Flames arrive in Finland, open with exhibition win over HPK Ice Dogs

Mac Ratzlaff and Luke Munroe Finland practice

Flames forwards Mac Ratzlaff (left) and Luke Munroe practice on Tuesday before the Flames' first game in Finland on Wednesday.

Flames arrive in Finland, open with exhibition win over HPK Ice Dogs

1/8/2026 7:32:00 AM | Men's D1 Hockey

Following a flight itinerary and arrival plan divinely orchestrated by God, Liberty’s Division I men’s hockey team got off to a hot start in frigid temperatures with a 9-1 triumph.

DI men's hockey Finland HPK Ice Dogs — Members of Liberty's Division I men's hockey team pose with the HPK Ice Dogs after Wednesday night's game in Hämeenlinna.

When going on mission trips, getting there can be half the battle.

Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team found that out firsthand on Sunday when it departed for its third early-January outreach to Finland over the past seven seasons.

Originally planning to travel together out of Dulles International Airport, the Flames' 26 players and nine coaches and support staff wound up being divided into five groups that flew out of Dulles International and Baltimore Washington International Airport and landed in four different countries en route to Finland.

That was because the runway in Amsterdam, where they were originally scheduled to land before taking a transfer flight to Helsinki, was frozen over. Instead, they took separate flights destined for London, Zürich, Frankfort, Munich, and Iceland.

"It was a cool God story," said Club Sports Associate Athletic Director for Holistic Development Reese Braband, who helped to coordinated the trip along with the LU Send office in conjunction with Operation Mobilization Finland and Kingdom Sports Hämpton. "(Sophomore forward) Mac Ratzlaff was supposed to be on the bus to Dulles, but his flight from California to Lynchburg got canceled, so he flew straight to Dulles. Because Mac was there, he was able to talk to the right travel agent at the airline desk, and he played a key part. God had him be delayed out of California and arrive early (at Dulles), or it would have been too late (to reschedule all of the flights) by the time the rest of the team got there."

They were eventually joined by a 27th player, freshman center Bronson Hunt, who committed to the team on Sunday and flew from British Columbia on Monday and took a direct overnight flight from JFK International Airport in New York City to Helsinki, arriving Wednesday afternoon in time for the Flames' first game against the HPK Ice Dogs after having his equipment shipped overseas by Federal Express.

Pastor Dave Pike from Hämeenlinna Internation Christian Fellowship (ICF) and Freechurch facilitated the team's arrival and helped them get situated after landing on six different flights to Finland.

"Dave and (Flames Assistant Coach Ben) Hughes were amazing on this end," Liberty Head Coach Kirk Handy said.

On Wednesday, Liberty won its first of three games on the 10-day trip, breaking open a 9-1 triumph over the Ice Dogs in Hämeenlinna with seven goals in the second period.

Sophomore defenseman Joe Feamster started the scoring with a shot from the point off an assist from freshman defenseman Jentzen Kaebel before junior forward Luke Munroe opened the floodgates in the second by finishing a feed from sophomore forward Brad Barker with 13:40 remaining in the second.

Seth Wall built the lead to 3-0 with a shorthanded score off an assist from fellow freshman forward Seth Huygen before Ryan Finch extended it to 4-0 by putting away a pass from fellow senior forward Michael DeBrito. Munroe stretched it to 5-0 off an assist from sophomore forward Hayden DeMars, who netted the Flames' sixth score set up by Huygen. Barker padded the lead to 6-0 off assists from Wall and Huygen before senior forward and head captain Sam Feamster capitalized on assists from his younger brother, Joe, and sophomore defenseman Michael Adamek to make it an 8-0 contest at the end of the second.

The Ice Dogs got on the scoreboard in the third period before Ratzlaff capped the scoring off an assist from Finch.

Junior goalie Konrad Kausch started in net for the Flames and played through the midpoint of the second period before being relieved by senior Nick Bernstein.

Handy said Hunt and his twin brother, Tanner, along with former Northstar Christian Academy teammate Shane Burns made a seamless transition playing in their first games for the Flames as spring semester recruits.

"It was a great tune-up," Handy said. "Mission accomplished, both in the fact that our guys haven't played a live game in 30 days and we had three new guys in the lineup, and they all contributed well. We had a great opportunity to speak with the HPK players afterwards, and now we prepare for Saturday night," when the Flames will face off against an All-Star team from the FCAA — a new collegiate hockey organization introduced after the team's last trip to Finland in 2023.

That game can be streamed live from Kuljetusrinki Arena in Vantaa on pay-per-view SolidSport, starting at 11 a.m. EST.

On Tuesday, more than 100 youth from the Hämeenlinna area gathered at Pike's church for a Kids' Action Night, led by Liberty's players, who also played a friendly game of floor hockey with a Kingdom Sports team from Vapis..

"That was fantastic," Handy said, noting the team also had a chance to visit a school while female staff members met with a ladies' ministry at the church and helped hand out food.

On Thursday, the Flames will visit Hämeenlinna Castle and spend time in Tampere City before playing pick-up pond hockey and leading on-ice practices and off-ice Olympics with HPK's U-10 hockey club in Hämeenlinna on Friday and Saturday.

The team will conclude competition in Finland on Sunday when it meets Nädäät, a team from Aalto University, at Metro Arena in Espoo. While the Flames have already acclimated to the seven-hour time change and frigid temperatures that are not expected to get out of the teens for the rest of the week, they will conclude their trip with a sauna and outdoor ice bath in lake Kuusijärvi on Monday before returning to the United States on Tuesday.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer