Lady Flames complete sweep of Minot State, face Jamestown next in North Dakota

Saturday, November 22

Minot, ND

4:45 PM EST

Liberty University Club Sports

Minot State University

Sophomore forward Hayley Lee skates the puck between two Minot State players in a Nov. 21, 2024 matchup at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photo by Ryan Anderson)

Lady Flames complete sweep of Minot State, face Jamestown next in North Dakota

11/22/2025 10:52:00 PM | Women's D1 Hockey

Senior goalie Alex Keith posted her eighth shutout, and graduate forward and head captain Brielle Fussy added two insurance goals in the third period to keep the Beavers at bay.

Back-to-back goals by graduate forward and head captain Brielle Fussy in a span of 30 seconds early in the third period turned a one-goal game into a 3-0 triumph and series sweep for Liberty University's No. 1-ranked ACHA Division I women's hockey team against No. 4 Minot State, Saturday night at Maysa Arena in Minot, N.D.

"Brielle had a big game for us," Lady Flames Head Coach Chris Lowes said. "Beyond the goals, there were a couple other shifts where she brought us momentum just with her energy. She plays with such intensity, and we need that. The team feeds off that. For her to get those two goals, we felt a lot more comfortable than we did protecting a 1-0 lead."

The final and period-by-period scores were identical to Friday's opener against the Beavers (6-4-6), and Liberty again converted one power-play goal while holding Minot scoreless on its five opportunities with an extra player on the ice. The Lady Flames held an even more decisive 46-18 advantage in shots, including by a dominant 15-1 margin in the third period.

"It was very similar in a lot of ways," Lowes said, comparing Saturday's rematch to Friday's opener. "(Senior goalie Alex) Keith had a heck of a weekend with back-to-back shutouts against a really good team. She certainly led from the crease, and that was encouraging to see. Our PK was really good today, and again, that starts in net. The flow of the game was very similar too. The third period was our best on both nights, when we were able to solve their goalie, and that was good."

Sophomore defenseman Isabelle Pelletier started the scoring at the 17:41 mark of the second period by launching a shot from the point — off assists from graduate forwards Haley Battle and Isobel Pettem-Shand — that got past Beavers goalie Jillian Ackerman for a 1-0 Liberty lead.

Fussy found an extra gear in the third period, providing an insurance goal at the 16:44 mark and the final score with 16:14 remaining in regulation. She finished a fast-break assist from junior forward Ellie Sarauer to double the advantage.

"She was a trailer on an odd-man rush and had a beautiful finish, right from the slot," Lowes said. "Ellie made a really nice drop pass, and Brielle finished off the right post and in. It was a really pretty shot. Then on the very next shift, right off the draw, she drew a tripping penalty and went right down on the power-play and scored on it, on a real pretty back-door pass from (graduate forward and alternate captain Haley) Battles that set up an easy tap-in. It was one of those sequences where (Fussy) really sparked us."

He said the Lady Flames — who are 20-0 and riding a 30-game winning streak — are showing flashes of brilliance and playing at a national tournament level as they enter a 55-day break spanning Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

"We're ready for it, and the girls will need it to slow things down," Lowes said. "It was a really solid weekend series. Minot is a veteran team that's battle tested. We know them very well. They're going to be there at the end."

"We're off to a really good start, and we've got to finish the weekend against (No. 10) Jamestown (N.D. University on Sunday at 11 a.m. EST)," he added. "We feel really good about the way the team's playing right now."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer