Lady Flames stage thrilling 2-1 overtime triumph over No. 1 Saints after Midnight

Friday, November 1

Lynchburg, VA

11:59 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

Maryville University

Senior forward Haley Battles skates past the Saints in the Lady Flames' first-ever Midnight Mayhem matchup at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photos by Ryan Anderson)

Lady Flames stage thrilling 2-1 overtime triumph over No. 1 Saints after Midnight

11/2/2024 7:53:00 AM | Women's D1 Hockey

Brookelyn Beauchamp and Madison Glynn netted goals and Alex Keith made 31 saves in net to lead Liberty.

Gallery: (11-2-2024) Liberty vs. Maryville Women's Hockey

In a first-ever Midnight Mayhem matchup for Liberty University's ACHA Division I women's hockey team early Saturday morning, the No. 3-ranked Lady Flames upset No. 1 Maryville (Mo.) University, 2-1, fueled by a lively late-night-approved crowd at the LaHaye Ice Center.

"It was a super cool experience," senior forward and head captain Brielle Fussy said. "I'm really proud of our student body. They just showed out for us and that played a huge factor. It took a little bit to get the nerves and the excitement down, but I'm proud of how the girls got to work."

At the 17:00 mark of the second period, Liberty (2-1) ended a scoreless tie when junior forward Brookelyn Beauchamp finished a fast-break feed from freshman forward Hayley Lee by pocketing her left-circle shot into the top-right corner past Maryville goalie Hannah Tresek.

"That was a big goal," Lady Flames Head Coach Chris Lowes said. "Brookelyn, that's a big play for her and something that might just get her going, to start firing off. There were some big moments tonight. Some girls stepped up. We didn't play flawless, but we beat a really good team and there were moments where we were on our heels. (Junior goalie) Alex (Keith) was super tough in net."

With the Saints (9-4-1) on a power play, forward Haley Beckett struck the left post with her shot from the high slot. Moments later, Keith repelled a point-blank chance by Beckett in the left crease and another by forward Sarah Brooks on a fast-break counterattack in front. As the second period wound down, Keith rejected Beckett's quality chance near the right post and Brooks' driving shot through the left crease.

Maryville outshot Liberty 36-30 for the contest and Keith made 35 saves in the win.

Midway through the third period, Lady Flames freshman forward Chloe Lownsbury was denied by Tresek on a fast-break chance off senior forward Haley Battles' crossing feed in front before Beauchamp had her shot from the left crease blocked as well.

After a few near misses by Maryville, Sydney Poisson netted the equalizer off an assist from fellow forward Sophie Brennan, sneaking the puck past Keith with just 2:49 remaining in regulation after emerging from behind the right post.

"That goal was a bit of a defensive miscue, but (Keith) played really well, especially on the penalty kill," Lowes said. "She was swallowing up shots and being aggressive and I liked how she looked."

Then, with the teams skating 3-on-3 in a 5:00 sudden-death overtime period, Lady Flames sophomore forward Ellie Sarauer started a 2-on-1 with Battles, whose breakaway try was saved by Tresek. However, Battles recovered the rebound and passed the puck back to senior defenseman Madison Glynn in the high slot. She launched a shot through a screen from Sarauer that beat Tresek lower blocker side for the game winner with 3:32 to play.

"Even though they scored the goal going into overtime, I still felt like we had the momentum because we didn't get too down," Fussy said. "It was a good back-and-forth battle. Keith really stepped up on her end and I'm proud of the girls that found a way to put it away."

"I was really happy with the resolve," Lowes added. "The girls quickly put that (goal by Maryville) behind them, hit the reset button, and we were ready for overtime, which is always exciting 3-on-3."

For Saturday's rematch back at the LIC, the puck will drop at 4:30 p.m.

"I'm glad we got the win in the first game," Glynn said. "It was really fun to play (after midnight). It's good for us, good for our rankings, good for our confidence. We've just got to go out and get them again (in Game 2)."

"It was a thrilling (victory) but we've got to be ready to do it again (Saturday)," Fussy added.

Freshman Brooklyn Adams is the projected starter between the pipes in the rematch.

"(Saturday) is going to be a bit of a gut check," Lowes said. "It's early in the season and we're kind of evaluating where we're at and we know we need a little bit more in the conditioning department. I didn't think our legs looked that great today. (Saturday) will be another test. But I think the girls will find a way and get a quick turnaround. We're motivated. That's a fun game to come off of and hopefully we ride that momentum."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer