Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
No. 5 Flames in North Dakota for back-to-back battles with No. 4 Beavers
10/6/2022 10:32:34 AM | Men's D1 Hockey
Traveling overnight Thursday morning to challenge longtime nemesis Minot State (N.D.) University this weekend, Liberty University’s ACHA Division I men’s hockey team, ranked No. 5 in the preseason poll, hopes to ride momentum from this past weekend’s home sweep of No. 13 Niagara University and end the No. 4 Beavers’ nine-game winning streak in head-to-head battles.
“It’s our first road trip and it’s going to be a long one, flying into Minot State,” said Flames junior forward DJ Schwenke, who scored twice in the 5-4 “Midnight Mayhem” rematch with the Purple Eagles. “They’re up there with us at the top of the league, so we’ve got to respect that. They’re a great program. Every time we play them now, it’s one of our best games. They play mean and they play aggressive and they put pucks in the net. They’re so aggressive, so we’ve got to expect that and if not match it, exceed it.”
As opportunistic as Liberty has been so far in its series against Niagara and single-game blowouts of North Carolina State and West Virginia at the LaHaye Ice Center, Schwenke said they will need to be even more efficient in games at Minot this weekend and at No. 3 Adrian (Mich.) College next weekend.
“We’ve got to put those breakaways in the net,” he said after being denied a hat trick against Niagara when goalie Bennett Oxborough stopped his one-on-one chance in the third period. “We’re not going to get opportunities like that all of the time, so we’ve got to capitalize.”
Scouting Preview for Games 5-6: No. 5 Liberty (4-0) at No. 4 Minot State (2-0), Friday and Saturday at 8:15 p.m. EST at the Maysa Arena in Minot, N.D. Both games will be streamed live by the NSIC Network.
All-Time Series: The Beavers hold a 12-2 advantage after winning all four meetings with the Flames last season — two in Minot and two at the LaHaye Ice Center, where they swept Liberty over its Star Wars Weekend when they were ranked No. 2 and the Flames No. 3 in ACHA DI. Liberty hasn’t defeated Minot State since a 2014-15 regular-season-ending home sweep at the LIC, ending the then-No. 3 Beavers’ 18-game winning streak. The Beavers began and ended the Flames' 2015-16 season with home and away sweeps in Minot and Lynchburg, respectively. Liberty lost to Minot, 3-1, in the ACHA DI National Championship semifinals in St. Louis in April 2021. “There’s a lot of history between us,” Schwenke said. “We’re ready for some redemption.”
Liberty Scouting Report: The Flames have received balanced offensive production from throughout their lineup, with all four lines scoring in the second game against Niagara, with junior forward Jacob Kalandyk (4 goals, 4 assists) leading the way after netting the first goal against the Purple Eagles. He is followed closely by fellow junior forward Kam Ottenbreit (3G, 4A), sophomore forward Jackson Vercellono (3G, 4A), Schwenke (4G, 2A), senior forward Josh Fricks (2G, 3A), senior defenseman and head captain Colin Baird (5A), and junior forward Jason Foltz (4G in 3 games).
Defensively, they have replenished the ranks with three promising newcomers in Laz Kaebel, Colten Kovich, a sophomore transfer, and Grant Morton, who have complemented Baird, senior Tom Nagle, sophomores Nate Cox and Luke Heimann. In goal, Hunter Virostek (3-0, 2.33 goals-against average, 92.0 save percentage) has played the majority of minutes with backup from fellow senior Cédric Le Sieur (0-0, 3.00 GAA, 81.8 SP).
Minot State Scouting Report: The Beavers have been one of the premiere programs in the nation over the past decade, making 10 consecutive ACHA DI National Championship quarterfinal appearances and five “Frozen Fours,” including hoisting two Murdoch Cup trophies. Like Liberty, Minot only brought in five recruits this fall, all with the potential to make immediate impacts. It returns four fifth-year seniors who opted to return for a final season of eligibility after Minot was upset by No. 18 Ohio in the first round of last year’s nationals in St. Louis, one of only three losses on the year. After Friday’s season-opening 4-3 triumph at Jamestown (N.D.), Minot soundly defeated the Jimmies in the rematch at Maysa Arena, winning 6-1 when fifth-year senior Davis Sheldon (75G, 73A for his career) scored his first two goals of the year.
Between the pipes, the Beavers return both Jake Anthony (2-0, 2.00 GAA, 91.7 SP), who went 14-2 with a 1.37 GAA, 94.3 SP, and 3 shutouts in 2021-22, and Riley Wallace (16-0, 1.43 GAA, 93.5 SP, 2 SO in 2021-22).
Coaches: Handy is in his 23rd season at the helm of the Flames, having guided them to six consecutive ACHA DI National Championships appearances and posted a career record of 502-199-29. Wyatt Waselenchuk, Minot State’s first ACHA Division I Player of the Year in 2013 after leading the Beavers to their first of two national championships, is 33-3 in his second season at the helm. He served as assistant coach over the previous five seasons, including 2018-19, when Minot claimed its second national title.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
