Friday, October 11
Adrian, MI
7:00 PM
Liberty University Club Sports
4
at
3
Adrian College
Mason Smith, shown on a breakaway against Adrian last February at the LaHaye Ice Center, scored a power-play goal early in the third period Friday to draw the Flames back within 3-2. (Photo by Jacob Summersgill)
Flames split fifth straight series against Bulldogs, 4-3 on Vercellono’s game winner in OT
10/11/2024 10:48:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey
Liberty rallied from a 3-1 deficit to start the third period and shocked the defending ACHA Division I national champions on their home ice.
Liberty University's No. 5-ranked ACHA Division I men's hockey team rallied from a two-goal deficit at the start of the third period to upset No. 2-ranked, defending national champion Adrian College and salvage a series split with a 4-3 overtime victory, Friday night at the Arrington Ice Arena in Adrian, Mich.
"It was an exciting comeback for sure," Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy said. "When you're down like that, to battle back the way that we did and win it in overtime, that was awesome. Those are character-building moments for our team, and I couldn't be happier."
Despite outshooting the Bulldogs (5-1-1) by a 20-9 margin in the first period, Liberty was unable to score for a fourth period in a row against Adrian after being shut out for the first time in 50 games, 1-0 on Thursday.
"I really liked that first period," Handy said of Friday's rematch, when the Flames salvaged a fifth consecutive series split against the Bulldogs after being swept at Arrington in November 2020 and sweeping Adrian at the LaHaye Ice Center in February 2020. "I thought we came out with some great jam."
The Flames couldn't capitalize on two 5-on-3 power plays at the end of the first period and early in the third. After killing off the first double penalty at the start of the second period, the Bulldogs scored with 18:52 remaining in the period when Matthew DiCesare stole the puck in the neutral zone, skated through the slot, and beat Liberty junior goalie Nick Bernstein blocker-side for a 1-0 Adrian lead.
Freshman forward Hayden DeMars, cutting through the right crease, deflected junior defenseman Grant Morton's shot from the high slot past Bulldogs goalie Peyton Trzaska, tying the game at 1-1 at the 16:30 mark of the second period.
"Hayden DeMars has been playing well all year but hasn't been able to find the back of the net, so it was nice to see him get his first goal (for the Flames)," Handy said.
Adrian reclaimed the lead with 7:57 left in the period when Ethan McLaughlin blasted a shot from along the left boards that Andreas Fleutot tipped in as he skated through the left circle. Then, the Bulldogs stretched their advantage to 3-1 with 2 seconds left in the period by capitalizing on a power play when Justin Jamer tucked a backhanded putback of Griffin Gaske's shot from near the blue line past Bernstein inside the left post.
"The second period was our worst of the three, but in the third period, we took back control of the game," Handy said.
Still on a man advantage early in the third period after not converting on nearly a minute of 5-on-3 play, Liberty trimmed the deficit to 3-2 with 16:52 remaining in regulation when graduate forward Jackson Vercellono one-timed a long rebound of freshman forward Tucker Shields' shot through the slot past Trzaska.
Then, with 11:23 to go, the Flames manufactured the equalizer when Vercellono flipped the puck back out of the slot to junior defenseman Nick Pomerleau at the top of the left circle before tapping the rebound of his point shot to sophomore forward Mason Smith for the finish in the left crease.
That's how the third period ended, with the teams locked in a 3-3 tie and bound for a five-minute, sudden-death overtime. After Bernstein rejected Jammer's point-blank shot in the left crease midway through OT, Vercellono delivered the game winner on a sharp-angled shot from deep in the right circle, assisted by Pomerleau with 2:06 to go.
"Jackson gets a goal and an assist in regulation and then scores the winning goal in overtime," Handy said. "It was an important win for us to keep riding this momentum into next weekend's series against (No. 9) Maryville."
The Flames will host the Saints next Friday at 7 p.m. for Country Night and Saturday at 7 p.m. for Hometown Heroes Night at the LaHaye Ice Center.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
"It was an exciting comeback for sure," Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy said. "When you're down like that, to battle back the way that we did and win it in overtime, that was awesome. Those are character-building moments for our team, and I couldn't be happier."
Despite outshooting the Bulldogs (5-1-1) by a 20-9 margin in the first period, Liberty was unable to score for a fourth period in a row against Adrian after being shut out for the first time in 50 games, 1-0 on Thursday.
"I really liked that first period," Handy said of Friday's rematch, when the Flames salvaged a fifth consecutive series split against the Bulldogs after being swept at Arrington in November 2020 and sweeping Adrian at the LaHaye Ice Center in February 2020. "I thought we came out with some great jam."
The Flames couldn't capitalize on two 5-on-3 power plays at the end of the first period and early in the third. After killing off the first double penalty at the start of the second period, the Bulldogs scored with 18:52 remaining in the period when Matthew DiCesare stole the puck in the neutral zone, skated through the slot, and beat Liberty junior goalie Nick Bernstein blocker-side for a 1-0 Adrian lead.
Freshman forward Hayden DeMars, cutting through the right crease, deflected junior defenseman Grant Morton's shot from the high slot past Bulldogs goalie Peyton Trzaska, tying the game at 1-1 at the 16:30 mark of the second period.
"Hayden DeMars has been playing well all year but hasn't been able to find the back of the net, so it was nice to see him get his first goal (for the Flames)," Handy said.
Adrian reclaimed the lead with 7:57 left in the period when Ethan McLaughlin blasted a shot from along the left boards that Andreas Fleutot tipped in as he skated through the left circle. Then, the Bulldogs stretched their advantage to 3-1 with 2 seconds left in the period by capitalizing on a power play when Justin Jamer tucked a backhanded putback of Griffin Gaske's shot from near the blue line past Bernstein inside the left post.
"The second period was our worst of the three, but in the third period, we took back control of the game," Handy said.
Still on a man advantage early in the third period after not converting on nearly a minute of 5-on-3 play, Liberty trimmed the deficit to 3-2 with 16:52 remaining in regulation when graduate forward Jackson Vercellono one-timed a long rebound of freshman forward Tucker Shields' shot through the slot past Trzaska.
Then, with 11:23 to go, the Flames manufactured the equalizer when Vercellono flipped the puck back out of the slot to junior defenseman Nick Pomerleau at the top of the left circle before tapping the rebound of his point shot to sophomore forward Mason Smith for the finish in the left crease.
That's how the third period ended, with the teams locked in a 3-3 tie and bound for a five-minute, sudden-death overtime. After Bernstein rejected Jammer's point-blank shot in the left crease midway through OT, Vercellono delivered the game winner on a sharp-angled shot from deep in the right circle, assisted by Pomerleau with 2:06 to go.
"Jackson gets a goal and an assist in regulation and then scores the winning goal in overtime," Handy said. "It was an important win for us to keep riding this momentum into next weekend's series against (No. 9) Maryville."
The Flames will host the Saints next Friday at 7 p.m. for Country Night and Saturday at 7 p.m. for Hometown Heroes Night at the LaHaye Ice Center.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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