DI Flames put squeeze on Orange in spring semester opener

Friday, January 19

Lynchburg, Va.

07:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

Syracuse University

Junior forward Jacob Kalandyk netted a hat trick against Syracuse in Friday night's series opener at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photos by Chase Gyles)

DI Flames put squeeze on Orange in spring semester opener

1/19/2024 11:21:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey

No. 8 Liberty extended its winning streak to eight games by doubling up former ESCHL rival Syracuse in a fiesty clash before a festive crowd at the LaHaye Ice Center.

Country Night at the LaHaye Ice Center turned into a Wild West shindig on ice for Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team in Friday's spring semester opener against former ESCHL rival Syracuse.

The theme night was an odd pairing for the frigid battle against the team from upstate New York, but it seemed to work for the Flames, whose offensive lines danced and sliced their way through the Orange defense throughout the night and emerged with a 6-3 victory backed by a near-capacity crowd.

Junior forward and leading scorer Jacob Kalandyk (14 goals, 13 assists) rounded up a hat trick to account for the margin of victory and tally his third game winner of the season. As a team No. 8-ranked Liberty (12-6-1) went 3-for-5 on the power play and killed off all but one of their 11 penalties.

"Power play and penalty kill were very good tonight and overall, I thought we played OK," Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy said. "There were times we played well and times we were checked out. Syracuse played hard and they played physical and it was a good game. I believe that we matched it, and I was proud of our guys for the way they responded.

Liberty senior forward Kam Ottenbreit started the scoring with 11:20 left in the first period with a point-blank backhanded putback of a shot from the p;oint by freshman defenseman Nicholas Pomerleau deflected on net by senior forward Jason Foltz.

Seconds after killing off a penalty, the Flames (13-6-1) doubled their lead to 2-0 when Kalandyk cut across the slot and slapped a low shot from the inside edge ofthe right circle through the five hole of Orange goalie AJ Finta at the 7:16 mark.

After a western-styled performance by Club Sports' LU Dance squad sporting Cowboy hats during a timeout, the Flames capitalized on a power play opportunity at the 4:07 mark to stretch the advantage to 3-0. Kalandyk received a feed from junior defenseman Kevin Bite at the top of the left circle and spotted sophomore forward Sam Feamster posting up in the left crease. Feamster trapped the entry pass, pivoted, and lifted a wrist shot into the top-right corner of the cage for an authoritative finish.

A minute and a half later, the Flames retaliated for a hard check into the boards and unpenalized boarding of Foltz with a fight that led to the ejection of four players. That included Flames sophomore defensemen Laz Kaebel and Reid Bogenholm, both of whom only recently returned from injuries that sidelined them for most of the fall semester.

"I don't mind those guys coming to the defense of their teammate," Handy said. "Their guy pushed our guy into the boards and that's a potential (dangerous hit). Our guys responded well. That's a tight group in there and you see it on plays like that."

Unless video review changes the officials' ruling, both Kaebel and Bogenholm will have to serve one-game suspensions for the Midnight Mayhem rematch set for Saturday at 11:59 p.m.

The physicality continued at the start of the second period with Liberty sophomore defenseman Colten Kovich assessed a penalty for checking a Syracuse player into the right post as he skated in front of Virostek. The Flames killed off that man advantage without much of a threat before Kalandyk, who resisted fighting after Kovich's cross-checking penalty, struck again with 14:04 left in the second period. The Flames won a 50-50 puck in the neutral zone before Kalandyk pounced on it and fired a shot past a defenseman in the left circle to beat Finta glove-side and pad the Flames' advantage to 4-0.

The Orange (10-9-1) ended Flames graduate goalie Hunter Virostek's shutout bid when Brock Alvers cleaned up a loose puck left out in front for a putback with 12:15 to play in the period, trimming the deficit to 4-1.

Then, with Syracuse on the power play after a boarding penalty against Ottenbreit, Alvers made it a 4-2 contest at the 7:26 mark by beating Virostek with a high shot from the center of the left circle.

But the Flames responded quickly, with Foltz sending a beautiful cross-crease pass to Kalandyk in the center of the left circle where he blasted a shot into the upper netting to cap his hat trick and extend the edge to 5-2.

With 14:45 remaining in regulation, graduate forward Jackson Vercellono tipped Pomerleau's shot from the top of the left circle past Finta in traffic, stretching Liberty's lead to 6-2.

The Orange struck back with 9:19 to play on a goal by Evan Applegate, who redirected a sharp-angled shot by Sean Caddo from near the right end line, cutting the final score to 6-3.

Handy was not completely satisfied with the win over the unranked Orange, as the Flames only held a 38-30 shot advantage, with Virostek making 27 saves on the night.

"You always want to win and we keep rolling from there," Handy said. "We've just got to challenge ourselves. That's not the level that we want to play. We've got another level in there and we've got to find it tomorrow. We're going to be a lot better (Saturday night)."

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

Gallery: (1-19-2024) DI men's hockey vs. Syracuse Game 1