Flames bounce back, slay Knights in second game of Showcase near St. Louis

Friday, November 21

St. Louis, MO

4:00 PM EST

Liberty University Club Sports

Calvin University

Sophomore forward Brad Barker skates against Calvin University in last season's Star Wars Night game at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photo by Ryan Anderson)

Flames bounce back, slay Knights in second game of Showcase near St. Louis

11/21/2025 8:36:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey

Senior forward Ryan Finch scored for the second night in a row after returning from a lower-body injury, and freshman forward Seth Huygen netted his first goal for the Flames.

Liberty University's No. 4-ranked ACHA Division I men's hockey team turned the tables on No. 6 Calvin (Mich.) University with a 3-2 triumph, Friday afternoon in its second game of the Maryville University Showcase at the Maryville University Ice Center in Chesterfield, Mo.

The Knights (7-4) doused the shorthanded Flames by one-goal decisions twice in a spring semester-opening series at the LaHaye Ice Center in January, when five of Liberty's top players were in Italy competing in the World University Games.

On Friday, the Flames' penalty kill unit held Calvin scoreless on four man-advantage opportunities after giving up three goals in five chances in Thursday night's 3-1 setback to the host Saints. Liberty outshot the Knights, 30-27, and junior goalie Konrad Kausch made 25 saves to secure the win, thanks to two insurance goals in the third period.

"It was better," Head Coach Kirk Handy said, compared to the performance against Maryville.. "It was going in the right direction. Our guys stuck with it, and hats off to them that they were able to hold on and get the win. Our PK was a lot better, but we don't like giving up those two goals at the end of the game."

After a scoreless first stanza, the Flames (14-4) struck first with 11:25 to play in the second when Ryan Finch — who netted Liberty's only goal in the loss to Maryville — received a feed from leading scorer and fellow senior forward Michael Debrito in the right circle and lifted a wrist shot over the glove of Knights goalie Carlos Siso.

Freshman forward Seth Huygen doubled the Flames' advantage by finishing feeds from senior forward and head captain Sam Feamster and junior defenseman Luke Anderson for his first goal for the Flames midway through the third period.

However, Calvin forward Lou Vesperini answered just over a minute and a half later, putting away passes from Joel Fonovic and Marshall Beaker with 8:12 remaining in regulation.

Seconds after the Knights pulled Siso from the cage, Flames sophomore forward Kal Essenmacher capitalized on a quick fast-break empty-netter with 53.1 seconds left.

But the Knights made matters interesting in the closing minute as their second-leading scorer, Krzysztof Petryla, pulled them within one goal on the first shift after the ensuing faceoff, finishing assists from Holden Pratt and Tony Eaton.

Calvin opted to keep Siso in the net for the final 38 seconds, and Kausch made the one-goal lead count in the end.

"Konrad played great in net, (especially) in the first period," Handy said.

Liberty will conclude competition in the showcase on Saturday at 1 p.m. when it faces an Arizona team that upset Calvin in its opener on Friday.

"It will be another great game tomorrow," Handy said. "All the teams here are really strong teams, and if we are to continue to put ourselves in a really good spot, we need to show up ready to go and be ready to execute at a high level."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer