Flames outduel Dragons, 8-2, for semester-ending sweep in the LIC

Saturday, December 7

Lynchburg, VA

7:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

Drexel University

Flames freshmen forwards Michael DeBrito, Kal Essenmacher, and Brad Barker celebrate a goal against the Dragons. (Photos by Ryan Anderson)

Flames outduel Dragons, 8-2, for semester-ending sweep in the LIC

12/7/2024 11:25:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey

Graduate forward Jackson Vercellono's hat trick and goals by a trio of freshmen helped Liberty extend its winning streak to five games before Christmas Break.

Gallery: (12-7-2024) DI men's hockey vs. Drexel

A sellout crowd on hand for Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team's fall semester final was treated to another dominating victory by the No. 3-ranked Flames over No. 25 Drexel University, Saturday night at the LaHaye Ice Center.

Liberty (14-5-2), which won Saturday morning's Midnight Mayhem opener against the Dragons (11-4) by a 16-0 count, showed more mercy in the rematch, settling for an 8-2 triumph to end the year on a five-game winning streak.

"It was an awesome way (to end the semester)," Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy said. "Our crowds have been excellent all semester, and fans have been awesome, and the place has been loud an energetic the whole time. Our guys played two solid back-to-back games, and I couldn't be more proud of them with what they've accomplished over 21 games, through ups and downs, twists and turns. Our goal is to try to play and be the best that we can for 60 minutes. Our guys have battled and competed all semester and done what we as a coaching staff have asked them to do. I'm excited to see how we move forward here."

Liam Cox-Smith needed only 93 seconds to start the scoring off an assist from fellow Flames freshman forward Hayden DeMars, tipping his pass from along the right boards into the upper netting from deep in the right crease and triggering the release of hundreds of stuffed animals from fans onto the ice for the annual "Teddy Bear Toss" to support the Concord, Va., based Gleaning for the World's Teddy Bear Brigade.

Less than two and a half minutes later, Ryan Finch doubled Liberty's lead to 2-0 by taking the a short pass from fellow sophomore forward Mason Smith as they skated up the center of the ice and beating Dragons keeper Ryan Nocerino on a breakaway finish.

The Flames extended their lead to 3-0 at the 18:11 mark of the second period when senior forward and alternate captain Jacob Kalandyk sent an outlet pass through the neutral zone to Vercellono for another one-on-one breakaway opportunity with Nocerino. Vercellono skated across the blue line and through the slot before pinpointing his point-blank wrist shot into the top-right corner of the cage for his team-high third game-winning goal of the season.

"It's just chemistry," Vercellono said. "(Kalandyk) was finding me all (night), him and (fellow senior forward and alternate captain) Truett (Olson). Without them, it's impossible for me to get a hat trick tonight."

Moments later, junior forward and head captain Sam Feamster, Liberty's leading scorer on the season, finished feeds from junior defenseman Kevin Bite and Smith for his 10th goal of the semester, giving the Flames a commanding 4-0 advantage.

With the teams skating 4-on-4 after taking offsetting penalties,Vercellono struck again, receiving assists from Kalandyk and freshman forward Michael Adamek and skating through the left circle before tucking a backhander from deep in the crease inside the near post to stretch the edge to 5-0 with 9:30 left in the period.

A wraparound goal by Dragons forward Matt Harris, who caught Flames keeper Konrad Kausch out of position as he trimmed the deficit to 5-1 at the 3:55 mark of the second period.

With the Flames on a power play midway through the third period, they padded their lead to 6-1 on freshman forward Tucker Shields' well-placed putback of junior defenseman Laz Kaebel's shot from the high slot into the top-left corner of the cage at the 9:31 mark.

Then, with 7:19 remaining in regulation, Michael DeBrito slid the rebound of fellow freshman forward Kal Essenmacher's shot in the slot past Nocerino for a 7-1 spread before Drexel got one goal back on a shot through the slot by Benjamin Birkhahn that beat Kausch high glove-side.

Vercellono capped the scoring, and his first hat trick of the season, with his team-high 13th goal and fourth on the power play, taking Finch's tape-to-tape assist across the slot and threading a sharp-angled shot from the inside edge of the left circle past Nocerino with 55 seconds to play.

Vercellono received a hat thrown onto the ice in recognition of the achievement before later tossing a stick to a young fan as he was honored as the "First Star of the Game."

"I've had a couple two-goal games, but it was good to get a hat trick," Vercellono said. "We talked about how we need to win games like this, and we did that with authority. We ended it and we took them out of the game."

"I can't say enough about that guy, with all the things he's got going on, as a husband, father, with work, as a graduate student, he comes focused and comes ready to play and finds the back of the net for us," Handy added.

On special teams, Liberty converted two out of its three power plays, and its penalty kill unit thwarted the Dragons on both of their man advantage opportunities.

Liberty outshot Drexel by a three-to-one margin in the first (18-6) and second (27-9) periods before expanding the advantage to 26-8 in the third for a 71-23 total. Kausch made 21 saves to improve to 8-2 on the season while raising his goals-against average to 1.72.

"We're still far from perfect, but we're moving in the right direction," Vercellono said. "We finished the first semester strong and it's like the start of a new season once January comes. There's no such thing as picking up where we left off, it's only coming back even better. Everyone's got to come back ready to work but really enjoy the break."

He said the team is gaining momentum for the spring semester, when it will seek to peak at the ACHA DI National Championships in St. Louis in mid-March.

"All I want is to win a national championship," Vercellono said. "What I do doesn't matter. As long as our team finds a way to win it, that's all I could ever ask for."

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