DII Flames complete sweep of defending national champion UMass-Amherst with OT triumph

Friday, October 27

Lynchburg, VA

7:30 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Flames sophomore forward Thomas Kayner scored the third goal of the first period in Friday night's 4-0 victory over UMass-Amherst at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photos by Jacob Summersgill)

DII Flames complete sweep of defending national champion UMass-Amherst with OT triumph

10/28/2023 11:00:00 PM | Men's D2 Hockey

Liberty posted its first shutout of the season in Friday's opener before rallying twice to tie the Minutemen and scoring the game winner with 1:58 to go.

Facing the reigning national champions, Liberty University's ACHA Division II men's hockey team staged a two-game sweep of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst on Friday and Saturday at the LaHaye Ice Center (LIC).

The Flames (7-4) scored three goals in the first period of a 4-0 series-opening shutout before rallying from 1-0 and 3-2 deficits to edge the Minutemen (3-5) by a 4-3 final in the rematch.

"We were really proud of them for this game in particular because we were down a couple different times, and it is tough to win against a good team twice," Liberty Head Coach Ben Hughes said after Saturday's contest. "They're a good team, so winning the way we did last night, arguably one of our best overall games, and then we knew that tonight was going to be grittier, and we didn't get sucked into anything unnecessary (penalties or fights). Overall, I think we kept an even keel emotionally."

Logan-Starkey-Liberty-DII-mens-hockey — Sophomore defenseman Logan Starkey battles a UMass player along the boards.

Junior forward Jared Matley, who scored the first goal just 7:07 into Friday's opener, netted his second straight game winner with 1:58 remaining in Saturday's sudden-death overtime, flipping a backhanded shot from close range in front off the glove of Ryan Dailida into the back of the net.

"(Sophomore center Josh) Martin came around and left me some space and it was nice to capitalize on the chance, to bury it and celebrate with my teammates," Matley said.

"That goalie made that save probably three different times in the game," Hughes added of Dailida, who made 43 saves. "He played incredible. So, for that to kind of trickle in in dramatic fashion was exciting. Sometimes it took will and physicality (to score) and other times it had to be skill and finesse."

Matley said the Flames were determined to match the defending national champions' competitive drive from the outset and to maintain its edge by feeding off one another's energy on the ice.

"I felt like they hit us a lot more tonight and we had to kind of match their intensity and hit them back a little bit and try to muscle out a win," he said. "It all came down to the wire and that's how it goes sometimes in gritty games."

With the Flames on a power play trailing 1-0 in the second period, freshman forward Aaron Higgins received a feed from Thomas Kayner on a quick passing sequence before unleashing a shot through the slot that fellow sophomore forward Richard Indermill redirected past Dailida for the tying score at the 16:23 mark.

Just over two minutes later, junior forward Eric Abbate gave Liberty a 2-1 lead by ringing a shot off the post and in, finishing feeds from Higgins and junior wing Luke Tucker.

"Sometimes, we'll get the puck and kind of stickhandle a little and then shoot," Hughes said. "The first three goals we had were all quick release goals."

The Minutemen struck back to net the equalizer and go-ahead goals just over five minutes apart before Flames junior forward Roman Lamoureux received a pass in the slot from Indermill and threw it on net past Dailinda to knot it back up at 3-3 with 1:11 left in the second period, setting up a scoreless third.

"This weekend was a good step in the right direction that we needed desperately," Hughes said. "We're still figuring out our systems. We have a brand-new system that we just started running this weekend, just adding some structure to our defense and piecing together little pieces of our game one weekend at a time."

DII-Flames-celebration — Flames players celebrate with goalie Lane Skon after Friday night's 4-0 win at the LIC .

Liberty junior goalie Lane Skon, the reigning Southeast Region Player of the Year, made 31 saves in posting his first shutout of the season on Friday before stopping 25 more shots on Saturday.

"(Skon) made some big saves in both games," Hughes said.

"Lane's a key player," Matley added. "He always comes in and plays well in clutch games. He shut them out yesterday and battled his way through this one."

The Flames return to the LIC to host another Northeast Region opponent over Homecoming Weekend, with Northeastern coming to town for games at 10:15 p.m. Friday and 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

"The rest of our schedule for the rest of our season will be against the top teams in each region (so) we've just got to keep bringing our game every weekend," Matley said.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Videos by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media