in dramatic contrast to last season, when the Lady Flames got out to a 0-7-1 record before winning seven of their last 10, but not quite as strong as their record-setting 11-0 start to the 2019-20 campaign, cut short by COVID-19.
In Friday’s first game against the Profs, sophomore forward Camille Sponaugle started the scoring at the 13:54 mark off an assist from freshman center Isabel Crossman before Rowan tied the contest exactly two minutes later. Less than a minute and a half after that, with Liberty on the power play, freshman forward Guinivere Donovan tracked down freshman defenseman Emma Wallace’s shot that trickled through the right crease and gave the Lady Flames the lead for good by skating from behind the Profs’ net and slipping a shot inside the right post.
Both teams were held scoreless through the first 19:54 of the second period before freshman defenseman Katrina Walhof skated the puck through the neutral zone and launched a shot from the high slot past the glove of Rowan goalie Savannah Thomason into the upper netting to push the Lady Flames’ lead to 3-1.
The Profs cut the deficit to 3-2 with 5:24 remaining in regulation before graduate defenseman Sarah LaPorte capped the scoring with an empty-netter from her own circle in the closing 21 seconds.
Rowan outshot Liberty, 33-24, and Lady Flames freshman goalie Abigail Hodsden made 31 saves to secure the victory.
In Saturday’s rematch, Liberty rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the contest with back-to-back goals in the opening 2:11 of the third period before the teams traded four more goals in the final 15 minutes of a 4-4 tie.
LaPorte scored the first of the Lady Flames’ four third-period goals off a power-play assist from sophomore forward Isabel Gracia at the 19:00 mark before sophomore wing Piper Priem connected off a pass from Crossman 1:11 later, tying the game at 2-2. Rowan graduate forward Emma Stillwaggon put the Profs back on top with a power-play goal 3:25 later before Walhof knotted it at 3-3 with 6:39 remaining in regulation off an assist from senior defenseman Brynlee Anderson. Cote gave Liberty its only lead with an unassisted score with 3:46 to play before Rowan tied it with another power-play goal on a wrist shot in the left crease off an offensive faceoff win in the right circle with 4:24 to go.
After a scoreless 5:00 overtime, the game was declared a draw when both teams converted one of three shootout attempts. Stillwaggon scored first for the Profs by beating Hodsden through the five-hole before Donovan responded by faking Thomason right and finishing with a forehand into a wide-open left side of the net.
The Profs (1-2-1) outshot the Lady Flames, 42-30, and Hodsden made 38 saves to Thomason’s 26.
Liberty will return to action Oct. 28-30 when it travels to Annapolis, Md., for the Navy Showcase, where it will play games against Delaware on Friday at 10:10 p.m., Loyola of Maryland on Saturday at 11 a.m., and Navy on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Videos by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media
