DI Flames primed for ACHA nationals-opening showdown with No. 20 Oswego State

Less than 24 hours before making its 2025 National Championships debut, Liberty University's No. 4-seeded ACHA Division I men's hockey team got an early scouting report on the team it would meet firsthand, watching Thursday morning's first-round matchup between No. 20 Oswego State (N.Y.) University and No. 13 Indiana Tech at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Mo.

The Lakers (21-7-4) staged the first upset of the tournament, overcoming the Warriors (28-5) 3-2 in overtime to survive and advance to meet the Flames in Friday morning's second-round showdown.

"We're excited to play Oswego and excited to get going tomorrow," Liberty Head Coach Kirk Handy said. "It helps us watching them live, and gives us a big advantage, but at this point, it's all about us and executing to the best of our ability. We've put in lots of preparation all year to get us to this stage, and we're going to be ready to go."

With a first-round bye, the Flames are looking to advance to the quarterfinals with a win over Oswego State. They would then challenge the winner of Friday's second-round game between No. 5 Jamestown (N.D.) University and No. 12 Grand Canyon (Ariz.) University, a 5-1 winner over No. 21 Delaware on Thursday. A second victory would send Liberty to its third Final Four in five seasons. The Flames were eliminated by current No. 1-ranked Minot State in 2021 and again in 2023, when the Beavers went on to win their third national title.

Handy said Club Sports Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Performance Chris Kerr, who accompanied the team to St. Louis, has helped the Flames monitor their workouts, as well as their diets and sleep patterns, in advance of the tournament.

"Coach Kerr's got the guys on a great routine, and they are excited to play tomorrow," Handy said, noting they showed glimpses of the playoff-level hockey they will bring to the table during Thursday's morning practice. "The energy was great, and the guys look prepared and ready to go."

Scouting Preview, Game 34: No. 20 Oswego State (21-7-4) vs. No. 4 Liberty (23-5-5), Friday at 11:15 a.m. EST in the USA Arena in the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Mo. The game will be streamed live on FloHockey.tv, along with the rest of the ACHA National Championship games in all five divisions.

All-time series: First meeting

Liberty Scouting Report: Liberty has outscored opponents by 153-82 margin, including nine shorthanded goals, the fourth most in the nation behind Oswego State's 12 and two teams tied with 10. Behind graduate forward Jackson Vercellono (17 goals, including 3 game winners,18 assists), freshmen forwards Hayden DeMars (16G, 4 GWG, 17A) and Tucker Shields (12G, 19A) rank second and third, respectively. Junior defenseman Nick Pomerleau leads the Flames with 26 assists.

Between the pipes, Liberty has platooned sophomore Konrad Kausch (15-3-2, 2.12 goals-against average, 94.0 save percentage, 3 shutouts) and junior Nick Bernstein (7-3-3, 2.75 GAA, 91.9 SP, 2 SO).

Oswego State Scouting Report: The Lakers overcame 1-0 and 2-1 deficits in the first period to tie Indiana Tech on goals by Zach Derito midway through the first and Carter McWilliams 6:27 into the second before winning it 5:39 into the first 20-minute overtime period on a sudden-death goal by Josh Laravia.

Offensively, Oswego State is paced by a defenseman, Adam Jubran (13G, 37A) who ranks seventh among ACHA DI scoring leaders, as well as forwards McWilliams (14G, 33A) and Jeremy Keyes (27G, 16A), who has accounted for five of the Lakers' 12 shorthanded goals and team-high four game winners. Derito (11G, 26A) ranks fourth in scoring and fellow forward Anthony Divita (18G, 16A) follows in fifth, with a team-high eight power-play goals.

In net, the Lakers have leaned on Thomas McAleer (12-7-4, 2.74 GAA, 92.2 SP, 3 SO) with excellent backup from Ben Di Fiore (7-0, 3.00 GAA, 91.4 SP, 1 SO).

Coaches: Handy is in his 25th season as head coach for the Flames, sporting a career record of 560-227-38 and leading Liberty to its ninth consecutive nationals appearance and 17th in 19 seasons at the DI level. Travis Hyde is in his fourth season behind the Lakers' bench and has compiled an 83-31-10 record after guiding them to their second consecutive national tournament appearance — after defending their NECHL playoff title with back-to-back shutouts over Rutgers and RIT — and first nationals win since taking over the helm.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer

DI Flames primed for ACHA nationals-opening showdown with No. 20 Oswego State

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Players Mentioned

Hayden DeMars

Konrad Kausch

Tucker Shields

Jackson Vercellono