Lady Flames head captain Brielle Fussy skates alongside fellow graduate forward and alternate captain Zosia Adamek in the WMCH Tournament final against Midland in February 2024 at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photos by Jacob Summersgill)
No. 1 Lady Flames fend off No. 2 Warriors in WMCH Showcase, winning 4-3 in OT
1/23/2026 6:33:00 PM | Women's D1 Hockey
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Graduate forward Haley Battles, the WMCH Tournament MVP as a freshman after the final win over Midland, netted the game-winner in the opening minute of the sudden-death overtime period.
A highly anticipated showdown between the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked ACHA Division I women's hockey teams in the nation lived up to its billing Friday afternoon on neutral ice.
Liberty University's seven-time national champions upended Midland (Neb.) University, 4-3 in overtime at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis where the ACHA National Championships will be played for the third postseason in a row from March 18-22.
"We are getting into playoff-ready mode," Lady Flames Head Coach Chris Lowes said. "We are pretty comfortable playing here already."
After a scoreless first period, the Lady Flames (24-1) opened a 3-0 lead on the Warriors with three unanswered goals in the second. Midland dominated the third period in similar fashion, netting three consecutive scores, including the tying goal with 3:24 remaining in regulation.
"It was a pretty exciting game with a few ebbs and flows with us winning the second period big and them winning the third period big," Lowes said.
Then in the five-minute sudden-death overtime period, Liberty struck just 53 seconds after the puck drop when junior forward Tristan Craig won a battle for the puck in the corner and graduate forward and alternate captain Haley Battles netted her team-high fifth game-winning goal of the season.
"Battles walked out of the corner and scored up high inside the far post," Lowe said. "It was a beautiful backhand."
He said the Lady Flames fended off the Warriors' comeback bid in dramatic fashion.
"I was happy with our response," Lowes said. "You would think they would have all the momentum after coming all the way back from a 3-0 deficit. It was a good response by them to turn things around, and it was a quick reset. They scored the tying goal with (a few) minutes left so it really felt like overtime started then, with a renewed sense of urgency."
Liberty snapped the scoreless tie with 14:17 to play in the second period when graduate forward and alternate captain Zosia Adamek scored off assists from Isobel Pettem-Shand and fellow graduate forward Brielle Fussy, the Lady Flames' head captain.
"That was probably one of the prettiest individual goals we have seen all year, a highlight reel play to get the first goal," Lowes said. "Zosia had a hard drive toward the net and had to shake a couple defenders along the way. She beat them and went behind the net, where she did a quick cutback and tucked the puck into the net. In a really tight game, it felt good getting the lead and cracking first."
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Junior defenseman Sophia Adamek skates the puck past a Midland player in 2024.
Junior defenseman Sophia Adamek scored Liberty's second goal unassisted on the power play at the 11:10 mark, pulling the puck out of a scrum behind the net before tucking her shot past Midland goalie Meghan Stewart short-side.
Then, with 4:00 to go in the period, sophomore forward Presley Ellis extended Liberty's lead to 3-0 by finishing off an odd-man rush assisted by Battles.
"Haley held up on the rush and made a really nice slip pass to give Ellis the breakaway," Lowes said. "Ellis made two touches before she had a great finish into the middle of the net glove-side."
However, the Warriors showed plenty of pushback in the third period, capitalizing on two of their three power-play opportunities for the contest. Jaicee Huberdeau finished the first with a player advantage at the 4:22 mark, converting off assists from Darbi Poole and Grace Page.
Lady Flames senior goalie and alternate captain Alex Keith made a clutch save moments later, denying Midland's leading scorer Callie Maquire on a penalty shot with Callie McGuire after a linemate was taken down on a partial breakaway.
"That was a really big moment in the game," Lowes said. "Keith just stood tall and made a glove saves on that."
Moments later, Maguire finished a feed from Victoria Campbell to trim the deficit to 3-2. Then, following a tripping penalty against Liberty, the Warriors' Ashlyn Kuffler netted the equalizer off assists from Kiara McGregor and Katie McNair with 3:24 left in regulation.
Liberty outshot Midland 43-40 and Keith made 37 saves to improve to 13-1 on the season.
"It was a really good weekend for us on the road," Lowes said. "To get two wins against two really good opponents, it was good to be tested as we seek to become the best version of ourselves come March."
Before then, the Lady Flames will look to win their third consecutive WMCH Championship Feb. 19-21 in a tournament hosted by Midland. The Warriors ended Liberty's three-year reign by winning the WMCH title in 2023 before the Lady Flames dethroned the Warriors in 2024 at the LaHaye Ice Center.Â
"They're such a strong program, a talented team and well-coached," Lowes said. "They're one of the big dogs in the league, and it was a great game. We were just glad to get them. They're out West, so we don't get out there that often, but we will have to go to them and try to win a conference title on their ice, which will be tough."
The Lady Flames departed from the St. Louis area to Lynchburg, Va., after the contest to stay ahead of the anticipated snowfall that will follow them from the Midwest to the Atlantic Coast, cutting short the WMCH Showcase. Liberty had been scheduled to face Minot State on Saturday before it would have been represented by six of its players at Sunday's WMCH All-Star Game, but both games were canceled.
The Lady Flames will return to action with a series against No. 9 Niagara (N.Y.) University on Thursday at 9:15 p.m. and Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the LIC.
