Liberty junior forward Aleksandr Charin is whacked by the stick of an Ohio player in their meeting at the LaHaye Ice Center last February.
Flames doubled up by Bobcats in regular-season finale, last test before ACHA Nationals
2/24/2024 10:53:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey
Liberty was playing without several players sidelined by injury and illness and should be fully recovered in time for the trip to St. Louis in early March.
With its roster depleted by injuries and a gastro-intestinal illness going around campus, Liberty University's No. 7-ranked ACHA Division I men's hockey team allowed No. 8 Ohio to snatch a win for the first time in five tries against the Flames this season in front of a sellout College For A Weekend (CFAW) crowd on hand for Saturday night regular-season finale at the LaHaye Ice Center.
"We had a bunch of injuries, a bunch of guys were sick, and (graduate forward) Jackson (Vercellono) was at a sister's wedding, so that gave guys some opportunities who maybe aren't in certain roles and spots to play today," Liberty Head Coach Kirk Handy said. "(Freshman goalie) Nick (Bernstein) gets some action on the back end, which was good, and we keep building toward the national tournament."
The Bobcats (25-9-4) pounced on the Flames (20-9-1) early, scoring the first goal on a two-on-one rush just 32 seconds after the opening faceoff. After Liberty freshman forward Ryan Finch netted the equalizer by beating Ohio goalie Justin Damon with a left-circle wrist shot into the top-right corner of the cage at the 7:16 mark, the Bobcats answered just as fast. Mathieu Ovaert picked up a loose puck behind the red line and skated down the center of the ice for his second goal exactly 32 seconds later with his shot into the top-right corner for a 2-1 lead.
Ohio stretched its advantage to 3-1 with 13:13 to play in the second period when Drake Albers beat graduate goalie Hunter Virostek top-shelf stick-side on another odd-man rush.
Seconds after killing off a penalty, the Bobcats responded with a three-on-one fast break with Noah Holt finishing bar-down with a shot from the left circle that beat Bernstein for a commanding 4-1 lead with 3:02 to go in the second.
Liberty showed some counterpunch by scoring the only goal of the third period, on a turnaround putback by senior forward Nate Albers from deep in the right crease after freshman defenseman Reid Bogenholm's shot from the right point with 17:12 remaining in regulation. But the Flames, who outshot Ohio 35-32 on the night, would get no closer as Damon shut the door on the cage the rest of the way.
Handy is confident the Flames will have their full lineup available again for the March 7-12 ACHA DI National Championships near St. Louis, where they will challenge the winner between No. 10 University of Mary (N.D.) and No. 23 Grand Valley.
"We just need to make sure we have all of our ducks in a row, all of our systems in order and make sure that we have the compete that we need," he said. "Guys are going to be motivated because there is going to be a big sense of urgency come national tournament time."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media
"We had a bunch of injuries, a bunch of guys were sick, and (graduate forward) Jackson (Vercellono) was at a sister's wedding, so that gave guys some opportunities who maybe aren't in certain roles and spots to play today," Liberty Head Coach Kirk Handy said. "(Freshman goalie) Nick (Bernstein) gets some action on the back end, which was good, and we keep building toward the national tournament."
The Bobcats (25-9-4) pounced on the Flames (20-9-1) early, scoring the first goal on a two-on-one rush just 32 seconds after the opening faceoff. After Liberty freshman forward Ryan Finch netted the equalizer by beating Ohio goalie Justin Damon with a left-circle wrist shot into the top-right corner of the cage at the 7:16 mark, the Bobcats answered just as fast. Mathieu Ovaert picked up a loose puck behind the red line and skated down the center of the ice for his second goal exactly 32 seconds later with his shot into the top-right corner for a 2-1 lead.
Ohio stretched its advantage to 3-1 with 13:13 to play in the second period when Drake Albers beat graduate goalie Hunter Virostek top-shelf stick-side on another odd-man rush.
Seconds after killing off a penalty, the Bobcats responded with a three-on-one fast break with Noah Holt finishing bar-down with a shot from the left circle that beat Bernstein for a commanding 4-1 lead with 3:02 to go in the second.
Liberty showed some counterpunch by scoring the only goal of the third period, on a turnaround putback by senior forward Nate Albers from deep in the right crease after freshman defenseman Reid Bogenholm's shot from the right point with 17:12 remaining in regulation. But the Flames, who outshot Ohio 35-32 on the night, would get no closer as Damon shut the door on the cage the rest of the way.
Handy is confident the Flames will have their full lineup available again for the March 7-12 ACHA DI National Championships near St. Louis, where they will challenge the winner between No. 10 University of Mary (N.D.) and No. 23 Grand Valley.
"We just need to make sure we have all of our ducks in a row, all of our systems in order and make sure that we have the compete that we need," he said. "Guys are going to be motivated because there is going to be a big sense of urgency come national tournament time."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media
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