Thursday, November 30
Fremont, NE
9:30 PM
Liberty University Club Sports
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at
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Midland University
Lady Flames sophomore defenseman Emerson Oakes clears the puck in a Nov. 17 matchup against Maryville at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photo by Ryan Anderson)
Top-ranked Lady Flames upended by No. 2 Midland, 2-1, in WMCH final rematch in Nebraska
12/1/2023 10:10:00 AM | Women's D1 Hockey
Liberty was held scoreless for the final 45 minutes of action at the Sidner Ice Arena in Fremont, Neb., on Thursday night.
In a showdown between the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked teams in the nation, Liberty University's five-time defending national champion ACHA Division I women's hockey team was limited to 16 shots on goal and edged by Midland University, 2-1, late Thursday night at Sidner Ice Arena in Freemont, Neb.
The contest was a rematch of last season's WMCH Tournament championship game, won by the Warriors in St. Louis by the same score, snapping the Lady Flames' three-year run as conference champions.
On Thursday, Midland (18-0-1) struck first just 3 minutes, 21 seconds after the opening faceoff when Taylor Bell sent a pass from along the back boards behind the net directly to Ava Matthews-McCulley for a one-time finish in the right crease.
The Lady Flames (11-1-1) netted the equalizer with 5:30 to go in the first period when junior forward and leading scorer Haley Battles scored her 10th goal of the season in spectacular fashion. She forced a turnover in the right corner of Midland's defensive zone and weaved between defensemen as she skated along the endline into the right crease before pocketing a wrist shot into the top-right corner of the cage as she slid to her knees across the slot.
However, Midland would reclaim the lead just 37 seconds into the second period on a fast-break counterattack when Kamryn Hayhurst sent an assist across the slot to Ally Rakowski in the left circle, where she lifted her fourth game-winning goal of the season into the upper netting, beating Lady Flames senior goalie Amanda Storey.
The Warriors went on to outshoot Liberty 11-4 in the second period and shut them out for the game's final 45 minutes. The Lady Flames had a power play for the final 2:32 of the third period, but couldn't capitalize even after pulling Storey for the final minute as Midland goalie Hannah Stone preserved the one-goal win with her 15th save.
The game marked the return of senior forward Carly Glover, who had been sidelined by injury since Liberty's 5-4 comeback triumph over Adrian in overtime of the national semifinals in March.
The Lady Flames and Warriors will face off again on Friday at 6 p.m. EST, live streamed on Midland's YouTube channel.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
The contest was a rematch of last season's WMCH Tournament championship game, won by the Warriors in St. Louis by the same score, snapping the Lady Flames' three-year run as conference champions.
On Thursday, Midland (18-0-1) struck first just 3 minutes, 21 seconds after the opening faceoff when Taylor Bell sent a pass from along the back boards behind the net directly to Ava Matthews-McCulley for a one-time finish in the right crease.
The Lady Flames (11-1-1) netted the equalizer with 5:30 to go in the first period when junior forward and leading scorer Haley Battles scored her 10th goal of the season in spectacular fashion. She forced a turnover in the right corner of Midland's defensive zone and weaved between defensemen as she skated along the endline into the right crease before pocketing a wrist shot into the top-right corner of the cage as she slid to her knees across the slot.
However, Midland would reclaim the lead just 37 seconds into the second period on a fast-break counterattack when Kamryn Hayhurst sent an assist across the slot to Ally Rakowski in the left circle, where she lifted her fourth game-winning goal of the season into the upper netting, beating Lady Flames senior goalie Amanda Storey.
The Warriors went on to outshoot Liberty 11-4 in the second period and shut them out for the game's final 45 minutes. The Lady Flames had a power play for the final 2:32 of the third period, but couldn't capitalize even after pulling Storey for the final minute as Midland goalie Hannah Stone preserved the one-goal win with her 15th save.
The game marked the return of senior forward Carly Glover, who had been sidelined by injury since Liberty's 5-4 comeback triumph over Adrian in overtime of the national semifinals in March.
The Lady Flames and Warriors will face off again on Friday at 6 p.m. EST, live streamed on Midland's YouTube channel.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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