Top-ranked Lady Flames’ 30-game winning streak snapped at No. 10 Jamestown

Sunday, November 23

Jamestown, ND

11:00 AM EST

Liberty University Club Sports

University of Jamestown

Liberty graduate forward and alternate captain Zosia Adamek battles for puck possession in a game at the LaHaye Ice Center last January. (Photo by Simon Barbre)

Top-ranked Lady Flames’ 30-game winning streak snapped at No. 10 Jamestown

11/23/2025 5:53:00 PM | Women's D1 Hockey

Liberty (20-1) led 3-1 in the second period before allowing the Jimmies (5-9-1) to score three unanswered goals in the final 30 minutes of play for a 4-3 upset win.

Liberty University's No. 1-ranked ACHA Division I women's hockey team's 30-game winning streak came to an abrupt end in a back-and-forth battle Sunday afternoon at No. 10 Jamestown (N.D.) University, which upset the Lady Flames, 4-3 in sudden-death overtime.

"It was a tough way to end what was a really good semester," Lady Flames Head Coach Chris Lowes said. "I thought Jamestown played really well and outplayed us for a lot of the game. It was hard to tell if they're that strong or if we didn't bring our A game. We weren't taking them lightly. It was our third game of the weekend, and it was a morning start, but we can't blame it on that. Jamestown outplayed us."

The Lady Flames had won all three of the teams' previous meetings at various neutral locations — 3-1 at Midland (Neb.) University on Dec. 2, 2023; 6-0 at Maryville (Mo.) University on Nov. 9, 2024; and 7-0 the last time they met in the semifinal round of the WMCH Tournament Feb. 21 at McKendree University in O'Fallon, Ill.

"They've got a really strong program, and they were more desperate to win," Lowes said. "They've had a lot of tight losses against really good teams. They're going to be dangerous, and if they keep moving up the rankings, will be a tough out (at the WMCH Tournament Feb. 19-21 in Freemont, Neb., and ACHA DI National Championships in mid-March near St. Louis)."

Liberty, now 20-1, allowed three unanswered goals in the second and third periods and overtime as the Jimmies (5-9-1) erased a 3-1 deficit, tying the contest with 4:19 remaining in regulation before winning it 57 seconds into the 5-minute OT.

"We weren't very good defensively," Lowes said. "That was the big change from the two games before (at Minot), where I really liked how we were playing, especially defensively. We didn't show (the Jimmies) that awareness, and they were doing a lot of things that gave us fits. They had a 4-on-1 (fast break) early in the first period and a lot of scoring opportunities."

Coming off back-to-back 3-0 wins at No. 4 Minot State, the Lady Flames appeared to be in excellent position to go into the Thanksgiving Break undefeated.

They started the scoring against Jamestown with 10:58 left in the first period when graduate forward and head captain Brielle Fussy — who netted both goals in the third period of Saturday's shutout of the Beavers — manufactured her third consecutive goal. She put away the putback of assists from senior forward Brookelyn Beauchamp and sophomore defenseman Julianne Lefaive for an early 1-0 lead.
"Brielle was out in front, and Lafaive sent the puck to the slot, and she banged it home," Lowes said.

Late in the period, junior forward Tristan Craig doubled the advantage off assists from sophomore forward Brooklyn Voortman and graduate defenseman Allison Shaw at the 1:35 mark.

"Craig scored on a nice rebound off an odd-man rush, going top-shelf with it," Lowes said.

Special teams came into play in the second period, when all three goals were scored on the power play or penalty kill. Jamestown's Rebecca Nickisch made it a 2-1 contest by scoring a shorthanded goal on a rebound of a two-on-one fast break shot by Maddison Andrew past sophomore goalie Brooklyn Adams with 12:42 to play. Just 24 seconds later Shaw added what would have been an insurance goal, on a perimeter shot set up by junior forward Ellie Sarauer to extend Liberty's advantage to 3-1.

"That was a really good power-play goal on a rip from Shaw up top," Lowes said.

However, the Jimmies answered with a power-play goal of their own when Gabrielle Schroder deflected a shot from the point by Mikaela Nimetz off a secondary assist from Emma Durand. Then in the third period, Samantha Beaulac netted the late equalizer unassisted on another perimeter shot, forcing the 5-minute, sudden-death overtime.

The Lady Flames put their ace in goal, bringing in senior Alex Keith — who had recorded her seventh and eighth shutouts of the season at Minot State — to replace Adams for the extra period.

"It was just a coach's decision to put Keith in for overtime," Lowes said. "I like her puck handling on any loose pucks. I still liked our chances and felt confident going into overtime. We produced one scoring chance on the rush, and they came back and buried their chance."

With the teams skating 3-on-3, Durand capitalized with the game winner unassisted on the second shift of overtime, beating Keith on a breakaway. That snapped the Lady Flames' win streak, which was still 27 games short of their record 57-game streak from 2021-23. That run of success was also terminated by an underrated WMCH rival, at McKendree, which also erased a two-goal deficit to win in overtime.

Liberty heads into a 55-day stretch between now and its next contest, when it will open spring semester play by hosting the University of Michigan at the LaHaye Ice Center Jan. 17-18.

"(Sunday's setback) was just a tough way to end what was a really good road trip," Lowes said. "But it will be nice to have a break, and we will focus on the positives going into it."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer