Senior defenseman Connor Diem dugs the puck out from along the boards in a pool play final victory over Army last March at the ACHA DII National Championships in the Centene Community Ice Center near St. Louis. (Photo by Anna Wheat)
DII Flames to be baptized by fire through regular-season schedule, test their mettle for Southeast Region playoffs
8/12/2025 1:38:00 PM | Men's D2 Hockey
First-year Head Coach Christian Garland will welcome plenty of new faces, influx of talent to complement seasoned veterans, including six captains.
Regardless of its record in the 2025-26 regular season, the first with Head Coach Christian Garland at the helm, Liberty University's ACHA Division II men's hockey team must qualify for the Southeast Region playoffs in late February with a top-16 regional ranking and win its two games to clinch one of four berths to the DII National Championships in mid-March.
"This year, the league changed its playoff structure and there are no autobids," Garland said, noting it will no longer reward the top two ranked teams after the regular season. "That is unfortunate, but I do think this year, as a byproduct of that rule change, we will be able to develop our (less experienced) players more, and when the playoffs come around, they will be better prepared as we try to win those (regional tournament games) at all costs."
The Flames advanced to nationals on autobids in their final six seasons under Head Coach Ben Hughes, with Garland serving as his primary assistant. Hughes is entering his first season as a Liberty Division I assistant coach.
Garland will inherit a very different looking roster with as many as 15 of the Flames' 25 roster spots filled by newcomers, many of whom were recruited at the Liberty Hockey Select Camp in late April. Final placement on Liberty's DI, DII, and DIII teams will be determined at tryouts, which will start Sunday and continue through Thursday at the LIC.
"Select Camp for the DII team was unbelievable, and I am really excited to work with all of the guys we've added," Garland said. "I am interested to see how the DI team shapes up, too, as there is always a curveball at the camp."
Garland and Assistant Coach Josh Graham have already selected six assistant captains to lead the DII Flames: sophomore forward Anthony Emme, junior defenseman Cade Pawluk, senior forwards Josh Martin and Mark Padgett, and graduate forwards Jared Matley and Cory Owens.
"We did lose a good chunk of leadership from our captaincy corps, but those guys are all ready to step up," Garland said, noting Pawluk, Owens, and Emme will also serve as spiritual leaders along with senior defenseman Connor Diem and graduate defenseman Nathan Cox, who played the past four seasons with the DI Flames.
Garland is looking forward to the challenge the upcoming season presents, knowing it will all serve as preparation for the Southeast Regional tournament.
"I'm really pumped about the schedule," he said. "It's about as good or a little better than in previous years with a lot of really good teams. It is really exciting, and I am looking forward to it. It will be nice because we are playing games earlier than usual, facing High Point (Sept. 5-6 at the LaHaye Ice Center), Virginia Tech (Sept. 12 in Vinton, Va., and Sept. 13 at the LIC), Florida Gulf Coast University (Sept. 26-27 in Fort Meyers, Fla.), and the University of Tampa (Sept. 28 in Tampa, Fla.), so we'll be coming right out of the gate swinging. There will be less lead-up time before we go into the fire this year."
Garland said it will be the first time since the 2018-19 season that the Flames have met the Hokies, and he is looking forward to re-establishing the in-state rivalry.
"They've been on the rise last couple of years," Garland said, noting that for two or three ranking periods toward the end of last season, Virginia Tech was ranked ahead of Liberty in the Southeast Region before finishing at No. 3. "We have an opportunity to build a good relationship with them, playing them four times, with two home and home series in September and October (17 at the LIC, Oct. 18 in Vinton)."
The trip to FGCU will provide a good gauge of where the Flames stand at the early stage of the season.
"I love playing (the Eagles), who are always one of the best teams in the (ACHA)," Garland said. "That will be a kind of litmus test. Most years, we've finished first and second in the rankings, so Florida has set the bar in the Southeast Region, and in the entire league. They are a very, very good team that always gives us great games that are super competitive."
The Flames and Eagles will meet twice more in showcase tournaments hosted by defending ACHA DII national champion Lindenwood (Mo.) University from Nov. 14-16 and 2024 ACHA DII runner-up Miami (Ohio) University from Jan. 23-25.
The Nov. 15 meeting with FGCU at the Centene Community Ice Center — which will host nationals for a third year in a row in March — will be sandwiched by games against the host Lions on Nov. 14 and 2025 national runner-up Montana State on Nov. 16. The Jan. 25 matchup with the Eagles will be played after the Flames first challenge the RedHawks on Jan. 23 and Lindenwood on Jan. 24. Liberty will also entertain the Lions on Oct. 9-10 and Miami on Oct. 24-25.
