DI Lady Flames battle defending champion Bulldogs to 7-2 opening win

Friday, February 14

Lynchburg, VA

1:30 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

Adrian College

Senior forward and alternate captain Zosia Adamek celebrates scoring the game's first goal early in the first period against Adrian, Friday afternoon in the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photos by Jessie Jordan)

DI Lady Flames battle defending champion Bulldogs to 7-2 opening win

2/14/2025 6:43:00 PM | Women's D1 Hockey

Top-ranked Liberty, which had its five-season run as national champion ended by No. 2 Adrian last season, will conclude its regular season with Saturday's Senior Day rematch.

Gallery: (2-14-2025) DI women's hockey vs. Adrian Game 1

Senior forward and alternate captain Haley Battles netted a second-period hat trick to boost Liberty University's No. 1-ranked ACHA Division I women's hockey team to a 7-2 rout of No. 2 reigning national champion Adrian (Mich.) College, Friday afternoon in the LaHaye Ice Center.

Wearing red sweaters on Valentine's Day, the Lady Flames (17-3) showed there was no love lost on the Bulldogs (26-5-3), opening a 2-0 lead after the first period on goals by senior forwards and captains Zosia Adamek and Brielle Fussy — who deflected in senior defenseman Madison Glynn's rocket from the right point — before adding five more in the second, the first two on power-play finishes by Glynn and Battles.

"We were flying," Liberty Head Coach Chris Lowes said. "I thought we played a very good 60 minutes. Today's result and effort is the result of the last two weeks of practice and really intentional video sessions. We saw a lot of that come to fruition today."

Battles scored her second goal at even strength off assists from freshmen forward Chloe Lownsbury and defenseman Jules LeFaive to stretch Liberty's lead to 5-0 before sophomore forward Ellie Sarauer answered a power-play goal by Adrian's Hailey Wiltshire with a five-on-five finish off a feed from Adamek 14 seconds later.

"We got two quick ones, and it's always fun to get ahead and play with the lead, and we answered their first goal very quickly," Lowes said.

"All week, we've been working on our breakouts so that was something we were trying to put into work today," Battles added. "We were wheeling and buzzing, moving our feet, so we drew a lot of penalties. We knew that we had to shoot and we had to score (on the power plays). Zosia (Adamek), Brielle (Fussy), and Ellie (Sarauer), being a veteran line, have been really good at setting the tone for the rest of our girls and making sure we get the pucks deep."

Battles completed her hat trick with a backhanded finish off a beautiful assist from junior forward Brookelyn Beauchamp.

"Brookelyn wheeled through the zone really fast, pulled two girls on her and then she (sent a) backhanded no-look (pass) right to me and I was able to finish," Battles said.

"Battles had one of those games where she looked like she was having fun," Lowes added. "She had really good energy and when you have a player like that that's as talented as she is, it gives you the opportunity for big periods, like we had in the second."

Liberty outshot the Bulldogs by a 41-35 margin and junior goalie Alex Keith made 33 saves to improve to 10-3. The Lady Flames capitalized on 2 of their 5 power plays.

"Special teams were good," Lowes said. "We were very disciplined. We took less penalties and our power play produced. I hated giving up their power-play goal on a bit of a sloppy rotation. All in all, it was a very good start to the weekend."

He expects a much more difficult challenge from Adrian in Saturday's rematch, set for 1:30 p.m. back in the LIC.

"That's a really good team … and we'll be ready for a real strong pushback," Lowes said. "It's hard. They got off a bus after a 12-hour trip. We got off the bus up there in October and they made us pay (in a 1-0 season-opening setback). Tomorrow will be a real fun one. We're just excited to keep building on this."

"We love playing Adrian right at the beginning and the end of the season because we know they are one of the top teams," Battles added. "We know we've got to come out and play with intensity, discipline, and execution. Really, it's just shooting and crashing the net."

Though four are anticipating returning as graduate students next fall, Liberty will honor its eight seniors — forwards Adamek, Battles, Madison Conley, Fussy, and Bella Hervert and defensemen Peyton Carle, Madi Glynn, and Sammy Peebles — on Senior Day.

"Tomorrow will be a big day," Lowes said. "It's always special to have them and their families here."

If the Lady Flames can pull off the sweep, that will give them the momentum they need to take into the postseason, with the WMCH Conference Championships set for Feb. 20-22 at Maryville (Mo.) University and the ACHA DI National Championships to follow from March 17-21 in Maryland Heights (Mo.), suburbs of St. Louis.

"Our compete in practice will go up, we'll carry this and it will help fuel us," Lowes said. "This is our final weekend, so it's kind of our final showcase to prove that we're ready. We've still got to take care of business. That's why this win today is even bigger."

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