DII Flames trample Tampa in home series sweep in response to last season’s Southeast Region setback

Friday, October 9

Lynchburg, VA

10:15 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

University of Tampa

Sophomore forward Boaz Sochaczevski (22) takes a faceoff in a recent game at the LaHaye Ice Center. (Photo by Dawn Baker)

DII Flames trample Tampa in home series sweep in response to last season’s Southeast Region setback

10/13/2026 12:14:00 PM | Men's D2 Hockey

After scoring only one goal on special teams in Friday night’s 9-2 triumph, Liberty netted six power-play goals and another shorthander in Saturday’s 8-2 rout.

Liberty University's ACHA Division II men's hockey team dominated the series rematch of last season's second-round Southeast Regional tournament showdown with the University of Tampa, which qualified for the National Championships near St. Louis in place of the Flames.

Late Friday night and Saturday afternoon at the LaHaye Ice Center, Liberty's offense was hitting on all cylinders in posting back-to-back 9-2 and 8-2 blowouts of the visiting Spartans (4-3).

The Flames (6-2) scored five times in the second period of the opener and four times in the third period of the rematch, netting two goals in each of the other four stanzas.

Sophomore forward Drake Perham got Liberty on the scoreboard in Friday's first game with 10:53 left in the first period, stealing the puck in the right circle, deking past a Tampa defenseman, and ripping a wrist shot off the glove of goalie Michael Del Trecco into the top-left corner of the net. Perham struck again with 2:56 left in the second off assists from sophomore forward and alternate captain Cooper Fredericks and freshman forward Cody Lightfoot to stretch the Flames' advantage to 7-0.

Holdon Ward also scored twice, putting the Flames up 2-0 with 40 seconds remaining in the first period by finishing feeds from fellow freshman forwards Jack Hanna and Hoyt Sorensen. He later recorded the game's only goal on special teams with 7:58 remaining in regulation on a shorthanded, unassisted score that extended Liberty's lead to 9-1.

Sophomore forward Seth Huygen extended his scoring streak to five games by ringing up the first of five goals in the second period off assists from junior forward Ben Kovak and sophomore defenseman and head captain Theo Priem just 1:14 after the opening faceoff. Sophomore forward Boaz Sochaczevski scoring unassisted 28 seconds later. Sorenson and Hanna also scored in the second, with both goals set up by sophomore center Christian Houser with secondary assists from Ward and Sorensen, respectively. Freshman forward Jacob Peterson answered Tampa's first goal at the start of the third period by putting away passes from Hanna and Ward with 10:17 to go before Ward capped the scoring.
Sophomore goalie Sebastian Thome made 43 saves to improve to 3-0 in net for Liberty, which outshot the Spartans by a 46-45 count. Thome raised his goals-against average to 1.67 and his save percentage to 95.2.

In contrast to Friday's opener, Liberty was especially productive on the power play on Saturday, netting six of its eight goals with a man advantage and a seventh shorthanded on an empty-netter by Priem. Fredericks was the only Flames player to score two goals, with Sochaczevski, Peterson, Hanna, and Lightfoot, Priem, and Kovac each contributing one.

Senior goalie CJ Sehlke saved 44 of 46 shots to secure the victory, improving to 3-2 and lowering his goals-against average to 4.00 while raising his save percentage to 91.9.

Next up, Liberty travels to 2025 ACHA DII national champion Lindenwood University for two games on Friday at 9:40 p.m. (EST) and Saturday at 9:10 p.m. (EST) in the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Mo. — site of the past three and next two national tournaments — before visiting Maryville University on Sunday at 3 p.m. (EST) to wrap up its Fall Break road trip.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Videos edited by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media