Peebles’ second goal late in OT lifts Lady Flames past Beavers in series opener

Thursday, November 21

Lynchburg, VA

8:30 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

Minot State University

Lady Flames' freshman forward Hayley Lee skates between Minot State players in Thursday night's series opener at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photos by Ryan Anderson)

Peebles’ second goal late in OT lifts Lady Flames past Beavers in series opener

11/22/2024 9:15:00 AM | Women's D1 Hockey

Top-ranked Liberty had extra incentive against No. 6 Minot State, which ended its string of ACHA DI national titles at five last March in St. Louis.

Gallery: (11-22-2024) DI women's hockey vs. Minot State

In a national championship semifinal rematch from last March near St. Louis, Liberty University's No. 1-ranked ACHA Division I women's hockey team overcame 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to edge No. 6 Minot State 3-2, Thursday night at the LaHaye Ice Center.

The game went to overtime, as did the teams' last meeting, a 2-1 sudden-death upset by Minot State in the ACHA DI National Championship semifinals that snapped the Lady Flames' ACHA-record streak of titles at five. This time, senior defenseman Sammy Peebles netted the game-winning goal with 7.9 seconds remaining in the five-minute extra period, and she was quickly swarmed by her teammates behind the Beavers' cage.

"It was like a surreal feeling, with so short time left," Peebles said. "A lot of us who were here last year, coming off of that loss really fired us up. We all battled really hard, and so did they. We had a lot of chances to win the game, and we all really encouraged each other toward the end. It was a really good experience."

With Minot State (9-5-2) on a power play midway through the first period, Beavers forward Olivia Opheim started the scoring by rifling a top-shelf wrist shot from the top of the left circle 9:43.

Beavers goalie Haylie Biever made back-to-back glove saves of high shots on the other end before the Lady Flames (10-1) netted the equalizer on a shot from the top of the right circle by Peebles with 3:30 to play in the first period. Her shot was set up by freshman forward Presley Ellis and aided by a screen in front by junior Beauchamp.

"(Junior forward Brookelyn) Beauchamp set a good screen, lifting her stick in front, and Ellis made a really good pass out of the corner up to me at the top of the circle to get a shot off," Peebles said.

"We've been working a lot on that in practice, defensive shots, opening up lanes, creating situations where we get good lanes to shoot," Morrison added. "I'm proud of our D corps because it's tough to get pucks on net in this league. Girls find the lanes to block them, and we're lucky to have a D corps that can really shoot the puck."

Junior goalie Alex Keith, who was baptized along with sophomore forward Tristan Craig on Wednesday night at the Liberty Natatorium, made a series of clutch saves on a penalty kill.

"Keith kept us in the game tonight with some really big saves, some crucial stops to keep the momentum going our way and not their way," Liberty Assistant Coach Mike Morrison said.

However, before the power play expired, the Beavers broke through with the go-ahead goal on a seeing-eye shot from the high slot by defenseman Page Ackerman that sneaked into the top-left corner for a 2-1 lead.

Liberty had a few quality chances to tie the contest in the closing minutes of the second period, which ended with the on the power play. The Lady Flames couldn't capitalize on the advantage, but soon thereafter, senior forward and alternate captain Haley Battles sent a cross-crease assist to sophomore forward Ellie Sarauer for a point-blank finish in the right crease, tying it at 2 with 17:25 remaining in regulation.

"Craig, Battles, and Sarauer, their line just seemed to click tonight," Morrison said. "They had great passing, great zone entry, great cycle. They had the hot hands tonight. Both of those girls, Ellie and Battles are so slippery. They can slide in and out of players and zones and walk around you pretty easily and make you look silly. And Craig's just finding her own as a centerman. That line did really, really well tonight."

Battles nearly finished a shot in the left crease with around 8:00 to play before senior forward and head captain Brielle Fussy was denied by Biever on a breakaway opportunity. Battles used her speed and quick-cutting ability to slice through the slot and crease a couple more times for quality scoring chances, and Biever gloved Fussy's shot from the top of the right circle.

Sarauer and Fussy had near misses in the overtime before Keith made a kick save of a crossing shot on a 2-on-1 break by the Beavers. Moments later, Peebles picked up a faceoff win by Beauchamp in the defensive end and skated behind her own net and up the center of the ice, working the puck around a couple Minot players before lifting a right-circle shot that glanced off Biever's glove into the top-right corner of the cage for the game winner.

"At the end of the day, sports is about executing and winning," Morrison said. "They knocked us out in double overtime last March, so this was kind of our redemption game. They're one of our great rivals. They're a great team. We love playing them. This was one game we wanted to really get, all weekend, but this one in particular."

Liberty outshot Minot State, 67-31, and Keith made 29 saves to improve to 6-1 with a 95.1 save percentage and 1.28 goals-against average.
Peebles expects to see her teammates deliver offensively more frequently in Games 2 and 3, set for 7:30 p.m. back at the LaHaye Ice Center.

"We had some really good plays, and it's just a matter of executing," she said. "We had a lot of good chances we couldn't capitalize on. It's just a matter of getting that final touch at the end."

Morrison said the Lady Flames can't afford to take the foot off the gas pedal if they open a lead in Friday's and Saturday's rematches.

"The game plan is just heavy forecheck, heavy pressure, staying on the puck," he said. "The biggest thing for us is our neutral zone, making sure that we're not coming back in our end, but we're focusing on getting into their end. We've had a long stretch of road games, and it's nice to get back in our barn and play again. (Friday) night, we're just going to work on executing more."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer