Senior forward David Hauke celebrates a goal in the Flames' Jan. 12 win over Penn State at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photos by Aziz Ibrahim)
DII Flames go 2-1 on Northeast road trip, earn autobid to nationals as No. 2-ranked team in Southeast
2/14/2024 1:29:00 PM | Men's D2 Hockey
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For the fifth season in a row, Liberty will bypass competing in the regional tournament to qualify for to the March 11-15 ACHA DII championships in St. Louis.
By winning two of three games in its regular-season-ending trip to New England over the weekend — including beating defending national champion UMass-Amherst for the third time in as many tries this season — Liberty University's ACHA Division II men's hockey team clinched an autobid to the March 11-15 National Championships near St. Louis by finishing ranked second in the Southeast Region.
After losing a rematch at Keene State (N.H.) College (16-7), the No. 2-ranked team in the Northeast Region that they had swept at the LaHaye Ice Center on Jan. 26-27, 5-2 on Friday, the Flames (19-10) traveled to Boston and recorded back-to-back triumphs in historic arenas.
Liberty scored six goals in the third period of Saturday's 9-5 victory over the Minutemen in the Mullins Center before edging Northeastern, the No. 1-ranked team in the Northeast, 3-2 in overtime Sunday in Matthews Arena — which formerly housed both the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics — for their third win over the Huskies in as many meetings this season.
The Flames allowed two empty-net goals in the closing minutes of Friday's three-goal setback, despite outshooting the Owls, 37-22. They scored both their goals on the power play, by junior forward Jared Matley off assists from sophomore forwards Thomas Kayner and Josh Martin in the second period, and freshman forward Aaron Higgins unassisted in the final minute of the third, when Keene State scored three of its five goals.
Against UMass (15-12-1), Liberty trailed 4-3 going into the third period before outscoring the Minutemen 6-1 in the third, with Matley scoring twice and sophomore defenseman Logan Starkey netting his second goal of the game. The Flames outshot UMass 56-43 in the contest.
Junior forward and head captain Josh Harrell started the scoring for the Flames before Higgins gave them a 3-2 lead with 13:35 left in the second. UMass recorded the equalizer midway through the period on a power play and the go-ahead goal late in the period. Finally in the third, freshman forward and spring semester addition Jacob Padgett tied the contest at 4 and Starkey, Matley, sophomore defenseman Logan Johnson, and Matley stretched Liberty's lead to 8-4 before graduate defenseman Dylan Kent capped the scoring with six seconds remaining in regulation.
Sophomore forward Mark Padgett tied Sunday's regular-season finale against Northeastern (14-6-2) at 1 with 12:22 left in the second period off assists from Matley and senior forward David Hauke before Higgins lifted Liberty to a 2-1 lead exactly nine minutes later, finishing feeds from Kent and Matley. The Huskies tied the game on a power-play goal early in the third period before Kent struck for the game winner off an assist from Harrell with 1:29 to play in the 5-minute, 3-on-3, sudden-death overtime period.
Liberty outshot Northeastern 36-26 and junior goalie Lane Skon made 24 saves in the victory, which helped the Flames avoid having to win twice in the Feb. 24-25 Southeast Regional tournament in Athens, Ohio to qualify for nationals.
Graduate defenseman Dylan Kent scored the game-winning goal in overtime at Northwestern on Sunday in Matthews Arena in Boston.
