Liberty University Club Sports
ACHA National Tournament
Flames repel Rebels' late rally, reach ACHA DI semifinals for third time with 3-1 win
3/19/2023 5:02:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey
For the second time in three years and only the third time in 16 seasons, Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team advanced to the semifinals of the National Championships on Sunday, exacting a measure of revenge with a 3-1 triumph over UNLV in a quarterfinal rematch from last spring.
The battle between the No. 4-seeded Skatin' Rebels (25-8-2) and No. 5 Flames (18-12-2) continued a rivalry that started last season, when UNLV won three of four meetings. This season, both teams swept series on the other's home ice so Sunday's clash was the rubber match played at a neutral site, the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass.
"They obviously knocked us out last year, so it felt good to get that win," senior defenseman and Head Captain Colin Baird said. "That was a huge team win, right from puck-drop, and it was a lot of fun."
"Every time we play them, it's a good game and it goes right down to the wire and they're always tight," Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy said. "I thought our guys battled hard. It takes guys laying it all on the line, and I'm proud of our guys."
Both teams took 37 shots and Flames senior goalie Hunter Virostek made 36 saves to secure the victory.
"Hunter is unbelievable," freshman defenseman Laz Kaebel said. "He always stands on his head. He's always dialed in. We've just got to go to work and he'll take care of the rest."
Liberty opened a 1-0 lead with 13:49 left in the first period when senior forward Matt Bartel redirected freshman defenseman Grant Morton's shot from the top of the left circle with a high backhanded tip past UNLV goalie Landon Pavlison (34 saves). Morton's shot was set up by a low-to-high feed from junior forward Jason Foltz in the left corner.
"It helps getting that first goal again," Handy said, noting that the Flames scored three minutes into their first-round win over Pittsburgh on Saturday. "It speaks to the urgency that we want to play with at this time of the year and it's great to see."
The teams traded penalty kills before the Flames got two close chances on a one-on-one by junior forward Truett Olson after a long stretch pass by Kaebel and a last-second shot by freshman forward Sam Feamster saved by Pavlison.
A spectacular second-period goal doubled Liberty's lead to 2-0 when Kaebel unloaded a low shot from the left circle that senior forward Jackson Vercellono deflected up off the crossbar and in as the goal was knocked off its moorings by a UNLV defenseman crashing the cage in a scrum in front of the net.
"I think it was going wide and Vercellono put a stick on it," Kaebel said. "It hit Vercellono and it was in the air and it went off their guy into the net (so) that was all we really cared about. It was crazy and it really got the boys fired up. We kind of just stuck to our game after that and focused on ourselves and ended up putting them away."
The Flames generated a few more quality scoring chances, with Kaebel blasting back-to-back slapshots on a power play and Bartel's one-on-one opportunity denied by Pavlison after receiving a feed in the slot. Liberty started the third period on a power play but couldn't capitalize and Virostek fended off a series of UNLV threats, including a few by forward Nicholas Flanders.
The Rebels finally broke through Liberty's defense with Paxton Malone lifting a putback in the left crease top shelf, trimming the deficit to 2-1 with 4:57 to play.
"There were moments in the third where you think, 'They're in our zone quite a bit here,'" Handy said. "They scored a goal to make it 2-1 and it's a battle and I liked the way our guys hung in there and battled out this gutsy win."
UNLV continued its assault on the Flames' cage for the next two minutes, with Virostek holding his ground and occasionally standing on his head. Liberty called a timeout and settled down defensively, with a couple counterattacks draining time off the puck. The Skatin' Rebels pulled Pavlison for the final minute and a half and called time out with just under a minute remaining in regulation.
"We knew they'd press hard and we were ready for it," Baird said. "Hunter shut the door and he played great all night. We knew we could rely on him, but at the end of the day, guys were blocking shots on the front end and the back end."
The Flames cleared a dangerous cross-crease pass for an icing call and made another critical stop and clear before junior forward DJ Schwenke intercepted a pass and sealed the victory by firing a shot from his own blue line that caromed off the left post and into the back of the net with 19 seconds to play.
"Two games down and two to go, so we're happy, we're excited, but I know we've still got another level," Handy said. "It's a great opportunity … and we're just thankful. You just want to put your guys in these environments and … make sure that when the opportunity comes like it did today, guys are able to execute. We want to enjoy the moment tonight and have our guys get ready to go (on Monday). That is now the biggest game of the year."
The Flames, who have never made it to the championship final at the Division I level, will play No. 1 Minot (N.D.), which ousted No. 8 Indiana Tech, 4-3 in overtime, in a rematch of their "Frozen Four" showdown near St. Louis in 2021 at 8 p.m.
No. 2 Ohio, which survived No. 7 Jamestown, 4-3 in overtime, after scoring the tying goal in the last second of regulation, will meet No. 3 Adrian in the first semifinal at 4:45 p.m.
"Everybody left is a great team," Baird said. "Anybody can beat anybody at this tournament and we've just got to be ready to go. We know that we're a team to compete with in this tournament, and we want to be the ones at the end that are holding the trophy."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media
