DI men’s hockey travels to Michigan to take on three-time national champion Adrian College

Holding fast at No. 4 in the first regular-season national rankings, Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team is eager to pass its biggest test of the season so far when it challenges No. 2 Adrian (Mich.) College on the road this weekend.

"I always love playing them," Flames senior forward and head captain Sam Feamster said. "That's why you come to a school like Liberty, to play against the other top-five teams in the country, and it fires us up to play against them. We always get their best game, so it's always a great battle. It is a good test to see where we're at, and a good gauge to see how we compete in a tight game for 60 minutes."

Last spring, the Flames swept the Bulldogs (by 3-1 and 4-2 scores at the LaHaye Ice Center) for the first time since February 2020, when they shocked the No. 1-ranked team in the nation on back-to-back nights at the LIC before the National Championships in Texas were canceled by COVID-19.

Liberty defeated Adrian (21-3-2 at the time) three out of four meetings last season to pay it back for knocking it out of the quarterfinal round of the 2024 national tournament near St. Louis. The Flames narrowly missed a chance to face the Bulldogs for a fifth time in the 2025 final when now-No. 1 UNLV scored five goals in the final 10 minutes of a 5-2 victory to eliminate Liberty in the semifinal round before winning its first national title over Adrian.

"Last year, we were a better team than they were, but they made it further than we did at nationals," Feamster said. "We know we can beat anyone in this league when we bring our game. That will be the challenge this weekend."

The veterans on the Flames' squad, in particular, are hungry to build on their recent success against Adrian.

"Some younger guys might have a bit of nerves at first, but everyone that is returning is more just excited to play this (series) because of what it means," Feamster said. "We always play Adrian four times a year, and we've always had good battles with them, and we always like beating them. Really, we look at it as a great opportunity to overcome a challenge, and that's exciting."

He said the physicality the Bulldogs bring to the table makes the matchup especially enticing, with hard-hitting body checks often setting the tone for the action on the ice.

"Adrian's always a team you know when you play you are going to get hit, and you've got to finish your hits," Feamster said. "That's real hockey, and it's going to be a lot of fun. Every time we play them, it feels like it's a nationals game where you win or go home. That's when I play my best hockey, and I know a lot of guys in our room are the same way."

"They always play hard, and it forces us to elevate our game, so we love playing teams like that," he added. "We thrive on playing better teams, so it will be a great weekend. If we bring our game and work hard, it's going to be a battle of who wants it more this weekend, and we can win that battle."

Scouting Preview, Games 9-10: No. 4 Liberty (8-0) at No. 2 Adrian College (7-0), Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the Arrington Ice Arena in Adrian, Mich. Both games will be streamed live by Adrian College TV.

All-time series: Adrian leads 16-9-3.

Liberty Scouting Report: The Flames dominated Utah in the opener of their first-ever series last Friday night at home, 8-2, before rallying from a 2-1 deficit in the final 54 seconds of regulation and winning in a 3-2 shootout on goals by senior forward Ryan Finch and sophomore forward Tucker Shields to complete a sweep of the Utes, who remained at No. 10 in this week's national rankings.

"It's great to have Tucker and (fellow sophomore forward Hayden) DeMars back," Feamster said of their return from upper- and lower-body injuries, respectively. "They help us out big-time, so getting some regular line combinations going has helped us with consistency in practice. (Junior forward Mason) Smith is back (from a lower-body injury), too. He'll be helping our lineup a lot. He always finishes his hits and obviously has great speed."

Finch (7 goals, 2 game winners, 3 assists) strengthened his hold on the Flames' scoring lead with his two goals in regulation and shootout score against Utah, followed by junior forward Luke Munroe (3G, 5A), junior defenseman Nick Pomerleau (1G, 7A), and senior forward Michael DeBrito (4G, 3A).

Between the pipes, the Flames have platooned junior Konrad Kausch (4-0, 1.21 goals-against average, 93.5 save percentage, 1 shutout), who shut out the Utes in the shootout, and senior Nick Bernstein (3-0, 2.00 GAA, 90.8 SP).

Adrian Scouting Report: The Bulldogs' roster features 17 players from various Canadian provinces and 10 from Michigan with no other states represented. Adrian has outscored opponents by a 45-5 margin through its first seven games paced by forwards Eli Reimer (4G, 1GWG, 6A), Sebastian Smith (5G, 1GWG, 4A), Keegan Decaluwe (3G, 4A), Dylan Gajewski (3G, 1GWG, 4A), Justin Jamer (3G, 1GWG, 4A), and Cash Regan (5G, 1GWG, 1A).

On special teams, Adrian has killed off 96 percent of its penalties and capitalized on 38.5 percent of its power-play opportunities.

In net, Payton Trzaska (4-0, 1.24 GAA, 94.8 SP, 2 SO) has logged the majority of minutes with stellar support from Dylan Eliason (2-0, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SP, 2 SO).

Coaches: Handy is in his 26th season as head coach of the Flames, sporting a career record of 569-228-38 and leading Liberty to three ACHA DI Final Four appearances in the past five seasons. Gary Astalos is in his 10th season at the helm of the Bulldogs, compiling a record of 292-28-4 and leading Adrian to ACHA DI national championships in 2018, 2021, and 2024.

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

DI men’s hockey travels to Michigan to take on three-time national champion Adrian College

Players Mentioned

Ryan Finch

Konrad Kausch

Luke Munroe

Tucker Shields

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