Rock the Rink podcast discusses recruitment approach for men’s, women’s programs

Truett Olson Liberty breakout — Senior forward Truett Olson skates the puck through traffic during a fast break against eventual ACHA DI national champion Adrian.

With Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team bringing in nine recruits this fall, Director of Hockey Operations and Club Sports Recruitment & Summer Planning Coordinator Brett Berthiaume joined this week's "Rock the Rink" podcast to talk about the tact Liberty's Hockey program takes toward recruiting its players.

"It's been awesome to recruit this specific class," said Berthiaume, who graduated with a B.S. in Sport Management in 2020 and an MBA in 2022. "It reminds me of my freshman year when I came in as a student with Quinn (Ryan). It's a large group, there's a lot of guys that are fully bought into what we want to do and are working hard this off-season already to come in and be ready to go."

Berthiaume, son of Assistant Coach Daniel Berthiaume, a former NHL teammate of Wayne Gretzky on the Los Angeles Kings and longtime ECHL goalie with the Roanoke Express, grew up around the game and knows what it takes to develop players to the highest levels. He said the culture at Liberty is unique in that it improves the student-athlete holistically.

"I look at what Liberty has done for me in my life and my family's lives and I see these guys not just as hockey players, but I see them as people, too," he said. "I get really excited to see where they're at right now in their lives and hopefully bring them to a place like Liberty and grow in their faith."

"We have something special and anytime a guy says, 'Yeah, I'm fully on board,' it fires me up," he added. "I love it because I think we give ourselves a chance to really have a lot of success on and off the ice with those guys that say 'I want to be at Liberty for what Liberty is and for what the program is and where it's going.'"

Former DI women's hockey Assistant Coach Justin Forth also added his insights to complement regular podcast co-host Patrick Strawn, filling in for Rett McGibbon, along with regular guest Chris Kerr, who asked most of the questions on this episode.

Additionally, DII women's Head Coach Rena Leone talked about her incoming recruits and special teams' strategy for next season with the added depth. She also gave a behind-the-scenes look at the Lady Flames' ACHA National Championships run in St. Louis, where they won their first two games in program history. She described how they were able to maintain their mental focus while keeping things light in the locker room, especially during a tornado warning delay in the middle of the last game.

Leone also talked about the spiritual culture she is trying to develop on the team, which led to five players being baptized this spring at the Liberty Natatorium.

Video by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media

Rock the Rink podcast discusses recruitment approach for men’s, women’s programs

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