DI Flames rock the rink, roll over Blue Hens, 9-0, in opener

Friday, October 6

Lynchburg, Va.

07:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

University of Delaware

Sophomore defenseman Laz Kaebel controls the puck as he works his way between two Blue Hens. (Photo by Jacob Summersgill)

DI Flames rock the rink, roll over Blue Hens, 9-0, in opener

10/6/2023 11:17:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey

Liberty got two goals apiece from forwards Kam Ottenbreit, Sam Feamster, Brett Gammer, and Jason Foltz in downing Delaware for the 20th time in a row.

Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team extended its winning streak against former ESCHL rival Delaware to 20 games in dominating fashion, Friday night at the LaHaye Ice Center, with four different players racking up two goals apiece in a 9-0 rout.

The lopsided victory was a breath of fresh air for the Flames (2-3-1), who were reeling from being swept by defending national champion Minot State in back-to-back series in Lynchburg, Va., and North Dakota.

Kam-Ottenbreit-Liberty-Delaware — Senior forward Kam Ottenbreit was one of four Flames with two goals. (Photos by Jessie Jordan)

"We were going offensively tonight, got the forecheck started early, and it was very good to bounce back after those two in Minot," Flames sophomore forward Sam Feamster said. "To go from playing that No. 1-ranked team to this game, we were coming in flying at that pace. We had a great week of practice and got back to the team we know that we can be and showed it tonight."

"I thought our guys responded well tonight … after last Saturday's disappointment," Liberty Head Coach Kirk Handy added. "We had a good week of practice, had lots of good energy, and I was pretty happy. Feamster's line got back momentum early on and really set the standard for us."

Stationed in the right crease, Feamster deflected sophomore defenseman Laz Kaebel's slap shot from the high slot past Blue Hens goalie Griffin Iglesias for an early 1-0 lead with 15:11 to play in the first period.

"Laz and I work on that probably at least two days per week after practice," Feamster said. "When I saw he had it, I knew the skip was going to come to me, so I was ready for it and I was fortunate to get a piece of it and tip it in."

Moments after launching a rocket of a shot as he skated across the slot, senior forward Jason Foltz took a crisp outlet pass from Kaebel up the center of the ice near the red line and accelerated across the blue line. He skated through the left circle before cutting across the crease and tucking the puck into the back of the net, beating Iglesias through the five hole, doubling the Flames' edge with 5:40 left.

Jason-Foltz-Liberty-Delaware — Senior forward Jason Foltz showcased great speed and stick skills against Delaware.

Less than three minutes later, Liberty struck again as junior defenseman Kevin Bite fired a shot from the right circle that was blocked by Iglesias. Jacob Kalandyk nearly put away the first putback before fellow senior forward Kam Ottenbreit punched in the second from near the left post, lifting a quick wrist shot into the upper netting for a commanding 3-0 advantage at the 2:48 mark.

Even shorthanded, Liberty's attack could not be stopped as senior forward Brett Gammer skated onto a clearing pass for a one-on-one breakaway with Iglesias, sneaking the puck past him after skating through the slot to put the Flames up 4-0 with 1:36 to play in the period.

"Gammer's had a couple chances on the PK that he wasn't able to bury and tonight he was, so hats off to him," Handy said. "I thought that line played really well for us tonight, (Matt) Bartel, (DJ) Schwenke, and Gammer. They had a lot of jump in their game tonight and they were really effective for us."

The Flames continued to add fuel to the fire in the third period, with Ottenbreit potting a putback in the left crease of Kaebel's shot from the top of the right circle past replacement goalie Tyler Roesel, extending the lead to 5-0 at the 17:48 mark.

Then, just seconds into a power play, Kalandyk capitalized to make it a 6-0 contest by rifling a wrist shot through the slot with pinpoint accuracy with 16:12 to go in the period.

Just 48 seconds later, Feamster netted his second goal of the game and the season by taking a pass from junior forward Aleksandr Charin and ripping a shot from the inside edge of the left circle into the top-right corner of the cage, stretching the advantage to 7-0.

"It was a little bit of a two-on-one in their neutral zone," Feamster said. "I got a fortunate bounce and Charin and (Nate) Albers were driving the net really hard and they were honestly pretty open and I thought about passing it, but they pulled that defenseman right down with them, so I had enough time to collect it a little bit and found the post and in on the right side."

The Flames matched their first-period offensive output in half the time when Gammer stuck in a short crossing pass in front from senior forward and head captain Matt Bartel to pad their lead to 8-0 with 9:59 left in the second.

DI-mens-hockey-Kalandyk-Delaware — Senior forward Jacob Kalandyk scored a power-play goal and distributed two assists.

"It was great to get everybody some confidence tonight, to get all four lines involved," Feamster said. "That's something we really haven't found yet consistently. It felt good to put that together finally and to show ourselves more than anybody that we can put the puck in the net.

"That forecheck was big for us tonight," he added. "We've got a fast team, so if we get on them and we move our feet, we're going to have a lot of success, no matter who it's against."
Graduate goalie Hunter Virostek made saves of back-to-back shots on a fast break by the Blue Hens.

Foltz nearly became the fourth Flame to score twice in the game when he got behind Roesel to jam a loose puck off the right post and sent a high-powered wrist shot through the slot moments later.

Then, at the 14:14 mark, Foltz finally got his second goal on a backhanded putback after Kalandyk's shot from the high slot was blocked right to him for an easy finish in the left crease.
Liberty outshot Delaware (0-1) 47-22 on the night and Virostek made 22 saves for his first shutout.

"We've worked on that, big time, trying to get our D zone really locked in, not allowing any goals tonight, and Hunter's our guy and we know we've got a good chance to win with him back there," Feamster said.

The Flames stayed out of the box for the most part and went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill while converting goals on 2-of-4 power-play opportunities.

To complete the sweep in Saturday's 7 p.m. rematch at the LIC and gain momentum for next weekend's series at No. 2-ranked Adrian College, the Flames will need the same type of effort on both ends of the ice for 60 minutes.

"Just come in (Saturday) with the same mindset we had tonight," Feamster said. "We can't let our foot off the gas at all because we're playing every game like it's a nationals game. We learned from last year that every game matters, no matter who you're playing against, whether it's Minot or Delaware."

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