Other highlights on the schedule include 2019 national runner-up Northeastern University, which will visit Lynchburg on Oct. 3-4; Ohio in an early spring-semester-opening home series Jan. 9-10; and Army, the No. 1-ranked team out of the Northeast Region which the Flames defeated to cap their national tournament pool play last March, on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at the LIC.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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"This year, the league changed its playoff structure and there are no autobids," Garland said, noting it will no longer reward the top two ranked teams after the regular season. "That is unfortunate, but I do think this year, as a byproduct of that rule change, we will be able to develop our (less experienced) players more, and when the playoffs come around, they will be better prepared as we try to win those (regional tournament games) at all costs."
The Flames advanced to nationals on autobids in their final six seasons under Head Coach Ben Hughes, with Garland serving as his primary assistant. Hughes is entering his first season as a Liberty Division I assistant coach.
Garland will inherit a very different looking roster with as many as 15 of the Flames' 25 roster spots filled by newcomers, many of whom were recruited at the Liberty Hockey Select Camp in late April. Final placement on Liberty's DI, DII, and DIII teams will be determined at tryouts, which will start Sunday and continue through Thursday at the LIC.
"Select Camp for the DII team was unbelievable, and I am really excited to work with all of the guys we've added," Garland said. "I am interested to see how the DI team shapes up, too, as there is always a curveball at the camp."
Garland and Assistant Coach Josh Graham have already selected six assistant captains to lead the DII Flames: sophomore forward Anthony Emme, junior defenseman Cade Pawluk, senior forwards Josh Martin and Mark Padgett, and graduate forwards Jared Matley and Cory Owens.
"We did lose a good chunk of leadership from our captaincy corps, but those guys are all ready to step up," Garland said, noting Pawluk, Owens, and Emme will also serve as spiritual leaders along with senior defenseman Connor Diem and graduate defenseman Nathan Cox, who played the past four seasons with the DI Flames.
Garland is looking forward to the challenge the upcoming season presents, knowing it will all serve as preparation for the Southeast Regional tournament.
"I'm really pumped about the schedule," he said. "It's about as good or a little better than in previous years with a lot of really good teams. It is really exciting, and I am looking forward to it. It will be nice because we are playing games earlier than usual, facing High Point (Sept. 5-6 at the LaHaye Ice Center), Virginia Tech (Sept. 12 in Vinton, Va., and Sept. 13 at the LIC), Florida Gulf Coast University (Sept. 26-27 in Fort Meyers, Fla.), and the University of Tampa (Sept. 28 in Tampa, Fla.), so we'll be coming right out of the gate swinging. There will be less lead-up time before we go into the fire this year."
Garland said it will be the first time since the 2018-19 season that the Flames have met the Hokies, and he is looking forward to re-establishing the in-state rivalry.
"They've been on the rise last couple of years," Garland said, noting that for two or three ranking periods toward the end of last season, Virginia Tech was ranked ahead of Liberty in the Southeast Region before finishing at No. 3. "We have an opportunity to build a good relationship with them, playing them four times, with two home and home series in September and October (17 at the LIC, Oct. 18 in Vinton)."
The trip to FGCU will provide a good gauge of where the Flames stand at the early stage of the season.
"I love playing (the Eagles), who are always one of the best teams in the (ACHA)," Garland said. "That will be a kind of litmus test. Most years, we've finished first and second in the rankings, so Florida has set the bar in the Southeast Region, and in the entire league. They are a very, very good team that always gives us great games that are super competitive."
The Flames and Eagles will meet twice more in showcase tournaments hosted by defending ACHA DII national champion Lindenwood (Mo.) University from Nov. 14-16 and 2024 ACHA DII runner-up Miami (Ohio) University from Jan. 23-25.
The Nov. 15 meeting with FGCU at the Centene Community Ice Center — which will host nationals for a third year in a row in March — will be sandwiched by games against the host Lions on Nov. 14 and 2025 national runner-up Montana State on Nov. 16. The Jan. 25 matchup with the Eagles will be played after the Flames first challenge the RedHawks on Jan. 23 and Lindenwood on Jan. 24. Liberty will also entertain the Lions on Oct. 9-10 and Miami on Oct. 24-25.
Other highlights on the schedule include 2019 national runner-up Northeastern University, which will visit Lynchburg on Oct. 3-4; Ohio in an early spring-semester-opening home series Jan. 9-10; and Army, the No. 1-ranked team out of the Northeast Region which the Flames defeated to cap their national tournament pool play last March, on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at the LIC.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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