Top-ranked Lady Flames power past No. 4 Bearcats in WMCH Showcase opener

Thursday, January 22

Lebanon, IL

3:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

McKendree University

Lady Flames players including Ellie Sarauer (8), Sophia Adamek (6), and Haley Battles celebrate a goal in an Oct. 7, 2023 victory over McKendree at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photo by Jessie Jordan)

Top-ranked Lady Flames power past No. 4 Bearcats in WMCH Showcase opener

1/22/2026 8:20:00 PM | Women's D1 Hockey

Liberty will face No. 2 Midland (Neb.) University on Friday at 12:30 p.m. before returning to Lynchburg, Va., ahead of projected snowstorm.

An early start to its road trip allowed Liberty University's No. 1-ranked ACHA Division I women's hockey team to compete in a shortened WMCH Showcase, winning Thursday afternoon's opener over No. 4 McKendree University at the Metro Rec Plex in O'Fallon, Ill., by a 3-1 final.

The Lady Flames (23-1) weathered a scoreless first period when it was "outshot and outplayed," according to Head Coach Chris Lowes, to score two unanswered goals in the second period and match the Bearcats' lone goal in the third.

Junior defenseman Victoria Khou ended a scoreless contest at the 11:00 mark of the second stanza by tipping in a shot from the point by graduate defenseman Sammy Peebles off a secondary assist from junior forward Tristan Craig.

Then, just 28 seconds before the second intermission, junior defenseman Sophia Adamek doubled Liberty's lead to 2-0 by finishing feeds from graduate defenseman Allison Shaw and graduate forward and alternate captain Zosia Adamek — her older sister — on a power play.

Finally, in the third period, senior defenseman and alternate captain Emerson Oakes capped the scoring for the Lady Flames off an assist from Zosia Adamek by capitalizing on another power play with 6:00 remaining in regulation.

"We went six-for-seven on the power play last weekend (in a sweep of Michigan), and our power play continued to shine today," Lowes said after Liberty finished 2-for-6, with Sophia Adamek converting her goal on a five-minute major. "The power play made a big impact."

Meanwhile, Liberty's penalty kill unit went a perfect 2-for-2 and senior goalie Alex Keith narrowly missed posting her ninth shutout this season. The Lady Flames outshot the Bearcats 40-28, and Keith made 27 saves, allowing only one third-period score.

"Alex was really good in goal," Lowes said. "(McKendree is) a really good team and impressed us. They had lots of scrambles and held a lot of offensive zone time. They put pressure on us, and we didn't feel good after the first period. They could have easily led 1-0, or worse. We settled in after the first period."

He said the Bearcats, who snapped Liberty's all-time-record winning streak at 57 games in 2023, 4-3 in overtime, have proven a viable contender in the WMCH and ACHA DI.

"We have a lot of respect for their team, and we have built a bit of a rivalry with them," Lowes said. "They are one of the top teams in our conference every year, and we are really happy to get a solid win. Without two power-play goals late, we would have been in for a battle. I wish we could play another game against them (but) I'm sure we'll see them again at our conference tournament or nationals."

The Lady Flames will next travel to the Centene Community Ice Center, site of the March 17-22 ACHA DI National Championships in Maryland Heights, Mo., to challenge No. 2 Midland (Neb.) University in Friday's 12:30 p.m. EST showdown.

"They're real strong," Lowes said. "They're the No. 2 seed for a reason. Hopefully, we'll ride the momentum from today's win. We lost the first period, and at times we were pressed, but we found a way to win. Hopefully, that leads to a confident, strong performance (on Friday)."

Midland — which ended Liberty's three-year reign by winning the WMCH Conference Championships in 2023 before the Lady Flames dethroned the Warriors in 2024 at the LaHaye Ice Center — will host this year's WMCH tournament from Feb. 19-21.

"We are excited for tomorrow," Lowes said. "We will ride to St. Louis and try to get a nice rest and recovery before we go again. (Like McKendree), we only get to play Midland once in the regular season, so it is an important game for us, to play two of the top teams in the country."

Projected heavy snowfall across a huge swath of the United States from the Midwest to the East Coast canceled Saturday's scheduled game against Minot State, which ended Liberty's ACHA-record run of five consecutive national titles in the semifinal round in 2024. That would have been a rematch of last year's WMCH final, won for the fifth time by the Lady Flames.

The weather forecast also wiped out Sunday's WMCA All-Star Game that would have featured six Lady Flames — head captain Brielle Fussy, alternate captains and fellow graduate forwards Zosia Adamek and Haley Battles, senior goalie Alex Keith, graduate defenseman Allison Shaw, and junior defenseman Sophia Adamek.

"We are really disappointed for them to miss that opportunity, but thankful that we're playing at all this weekend," Lowes said. "No (other Club Sports team) is leaving campus. Everything changed (on Wednesday), and we scrambled to make it work. The fact that we left Wednesday night and started playing (Thursday) allowed us to go, but it's looking like the snow is going to hit really heavily here, so we need to beat it home before it starts."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer