Friday, October 24
Lynchburg, VA
7:00 PM
Liberty University Club Sports
vs
Stony Brook University
Michael DeBrito, who is tied with fellow senior forward Ryan Finch for the Flames' scoring lead, skates the puck through the neutral zone beside junior forward Mason Smith in last season's showdown with Stony Brook at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photos by Emily Cuthrell)
No. 5 Flames back on fast track this weekend for home series with Seawolves
10/22/2025 4:44:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey
Off to a 9-1 start, Liberty’s ACHA Division I men’s hockey team will look to extend its nine-game winning streak against Stony Brook on Friday and Saturday, during its themed ‘NASCAR Night’ at the LaHaye Ice Center.
Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team will welcome race fans to the LaHaye Ice Center this weekend for some fast-paced action on the ice, with the Flames entertaining rival Stony Brook for a two-game series concluding with Saturday's first-ever "NASCAR Night."
"We're hoping to showcase some of that NASCAR speed, and to play with some grit," Liberty senior goalie Nick Bernstein, who made 29 saves in a 6-2 win at No. 4 Adrian (Mich.) College in the Flames' last outing Oct. 11.
"It'll be a great series, a great test, and we are really looking forward to it," Liberty Head Coach Kirk Handy added. "We are in a stretch run between now and Thanksgiving, where we have a lot of big weekend series, and it starts with Stony Brook. We are looking to build on last week and are focused on getting better each day as we go throughout the journey."
Fall Break came at a good time for the Flames, with a weekend off giving them a chance to rest and recover from injuries. Though they are still without a few players, Liberty — which slipped one spot to No. 5 in this week's ACHA DI national rankings — will be ready to return to the grind for its series against the Seawolves.
"Everyone's hungry to get back," Bernstein said. "We're excited. We've just got to get back to what we know we can do and play the way we can play."
The Flames are off to their best start since the 2019-20 season, when they won their first nine games before being swept at Adrian. Bernstein said he and his teammates experienced a dramatic turnaround from the opening 7-3 setback to the final game of the series at Adrian, a three-time national champion that finished runner-up last season.
"We were a little timid the first game, just because Adrian is Adrian," he said. "We didn't play to our potential the first game, and it showed, and we came back, and we played how we were supposed to play the second game, and it showed. It was a great response, and we were bought in for the full 60 minutes of that second game. The whole team was bonding, and the energy was completely different compared to the first game. It was really good for our confidence as a team, being able to bounce back like that. We did the things we needed to do, especially on special teams. On penalty kill and power play, we were really good against Adrian."
He said though the Flames have experienced recent success against Stony Brook, winning their past nine meetings, they realize the Seawolves are a dangerous team.
"We just need to treat Stony Brook like we're going to play against Adrian (College), to give every team the same amount of respect because they deserve it," Bernstein said. "You can't sleep on any team in the league, especially (the Seawolves). Treat every team the same way, give every team the same respect. They've all earned it. If we do that, the rest will take care of itself … as long as we stick to our game plan and what we've been working on all year."
He said being winsome with opposing teams is just as important as winning games against them.
"We've been seeking to earn the right to pray with every team, just play the game the right way and the way we know how to play so that at the end of the day, they're like, 'Hey, we want to pray with these guys,'" Bernstein said. "That's been a goal we've had since last year, and it's been carrying over."
Scouting Preview for Games 11-12: Stony Brook (3-1-1) at No. 5 Liberty (9-1), Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the LaHaye Ice Center. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+. Saturday's "NASCAR Night" will include video promotions for Sunday's penultimate Cup Series playoff race starting at 2 p.m. at Martinsville, Va., where Liberty online student William Byron will be contending for his third consecutive Championship Four appearance next weekend in Phoenix. (Watch No. 24 for $24 tickets are available but going fast for Liberty students and staff.) For the game against the Seawolves, the Flames will wear specialty jerseys designed by former DII women's hockey player and current Club Sports Graphics Design Assistant Madison Gaddy, sporting official NASCAR logos. Checkered flag towels with Liberty Hockey branding will be given out to fans on entry while supplies last.
