Sophomore forward Aiden Hannegan netted a hat trick in Sunday's 8-4 triumph over Elon. (Photos by Ethan Smith)
DIII Flames rise above Phoenix in ACCHL showdown
10/15/2025 1:45:00 PM | Men's D3 Hockey
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Liberty got a hat trick from Aiden Hannegan and tremendous playmaking from fellow forwards Roman Lamoureux and Luke Kim to double up Elon, 8-4.
On Sunday afternoon at the LaHaye Ice Center, Liberty University's Division III men's hockey team improved to 3-1 with an 8-4 victory over Elon College in an AAU battle between ACCHL opponents.
The Flames started the scoring by capitalizing on a power play less than two minutes after the opening faceoff when sophomore forward Aiden Hannegan received a feed from freshman forward Luke Kim in the left circle and fired a quick shot through traffic.
Less than three minutes later, graduate forward Roman Lamoureux sparked a fast break by picking up a loose puck in the defensive zone and skating up the left wing. He then sent a pass across the slot to Kim in front for an open-net finish in the right crease and 2-0 Liberty lead at the 15:21 mark.
Graduate forward Roman Lamoureux netted two goals and one assist against Elon.
Just 34 seconds later, Kim stole an Elon pass at the top of the right circle and dished a quick feed across the slot to Lamoureux for an authoritative finish into the top-left corner of the cage that extended the advantage to 3-0 with 14:47 still to play in the first period.
Elon forward Gus Von Maur trimmed the deficit to 3-1 with a putback in front of a shot from the left point with 9:04 to play in the period. The Phoenix then cut it to 3-2 on a power-play shot by Roman Kostrowski down the slot that beat junior goalie Trey Tompkins inside the lower-left post.
But the Flames ended the first period in a similar fashion as how they started it, with Kim setting up Hannegan for a fast-break odd-man finish in the left crease with 0.2 seconds remaining on the clock for a 4-2 edge going into the first intermission.
Elon struck first in the second period with Kostrowski putting away a sharp-angled shot from deep in the left circle over Thompkins' shoulder at the 15:15 mark. But Flames senior defenseman Ethan Locklear answered on a breakaway down the center of the ice, beating Phoenix goalie Wellington Masterson through the five hole to pad the lead to 5-3 with 9:54 to play in the period.
Hannegan completed his hat trick just 28 seconds later with an unassisted score right of the cage before Lamoureux added his second goal on a coast-to-coast drive down the right wing and top-shelf shot that extended Liberty's lead to 7-3 at the 17:58 mark of the third period.
Kastroski tried to spark another Elon comeback by capping his hat trick with an uncontested shot through the right circle with 13:36 remaining in regulation, but senior forward Thomas Mougin put the game away with 2:32 to play by punching in the putback of a shot by freshman forward Aidan Dickson near the right post.
The defending champion Flames and fourth-year Phoenix are both making early strides in preparing for the ACCHL Championships set for Feb. 13-15 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
Liberty, which had this weekend's scheduled series against Kutztown (Pa.) University canceled, will next take to the ice on Oct. 25-26 when it welcomes the College of William & Mary to the LIC for games at 10:15 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Video edited by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & MediaFreshman forward Luke Kim distributed three assists in a four-goal first period against the Phoenix on Sunday at the LaHaye Ice Center.
