Flames players battle for puck possession in front of the Icepack's cage during last year's season-opening clash. (Photos by Chase Reed)
No. 4-ranked Flames fired up for season opener against regional rival NC State
9/14/2023 8:10:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey
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Liberty’s ACHA Division I men’s hockey team will drop the puck on what promises to be a spectacular 2023-24 season this Friday at 7 p.m. in the LaHaye Ice Center.
Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team will drop the puck on what promises to be a spectacular 2023-24 season this Friday at 7 p.m., when the Flames host North Carolina State's ACHA Division II team, the Icepack, in a "fire and ice" showdown in the LaHaye Ice Center.
Head Coach Kirk Handy has been pleased with the progress he has witnessed in the preseason training camp since tryouts in late August.
"It has been a good couple of weeks, and I like what we've seen in our room," he said. "I love our team's compete level and the camaraderie amongst our guys. I love how our seniors are caring for the six new guys on the team, making sure that they're well-adjusted to school and life at Liberty."
Handy said the players are eager to take the first step on the journey back to the national tournament, with a veteran squad that includes several players who have been on the last three trips to nationals.
"We are super excited for the season to get going," he said. "Enough practice, we want to play. We're going to be ready to go on Friday night, for sure. For us, it's a big thing to try to get back to the compete and the desire that we had at the end of last year."
With home and away series looming against defending national champion Minot State over the next two weekends, Friday night's game stands as an important tune-up for the Flames, who held their Blue & White intrasquad scrimmage last Friday.
"Our focus is going to be on this game," Handy said. "NC State is a program we enjoy playing every year, building that relationship and friendship. They have a very nice team, and they always play us very well. We want to keep the focus on us and what we're doing. We are going to take one game at a time, one period at a time, one shift at a time. We want to be the best version of Liberty Hockey that we can be."
Coming off its second Final Four showing at nationals in three seasons, Liberty is ranked No. 4 in the preseason ACHA DI coaches' poll, released on Wednesday. The Flames trail the defending national champion Beavers (30-2 in 2022-23), who eliminated them in the semifinals last March and received 23 of 28 first-place votes; 2018 and 2021 national champion and 2023 runner-up Adrian College (35-3-2); and Ohio University (30-6-2), which has won more national titles (four) than any other current ACHA Division I team. Liberty is ranked ahead of No. 5 UNLV (25-4-1), a team it beat twice in Las Vegas last season and again in the national quarterfinals.
Three of the top four-ranked teams (all but Adrian) are independent programs. The ACHA includes 72 teams this season, including the University of Mary, a former ACHA DII power. Exactly one-third of those programs will qualify for the March 7-17 ACHA DI National Championships near St. Louis, with the field expanding from 20 to 24 teams this season, including eight autobids awarded to conference champions.
The first ranking of the regular season will be released on Oct. 11 before the first computer ranking, which will eventually determine the national tournament qualifiers, comes out on Nov. 1.
Scouting Preview for Game 1: North Carolina State (17-11-2 in 2022-23) at No. 4 Liberty (18-13-1 in 2022-23), Friday at 7 p.m. at the LaHaye Ice Center. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Head captain Matt Bartel controls the puck in last season's opener against the Icepack.Liberty Scouting Report: The Flames feature a high-powered attack with six of their top seven scorers from last season back in the mix. Graduate forward and head captain Matt Bartel (9 goals, 12 assists in 2022-23) is complemented by senior forwards Jacob Kalandyk (17G, 15A) and Jason Foltz (17G, including 3 game-winners, 13A) as well as graduate forward Jackson Vercellono (10G, 18A). Defensemen Laz Kaebel (7G, 15A), a sophomore defenseman, was the Flames' fifth-leading scorer last season, followed by senior forward Truett Olson (10G, including 3 game-winners, 11A).
In goal, fifth-year senior Hunter Virostek (12-7-1, 2.93 goals-against average, 92.1 save percentage, 2 shootout wins in 2022-23 before going 2-0-1 with a 1.64 GAA, 96.1 SP at nationals) returns after starting all but 10 games last year. He will be backed up by sophomore Jackson Glassford, a spring semester addition.
Virostek competed for Team Canada at the World Cup of University Hockey in Romania last April while four of the five Liberty players on Team USA, which defeated Canada 4-0 in the gold medal game — Bartel, Foltz, Kalandyk, and Kaebel — are also back in the Flames' red, white, and blue sweaters.
NC State Scouting Report: The Icepack are coming off a 17-11-2 record in 2022-23, when they barely missed the Division II nationals. NC State ended its 2022-23 home schedule by defeating North Carolina, 7-3, in front of approximately 25,000 fans at Carter-Finley Stadium, home of the Wolfpack's football team in Raleigh, N.C.
The Icepack has 13 new players on its 28-man roster, but returns four of its top five scorers — forwards Zachary Herman (15G, 16A), Philip Bailey (11G, 18A), Zack Robinson (19G, 9A), and Garrett Auriene (12G, 15A).
NC State is coming off a 17-3 season-opening victory over East Carolina University last Friday at the Wake Competition Center in Morrisville, N.C., when Auriene and Thomas Mceneny both recorded hat tricks and Nick Shook, Aiden Brenner, Philip Bailey, and Holden Kaufman netted two goals apiece.
Between the pipes, the Icepack returns Eric Daniel (5-6-2, 3.20 GAA, 90.6 SP) and Isaac Tawyer (8-5-1, 3.46 GAA, 89.1 SP).
Coaches: Handy is in his 24th season at the helm of the Flames, having guided them to seven consecutive ACHA DI National Championship bids and posted a career record of 516-211-32. Tim Healy enters his fourth season behind the bench for the Icepack after previously serving three seasons as the team's defense and special teams coach.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media