All-time series:Â Liberty leads 42-18-3. The Flames ended the Seawolves' four-year run as ESCHL champions by winning their first of three tournament titles in four years in 2017, their inaugural year in the league, and captured three consecutive ESCHL regular-season championships from 2018-20 before returning to independent status in 2021.
Liberty Scouting Report:Â The Flames have outscored opponents by a 47-21 margin this season and have gradually improved their success rates on the penalty kill (82.4 percent) and power play (capitalizing on 20.5 percent of their opportunities).
Offensively, Liberty has four double-point scorers, paced by senior forwards Ryan Finch (8 goals, 2 game-winning goals, 4 assists) and Michael DeBrito (5G, 1GWG, 7A), and followed by junior forward Luke Munroe (6G, 2GWG, 5A) and junior defenseman Nick Pomerleau (1G, 1GWG, 9A).
In goal, the Flames have platooned Bernstein (4-0, 2.00 goals-against average, 91.7 save percentage) and junior Konrad Kausch (4-1, 2.33 GAA, 88.9 SP, 1 shutout) with similar success.Â
Stony Brook Scouting Report:Â The Seawolves, who joined the ACCHL this season, are coming off a home-and-home series split with Delaware, winning Friday's opener at The Rinks in Hauppauge, N.Y., 7-1, before allowing the game winner in the final minute of regulation in Saturday's 5-4 setback at Fred Rust Arena in Newark, Del.
Stony Brook's attack is paced by two 10-point scorers — forwards Paul Desaro (8G, 2A) and William Kormanik (1G, 9A). On special teams, the Seawolves have killed off 83.3 percent of their penalties but only converted 8.3 percent of their power-play opportunities.
Between the pipes, Stony Brook has leaned on Steven Reganato (3-1-1, 3.55 GAA, 91.1 SP), who has played every minute in net.
Coaches: Handy, who played for the Flames from 1996-2000 and was named to the ACCHL Hall of Fame in 2015, is in his 25th season as head coach at Liberty and has a career record of 570-229-38 behind the bench. Stony Brook Head Coach Chris Garafalo is in his 16th season at the helm after totaling more than 100 points as a player for the Seawolves from 1992-96. He sports a 288-135-37 record.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
"We're hoping to showcase some of that NASCAR speed, and to play with some grit," Liberty senior goalie Nick Bernstein, who made 29 saves in a 6-2 win at No. 4 Adrian (Mich.) College in the Flames' last outing Oct. 11.
"It'll be a great series, a great test, and we are really looking forward to it," Liberty Head Coach Kirk Handy added. "We are in a stretch run between now and Thanksgiving, where we have a lot of big weekend series, and it starts with Stony Brook. We are looking to build on last week and are focused on getting better each day as we go throughout the journey."
Fall Break came at a good time for the Flames, with a weekend off giving them a chance to rest and recover from injuries. Though they are still without a few players, Liberty — which slipped one spot to No. 5 in this week's ACHA DI national rankings — will be ready to return to the grind for its series against the Seawolves.
"Everyone's hungry to get back," Bernstein said. "We're excited. We've just got to get back to what we know we can do and play the way we can play."
The Flames are off to their best start since the 2019-20 season, when they won their first nine games before being swept at Adrian. Bernstein said he and his teammates experienced a dramatic turnaround from the opening 7-3 setback to the final game of the series at Adrian, a three-time national champion that finished runner-up last season.
"We were a little timid the first game, just because Adrian is Adrian," he said. "We didn't play to our potential the first game, and it showed, and we came back, and we played how we were supposed to play the second game, and it showed. It was a great response, and we were bought in for the full 60 minutes of that second game. The whole team was bonding, and the energy was completely different compared to the first game. It was really good for our confidence as a team, being able to bounce back like that. We did the things we needed to do, especially on special teams. On penalty kill and power play, we were really good against Adrian."
