DII Flames allow Huskies to salvage split; head to St. Louis for rematch with Lions

Friday, November 1

Lynchburg, VA

6:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

Northeastern University

DII mens hockey Dylan Kent vs. Northeastern

Flames graduate defenseman Dylan Kent drives past a Northeastern player in Saturday's rematch with the Huskies at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photos by Emily Cuthrell)

DII Flames allow Huskies to salvage split; head to St. Louis for rematch with Lions

11/6/2024 12:34:00 PM | Men's D2 Hockey

Liberty was outshot in both games, but won the opener 5-1 before being shut out by Northeastern, 2-0, in a 2023 ACHA DII nationals rematch.

Gallery: (11-6-2024) DII men's hockey vs. Northeastern

After winning Friday night's opener against Northeastern, 5-1, Liberty University's ACHA Division II men's hockey team was outshot by the Huskies, 31-18, in Saturday afternoon's rematch at the LaHaye Ice Center and settled for a series split after being shut out, 2-0, on a power-play goal early in the first period and empty-netter late in the third.

The Flames (8-5) were actually outshot by a wider margin in Friday's opener, 44-24, but senior goalie Lane Skon made 43 saves and Liberty broke open a 2-1 contest with three unanswered goals in the third.

Following a scoreless first period, Flames senior forward Corey Owens started the scoring off assists from graduate forward Cooper Neal and senior defenseman Logan Johnson just 27 seconds after the second-period faceoff. The Huskies (5-2-1) answered with a shorthanded equalizer by Thomas Malvar at the 13:06 mark before Liberty junior forward Thomas Kayner netted the game winner on a power play less than a minute and a half later off assists from Neal and junior forward Mark Padgett.

Then in the third, sophomore forward Jacob Padgett added two insurance scores, both assisted by senior forward Roman Lamoureux and junior forward Antonio Vidal, before Mark Padgett capped the scoring off feeds from Neal and sophomore defenseman Macguire Graham.
The offense ran dry in the rematch, however, as it had against the Huskies in the final round of pool play at the 2023 ACHA DII National Championships in Boston, a 1-0 setback. Sophomore goalie Christian Sehlke made 29 saves and allowed only one goal in Saturday's loss.

The Flames were without senior forward and head captain Josh Harrell, who went down with an injury in the first period of Friday's opener, as well as freshman forward Anthony Emme and junior forward Josh Martin, who has been sidelined for several games.

This weekend, Liberty will travel to St. Louis to play a series at Lindenwood in the Centene Community Ice Center, home of last year's and this season's national tournaments. The puck will drop for Friday's opener at 9 p.m. before the teams meet in a rematch on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Last season, the Lions eliminated the Flames and advanced to the Final Four with an extremely fiercely contested 4-3 overtime victory on their home ice.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer