Flames fight back against feisty Bobcats, who escape opener with 4-3 win

Friday, November 8

Lynchburg, VA

7:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

Ohio University

Sophomore goalie Konrad Kausch guards the cage behind Flame defensemen Grant Morton (8) and Reid Bogenholm (18) in Friday night's series opener against Ohio at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photos by Joel Coleman)

Flames fight back against feisty Bobcats, who escape opener with 4-3 win

11/8/2024 10:41:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey

Liberty rallied from 1-0 and 3-1 deficits to tie the contest midway through the third period before allowing Ohio to draw within 22-21 in the all-time series.

Gallery: (11-8-2024) DI men's hockey vs. Ohio Game 1

Donning Army green and brown uniforms in honor of Friday's Military Appreciation Night, Liberty University's No. 6-ranked ACHA Division I men's hockey team waged an on-ice battle with fourth-ranked independent rival Ohio University in front of a College For A Weekend (CFAW) crowd at the LaHaye Ice Center.

The Flames (9-4-2) fought back from 1-0 and 3-1 deficits at the end of the first and second periods to tie it at 3 midway through the third before suffering a 4-3 setback against the green-and-black-clad Bobcats (9-2).

"We knew it was going to be a good game," Liberty Head Coach Kirk Handy said. "You hope you're on the other side of it and there were a couple goals we probably want back tonight, but our guys battled back."

Moments after Liberty's penalty kill unit kept Ohio's power play at bay, the Bobcats pounced for a quick counterattack score by Nolan Abraham inside the right post, off an outlet assist from Spencer Schons, for a 1-0 advantage at the 10:24 mark of the first period.

Liberty couldn't capitalize on back-to-back power-play opportunities late in the opening period, with Ohio goalie Garrett Alderman making a few saves of deflected perimeter shots.

The two teams started the second with 4-on-4 action after both were assessed penalties to end the first. Sophomore goalie Konrad Kausch made a high save of a dangerous shot by Mathieu Ovaert in the right crease before poke checking a crossing feed in front out of the danger zone. Later in the period, a Bobcats player struck the crossbar on a fast-break shot from the right circle.

The Flames cashed in on their third power-play chance with 3:56 left in the second period when sophomore Mason Smith, stationed near the right post, tipped freshman forward Mac Ratzlaff's shot from the top of the left circle past Alderman for the equalizer.

After Ohio hit the left post with another fast-break chance, the Bobcats reclaimed a 2-1 lead when Drake Albers received an outlet pass from Drake Nabozny and skated past a Flames defenseman and around the drawn-out Kausch in the high slot before tucking the puck into an open net at the 1:28 mark.

Then, after Kausch saved a flurry of shots in the final minute, Ohio leading scorer Luc Reeve controlled a loose puck on the left end line and set up Thompson Hollander in front for a point-blank backhander past Kausch, stretching the Bobcats' edge to 3-1 with just 7.2 seconds to go.

The Flames came out with energy to start the third period and converted it into a goal by Hayden DeMars on a top-shelf putback in the slot after a shot by senior defenseman Nate Cox and rebound by freshman forward Tucker Shields with 17:44 remaining in regulation.

Kausch made a couple key saves on an Ohio power play midway through the third period and Cox blocked a hard shot to help finish off the penalty kill. The Flames nearly countered on a one-timed tip by Feamster off a crossing feed from graduate forward Jackson Vercellono. Moments later, Feamster returned the favor by assisting junior defenseman Reid Bogenholm's equalizer on a follow through of his own driving shot across the slot at the 11:24 mark.

"We were down by two goals going into the locker room and there's no quit," Handy said. "We fought right to the end there tonight (and) I liked what we did for the majority of the game. There's probably 10 or 15 minutes and a couple of those goals that we got exposed on. We've got to continue to learn. We're in a learning process, but I really liked the way we fought and kept in the game."

However, after surviving another Ohio power play to finish 3-for-3 on the PK, the Flames couldn't muster any momentum, giving up the game winner moments later on a putback by Graham Broadfoot over top of Kausch, who had saved an initial shot by Albers. That lifted the Bobcats to a 4-3 advantage with 6:39 to play.

Ohio outshot Liberty 39-36 on the night and Kausch made 35 saves before being pulled to give the Flames a man advantage down the stretch. Liberty generated a couple quality scoring chances, including a putback by sophomore forward Ryan Finch in traffic in front that rolled on edge just wide of the left post, but could not manufacture a fourth goal to force overtime. It will go into Saturday's 7 p.m. rematch at the LIC seeking to salvage a series split.

"We'll regroup and come play again tomorrow," Handy said. "It's going to be a tight one again so we've got to come to play and continue to fight."

After this weekend's series, the Flames and Bobcats will face off four more times in the spring semester, including a regular-season ending series back in Lynchburg, Va.

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