Senior forward Kal Essenmacher starts a breakout against Adrian College in last season's 5-0 victory at the LaHaye Ice Center that snapped a five-game skid for the Flames. (Photos by Grace Greer)
DI Flames travel to challenge No. 2 Adrian College over Fall Break
10/14/2026 6:43:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey
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Off to a 7-0 start, Liberty ranks sixth nationally and third in scoring differential behind only reigning ACHA DI national champion Ohio and the runner-up Bulldogs this season.
Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team rose to No. 6 in this week's national rankings as the Flames (7-0) prepare to battle No. 2 Adrian College (8-1), the reigning national runner-up, on its home ice.
Head Coach Kirk Handy hopes to add firepower to his offensive lines for Thursday and Friday night's showdowns against the Bulldogs, with freshman forward David Utkin expected to return after sitting out the past six games.
"We're hoping that David Utkin gets cleared to play at Adrian," Handy said of Utkin, who contributed three assists in a 9-0 season-opening rout of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Sept. 11 in the LaHaye Ice Center.
"He's a big part of this team," Flames freshman forward Stone Rolston added of Utkin. "He's a great player. He's got a lot of skill, and he's going to bring some offensive jump for us. We'd be really happy to have him back. They're going to be playing hard, and goals are going to be hard to come by, so we're going to need every threat we can offensively. … It'll be tough to get some goals, but I know that we can with this group. We're really deep."
Liberty's attack has gained momentum as the season has progressed, especially after Saturday's 8-1 rout of former ESCHL rival Delaware.
"Putting up eight is always good; just having that confidence going into the weekend is great," Rolston said. "We know that we can score some goals, especially against a high-level team like Adrian with hard (defensive) players and good goaltending."
Other than playing one game at North Carolina State in a home-and-home sweep on Sept. 25-26, this week's trip to Michigan will be Liberty's first legitimate road trip.
"It's a huge series, a great opportunity to see where we're at, and we're looking forward to it. We're going to have to continue to improve our game," Handy said. "That's what we play for, series like the Adrian games where each game matters."
Scouting Preview, Games 8-9: No. 6 Liberty (7-0) at No. 2 Adrian College (8-1), Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Arrington Ice Center in Adrian, Mich. Both games will be streamed live on YouTube by Adrian College TV.
All-time Series: Adrian still leads 18-11-3, but Liberty has won five of the last seven meetings. On Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2025, the Flames swept the Bulldogs by 3-1 and 4-2 scores at the LIC for the first time since February 2020, when they shocked the No. 1-ranked team in the nation on back-to-back nights at the LIC before the National Championships in Texas were canceled by COVID-19. Last season, Liberty ended a five-game losing skid that spanned the fall and spring semester by recording its first-ever shutout of the Bulldogs, winning 5-0 at the LaHaye Ice Center.
Liberty Scouting Report:Â The Flames have outscored opponents by a 46-15 margin through seven games this season, with their 31-goal differential tied with No. 5 Niagara (N.Y.) University for third in the nation behind only No. 1 defending ACHA Division I national champion Ohio University (+33) and No. 2 Adrian College (+39).
With a solid showing against Delaware last weekend at the LIC — especially in Saturday's rematch when they converted 4-of-6 power-play chances and killed off all four of their penalties — the Flames raised their power-play scoring percentage to 32.0, and their penalty kill average to 74.1.
Senior defenseman Mason Smith, who played forward for most of his first three seasons, emerged as Liberty's scoring leader this semester with 4 goals, including a team-high 2 game-winners, and 7 assists. Senior forward Kal Essenmacher (6G, 4A), graduate forward Ryan Finch (5G, 4A), junior forward Zach Nicolas (3G, 6A), and graduate defenseman Nick Pomerleau (2G, 7A) round out the Flames' top five. Nicolas amassed four of his assists in Saturday's 8-1 triumph over the Blue Hens after Pomerleau netted his two goals in a 5-2 first-game win.
In goal, freshman Austin Caley (4-0, 1.0 goals-against average, 95.2 save percentage, 1 shutout) started both games against the Blue Hens to overtake junior Joe Kuchaslo (3-0, 3.67 GAA, 85.9 SP), a transfer from No. 7 Drury (Mo.) University.
Adrian Scouting Report: The Bulldogs, whose only loss this season came against Vancouver Island University of the BCIHL, have outscored opponents by a 51-12 margin. After playing its first eight games on its home ice, Adrian completed a home-and-home sweep last weekend at Great Lakes 6 rival Roosevelt (Ill.) University.
Offensively, the Bulldogs are paced by forwards Noel Englot (3G, 5A), Matteo Turrin (3G, 4A), Eli Reimer (3G, 4A), and Keegan Decaluwe (3G, 4A). They are once again exceptional on special teams, converting 6-of-13 power play opportunities (46.5 percent) and boasting a 100 percent penalty kill rate, albeit on only five chances.
Between the pipes, Adrian has platooned three different goalies — Peyton Traska (3-0, 0.67 GAA, 97.6 SP, 1 SO), Dylan Eliason (2-0, 0.00 GAA, 100.0 SP, 2 SO), and John Lloyd (1-0, 0.00 GAA, 100.0 SP, 1 SO).
Coaches: Handy, in his 27th season as Head Coach, has a career record of 587-240-39 since taking the helm of the Flames in 2000. He has led Liberty to 10 consecutive ACHA DI National Championship appearances and four Final Four appearances in the 20 seasons since the program was elevated to the ACHA Division I level in 2006-07. Handy is five wins away from surpassing former Lady Flames NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Head Coach Carey Green (591-240) as Liberty's all-time winningest coach at any level. Doug Raymond is in his first season at the helm of the Bulldogs, after winning three ACHA National Championships as a player at Adrian (in 2018) and two as an assistant coach (2021, 2024) over the past six seasons.
By Ted Allen/Staff WriterSenior forward Luke Munroe scored in the Flames' 5-0 victory over Adrian on Feb. 1, 2026, in the LaHaye Ice Center.Â