He said though the Flames have experienced recent success against Stony Brook, winning their past nine meetings, they realize the Seawolves are a dangerous team.
"We just need to treat Stony Brook like we're going to play against Adrian (College), to give every team the same amount of respect because they deserve it," Bernstein said. "You can't sleep on any team in the league, especially (the Seawolves). Treat every team the same way, give every team the same respect. They've all earned it. If we do that, the rest will take care of itself … as long as we stick to our game plan and what we've been working on all year."
He said being winsome with opposing teams is just as important as winning games against them.
"We've been seeking to earn the right to pray with every team, just play the game the right way and the way we know how to play so that at the end of the day, they're like, 'Hey, we want to pray with these guys,'" Bernstein said. "That's been a goal we've had since last year, and it's been carrying over."
Scouting Preview for Games 11-12: Stony Brook (3-1-1) at No. 5 Liberty (9-1), Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the LaHaye Ice Center. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+. Saturday's "NASCAR Night" will include video promotions for Sunday's penultimate Cup Series playoff race starting at 2 p.m. at Martinsville, Va., where Liberty online student William Byron will be contending for his third consecutive Championship Four appearance next weekend in Phoenix. (Watch No. 24 for $24 tickets are available but going fast for Liberty students and staff.) For the game against the Seawolves, the Flames will wear specialty jerseys designed by former DII women's hockey player and current Club Sports Graphics Design Assistant Madison Gaddy, sporting official NASCAR logos. Checkered flag towels with Liberty Hockey branding will be given out to fans on entry while supplies last.
All-time series:Â Liberty leads 42-18-3. The Flames ended the Seawolves' four-year run as ESCHL champions by winning their first of three tournament titles in four years in 2017, their inaugural year in the league, and captured three consecutive ESCHL regular-season championships from 2018-20 before returning to independent status in 2021.
Liberty Scouting Report:Â The Flames have outscored opponents by a 47-21 margin this season and have gradually improved their success rates on the penalty kill (82.4 percent) and power play (capitalizing on 20.5 percent of their opportunities).
Offensively, Liberty has four double-point scorers, paced by senior forwards Ryan Finch (8 goals, 2 game-winning goals, 4 assists) and Michael DeBrito (5G, 1GWG, 7A), and followed by junior forward Luke Munroe (6G, 2GWG, 5A) and junior defenseman Nick Pomerleau (1G, 1GWG, 9A).
In goal, the Flames have platooned Bernstein (4-0, 2.00 goals-against average, 91.7 save percentage) and junior Konrad Kausch (4-1, 2.33 GAA, 88.9 SP, 1 shutout) with similar success.Â
Stony Brook Scouting Report:Â The Seawolves, who joined the ACCHL this season, are coming off a home-and-home series split with Delaware, winning Friday's opener at The Rinks in Hauppauge, N.Y., 7-1, before allowing the game winner in the final minute of regulation in Saturday's 5-4 setback at Fred Rust Arena in Newark, Del.
Stony Brook's attack is paced by two 10-point scorers — forwards Paul Desaro (8G, 2A) and William Kormanik (1G, 9A). On special teams, the Seawolves have killed off 83.3 percent of their penalties but only converted 8.3 percent of their power-play opportunities.
Between the pipes, Stony Brook has leaned on Steven Reganato (3-1-1, 3.55 GAA, 91.1 SP), who has played every minute in net.
Coaches: Handy, who played for the Flames from 1996-2000 and was named to the ACCHL Hall of Fame in 2015, is in his 25th season as head coach at Liberty and has a career record of 570-229-38 behind the bench. Stony Brook Head Coach Chris Garafalo is in his 16th season at the helm after totaling more than 100 points as a player for the Seawolves from 1992-96. He sports a 288-135-37 record.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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