No. 6 Flames welcome No. 4 Bobcats for Friday’s Military Appreciation Night

Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team will welcome a program without a rink when Ohio University visits the LaHaye Ice Center this weekend. The Bobcats have had to shut down their on-campus Bird Arena for the remainder of the fall semester to repair an unexpected equipment issue related to maintaining its ice.
The Flames, meanwhile, are recovering from back-to-back ties at Niagara University that both ended as shootout losses.

"It's definitely a bounce-back weekend for us and we're excited to play them," junior defenseman Laz Kaebel said of the Bobcats. "They're a good team. It's been unfortunate for them that (the rink closure) happened to them, but it looks like they're overcoming it really well. They come in every night looking to (pummel) teams and play physical and use their skill when they can. They're an exciting team to watch and an exciting team to play."

One of Ohio's most difficult players to stop is junior forward Luc Reeve, who led the nation in scoring in 2022-23 (77 goals, 35 assists) and was named both ACHA Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year.

"We just need to use our big bodies," Kaebel said. "He's a really good player and it's going to be hard, but if we try to stop him in his tracks and take away his speed and time and space, we should be able to contain him."

Overall, Kaebel believes the Flames match up well with Ohio, as they did last season by winning four of five meetings (two in overtime), including a sweep of the Bobcats at Bird Arena on Feb. 9-10.

Ryan Finch Liberty forward Ohio — Sophomore forward Ryan Finch scored a game winner against Ohio last season.

"Player for player, they're the most dangerous team in the league right now," he said. "We're going to make sure we're doing due diligence — watching video and trying to get our Xs and Os down, getting our defense down to a T, and just play our hardest, play the way that we can play. We just need to bear down … and get greasy goals when we need them."

Scouting Preview for Games 15-16: No. 4 Ohio University (8-2) at No. 6 Liberty (9-3-2), Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the LaHaye Ice Center. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Friday's opener will also be Military Appreciation Night, with active military members and veterans receiving $3 discounts on tickets for the game sponsored by the Army National Guard. Military vehicles will be on display outside of the LIC for a pregame tailgate. The Flames will sport military-themed jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game with bids accepted through next Friday. Proceeds will go toward Club Sports Disciple Making Team members going on a mission trip to Southeast Asia next June.

An Army Color Guard will present the colors for the national anthem before an Oath of Enlistment will be read for a few Army ROTC students being commissioned into the National Guard during the first intermission.

"Liberty always does a really good job of supporting our veterans, military, police force, fire fighters (and EMTs on the Oct. 19 Hometown Heroes first-responder night)," Kaebel said. "Those are probably two of the most special nights every year for me, and I know how important it is to support them."

Kaebel's grandfather served in the U.S. Army and one of his cousins, Charlie, died several years ago in the line of duty as a police officer in Illinois.

"We're always thinking about him and other first responders and praying for his family," he said. "Any time that we can celebrate those guys, it's going to be a great night. That definitely adds to the fire of Ohio, being a great team and putting on a show for the fans."

All-time series: Liberty has won 14 of the past 17 meetings and maintains a 22-20 lead.

Liberty Scouting Report: The Flames are fueled by an extremely balanced lineup, led by junior forward and head captain Sam Feamster (6G, 8A), who moved into a tie for the team's scoring lead by assisting the second goal in Saturday's 2-2 tie at Niagara. He now has scored 6 goals and added 8 assists, catching junior defenseman Nick Pomerleau (14A) atop the pack. Freshman forward Michael DeBrito (6G, 6A), who will be sidelined by injury this weekend, ranks third followed by graduate forward Jackson Vercellono (7G, 4A), sophomore forward Mason Smith (5G, 6A), and freshman forward Liam Cox-Smith (5G, 5A).

Between the pipes, Liberty lost its top goalie, sophomore Konrad Kausch (5-1-1, 1.24 goals-against average, 96.2 save percentage, 3 shutouts) to injury in the second game against the Purple Eagles, an eventual 2-1 shootout setback. Junior Nicholas Bernstein (4-2-1, 2.43 GAA, 92.8 SP, 1 SO) played admirably in his place, shutting out Niagara until the final round of the shootout, which Liberty lost 1-0.

"We've got a couple injuries, but guys always step up when we need them," Kaebel said, noting Kausch is expected to return. "We're going to ask a couple guys to really step up and play bigger roles this weekend. We know what we have in that locker room. We love each other and we have a great group of guys, so if one guy goes down, we're going to pick each other up and go play another shift."

Ohio Scouting Report: The Bobcats were forced to cancel their season-opening home series with Purdue Northwest and move a second series to Kent (Ohio) State's Ice Arena due to its rink closure. Ohio swept that series and one at Maryville (Mo.) before canceling its scheduled home series against Utah on Oct. 11-12.

Since then, the Bobcats lost at then-No. 1 Jamestown before splitting a series at No. 3 Minot State and winning the home-and-home series opener at defending national champion Adrian (Mich.) College. The rematch, scheduled to be played at Bird Arena, was canceled, as have the last four series of the semester — against Grand Valley State (Mich.), Oregon, Maryville, and Pittsburgh — unless those schools are able to host Ohio or neutral sites can be located.

For the third season in a row, the Bobcats' attack is led by Reeve (5G, 8A). Defenseman Drake Nabozny (3G, 7A) ranks second, followed by forwards Laker Aldridge (3G, 5A) and Noah Holt (2G, 6A).

In goal, former Liberty keeper Scott Bird (3-0, 0.71 GAA, 97.8 SP, 1 SO) has experienced the most early-season success, followed closely by Max Karlenzig (1-1, 2.10 GAA, 92.6 SP, 1 SO) and Garrett Alderman (2-1, 2.34 GAA, 92.5 SP).

Coaches: Kirk Handy is in his 25th season as head coach for the Flames, with a career record of 547-224-35. Ohio is led by first-year Head Coach Barry Schutte, who spent the past five seasons as associate head coach at Miami (Ohio) University.

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

Liberty DI mens hockey Jacob Kalandyk — Senior forward and alternate captain Jacob Kalandyk shoots through Ohio Bobcat players in a game last season at the LaHaye Ice Center.

No. 6 Flames welcome No. 4 Bobcats for Friday’s Military Appreciation Night

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nicholas Bernstein

Liam Cox-Smith

Konrad Kausch

Mason Smith

Jackson Vercellono

No. 6 Flames welcome No. 4 Bobcats for Friday’s Military Appreciation Night

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nicholas Bernstein

Liam Cox-Smith

Konrad Kausch

Mason Smith

Jackson Vercellono

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