DI Flames fired up for second, more severe early-season test from DII FGCU

Friday, September 20

Lynchburg, VA

7:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

Florida Gulf Coast University

Senior forward Jacob Kalandyk scored two quick goals in the first and third periods against UNC last Friday night at the LIC. (Photos by Simon Barbre)

DI Flames fired up for second, more severe early-season test from DII FGCU

9/19/2024 5:18:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey

Liberty will host the four-time ACHA DII national champion Eagles on Friday at 7 p.m. before the Flames' DII squad challenges them Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

After passing its season-opening showdown with the University of North Carolina with flying colors last Friday night in front of a sold-out Homecoming crowd at the LaHaye Ice Center, Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team will face another, more difficult challenge this Friday at home when ACHA DII FGCU opens its season in the LIC.

The Flames are eager to compete amidst another packed house for the single contest, with tickets already sold out due to an influx of College For A Weekend (CFAW) students and Family Weekend fans on hand.

"It's going to be another good test for us," said Liberty senior forward and alternate captain Jacob Kalandyk, who scored the season's first goal 19 seconds into the first period and added another 18 seconds into the third against the Tar Heels to spark the Flames to a 7-1 triumph. "Florida Gulf Coast is going to be a much stronger team than UNC all around, and it will be a very competitive game, not a game we can take lightly at all, so we're going to have to come out and give it our best."

Kalandyk said that scoring an early goal can set the tone for a game, and he hopes the season-opening rout of UNC can similarly affect the Flames' entire season.

"It was nice to get out there and score right away and take a bit of the stress off," he said. "Anytime you get a goal first shift, it gives your team a lift. After that, we consistently got better as the game went on."

Liberty's second DII opponent is no pushover, as it has reached the ACHA DII Final Four in seven of the past 10 seasons and won four national titles in the past 12 years.

"It's definitely different than playing Minot State (as the Flames did on back-to-back weekends to start their ACHA DI schedule last fall)," Kalandyk said. "But if this team was in Division I, it would probably be a top 20 team. They are much stronger than UNC. They're going to come out and play hard, and we need to be ready for that and keep building off of last weekend."

The refueled Flames, who feature 10 newcomers on their 24-man roster, are eager to showcase their skating speed and stick skills as they generate momentum for next weekend's ACHA DI opener at Pittsburgh and prepare for a potential third trip to the ACHA DI Final Four in the past five seasons next March in St. Louis.

"The goal is not just to win these games right now, but to keep building and getting better and getting ready for nationals," Kalandyk said. "All that matters is winning that last game at the end of the year."

Scouting Preview for Game 2: FGCU (0-0, 29-5-1 in 2023-24) at No. 5 Liberty (1-0, 21-10-1 in 2023-24), Friday at 7 p.m. at the LaHaye Ice Center. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.

All-time series: First meeting

Liberty Scouting Report: The Flames introduced four new line combinations against UNC which seemed to click immediately. Kalandyk played alongside junior head captain Sam Feamster and freshman Liam Cox-Smith on a line that produced three of Liberty's seven goals.

"It adds a bit of an advantage having two veterans on the same line," Kalandyk said. "We have 10 freshmen to blend in altogether, so it's nice to have some freshmen mixed in with some older guys."

Senior alternate captain Truett Olson was complemented by sophomore Ryan Finch and freshman Mac Ratzlaff, who netted two goals and an assist in his Flames debut. Graduate Jackson Vercellono was matched with two freshmen, Michael DeBrito and Hayden DeMars, on another line while sophomore Mason Smith was joined by two others, Tucker Shields, who scored Liberty's second goal, and Brad Barker.

"Last weekend was the first time these lines have all played together and everyone is gelling together well on the ice," said Kalandyk, who played primarily with Vercellono and Olson last season. "On my line, Cox-Smith can make a lot of plays and has a lot of skills, same with Feamster. Both are good at what they do."

As captains, Feamster, Kalandyk, and Olson are striving to set a standard for their teammates.

"It's been going good," Kalandyk said. "Ultimately, all three of us want to lead by example and come to the rink every day and put in the work. Everyone's battling and competing and doing all of the little things right in practice. That's going to be a huge factor for us this year."

The Flames' defensive corps will be without senior Reid Bogenholm, who sustained an upper-body injury after assisting two goals against UNC. Bogenholm missed most of last season with a similar injury. Liberty will rely more heavily on fellow senior defensemen Kevin Bite and Nate Cox, juniors Laz Kaebel and Grant Morton, sophomore Nick Pomerleau, and freshmen Joe Feamster and Michael Adamek.

In goal, sophomore Konrad Kausch made his Liberty debut between the pipes last week against the Tar Heels, stopping 22 of 23 shots on goal. Another NCAA Division III transfer, junior Nicholas Berstein, may start Friday's clash against FGCU with Kausch providing back-up as needed.

FGCU Scouting Report: The Eagles have been a dominant team in the ACHA DII ranks, claiming national championships in 2012, 2016, 2018, and 2019. After winning the first 10 meetings against FGCU from 2013-16, Liberty's DII team lost all four contests against the Eagles last season and finished ranked second behind them in the final Southeast Region standings, ahead of eventual national champion Indiana.

FGCU returns its top three scorers from last season, forwards Jake Court (19 goals, 17 assists), Adam Beauvais (19G, 16A), and Shayne Tomlinson (22G, 22A). However, the Eagles graduated their top two goalies, with Keegan Wise (4-1, 1.59 goals-against average, 88.7 save percentage) their most experienced returnee.

Also an independent program, FGCU will open their DII schedule with games against the Flames' DII squad on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Coaches: Kirk Handy is in his 25th season as head coach for the Flames, having guided them to eight consecutive ACHA DI National Championship tournaments and 16 in 18 seasons while accumulating a career record of 541-221-33. FGCU enters its fourth season with Eric Mabie at the helm. He played on the Eagles' 2016 and 2018 DII national championship teams before serving as an associate head coach for the 2019 title season through 2021, when he was promoted to head coach. He sports a record of 82-8-3, almost exclusively against ACHA DII competition.

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