Flames burned by Blue Hens for first time in 22 games dating back to 2017

Friday, October 27

Newark, DE

6:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

University of Delaware

Graduate forward Jackson Vercellono, shown in Liberty's 9-0 win over Delaware on Oct. 6 at the LaHaye Ice Center, gave the Flames a 3-2 lead by finishing a 3-on-2 rush in the second period before Delaware netted four unanswered goals in the 6-3 upset win. (Photo by Jacob Summersgill)

Flames burned by Blue Hens for first time in 22 games dating back to 2017

10/27/2023 10:29:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey

Liberty allowed host Delaware to score four unanswered goals over the final 22 minutes to erase a 3-2 deficit and douse the Flames, 6-3.

A 21-game string of success came to an abrupt end for Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team on Friday night as the University of Delaware scored four unanswered goals over the final 22 minutes of play to stage a 6-3 victory over the No. 4-ranked Flames at Fred Rust Arena.

It was Liberty's first loss to the Blue Hens since being swept in Newark, Del., on Jan. 27-28, 2017.

"Very, very disappointing," Head Coach Kirk Handy said after the lopsided loss to the Flames' former ESCHL rival. "It's a major wakeup call for us. For coaches, players, we all weren't good enough tonight. It's a collective effort."

The unranked Blue Hens improved to 3-4 after being swept by Liberty (5-6-1) in their season-opening series at the LaHaye Ice Center on Oct. 6-7.

"Those guys wanted it more than we did," Handy said. "We got outworked tonight, plain and simple. The biggest part was we didn't look too interested in playing tonight and those guys, it was a big game for them, and they came out ready to play. They played well. We didn't play well at all."

Delaware seized a 1-0 advantage with 9:08 left in the first period when Riley Dohner finished an end-to-end drive by lifting a wrist shot from the top of the left circle under the crossbar past Flames freshman goalie Jackson Glassford.

Less than three minutes later, Liberty drew even on a 3-on-2 fast break of its own when graduate forward Jackson Vercellono capped tic-tac-toe passing from linemates Truett Olson and Jacob Kalandyk by lifting a wrist shot from inside the left circle inside the top-right corner of the cage at the 6:19 mark.

Liberty broke a 1-1 tie on the scoreboard and 9-9 knot in shots on goal by capitalizing on a power play just 36 seconds into the second period when senior forward Matt Bartel took a short feed from sophomore defenseman Nick Pomerleau and rung a wrist shot from the high slot off the left post and into the back of the net for a 2-1 edge.

"We had chances early on to extend that lead and we couldn't find the back of the net," Handy said. "We were soft on them in their own end and there wasn't enough of us being intentional. We were too loose tonight and the focus wasn't there."

Seconds after killing off another Flames penalty midway through the second period, Delaware converted the equalizer when defenseman Will Gould received forward Luke Dosen's pass from along the backboards and one-timed a shot across the slot that snuck under the glove of Glassford inside the right post.

Liberty reclaimed the lead on a shorthanded score by sophomore forward Sam Feamster, who beat Blue Hens keeper Jacob Snellenburg gloveside with a shot in front after taking a fast-break feed from senior forward DJ Schwenke with 2:53 left in the second period. However, seconds after its power play expired, Delaware netted another game-tying goal when Dosen slipped the putback of Tanner Mahoney's left-circle shot under the pads of Glassford with 2:06 to play in the period.

Then, with 6:36 remaining in regulation, Delaware's Jack Keller finished a fast-break counterattack by receiving quick passes from Justin Guelph and Ryan Rodrigues and lifting a shot from deep in the right crease over Glassford's left shoulder, giving the Blue Hens a 4-3 lead and a 27-26 edge in shots.

Delaware continued to mount pressure on the Flames' cage and Rodrigues crashed into Glassford as he appeared to deflect defenseman Ivan Sidoriak's shot from the top of the right circle past him for an insurance score with 3:45 to go.

Glassford was replaced by sophomore Nicholas Bernstein after he broke his stick off the post as the Blue Hens celebrated stretching their lead to 5-3. Just over a minute later, they extended it to three goals as Thomas Tracy set up Dominic Guido with a cross-crease assist for a point-blank finish, beating Bernstein from near the left post at the 2:20 mark.

Delaware held a 32-28 advantage in shots for the contest.

The teams will face off again on Saturday at Rust Arena, where the puck will drop at 5:30 p.m. with the action streamed live by the Delaware Sports Network on its YouTube channel, the412.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video by the Delaware Sports Network