Liberty's Division III men's hockey team is eager to defend its ACCHL conference and AAU national tournament titles. (Photos by KJ Jugar)
DIII men’s hockey reloaded, ready to take game to the next level
10/2/2026 12:41:00 PM | Men's D3 Hockey
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A 28-man roster provides exceptional depth with an influx of talent, including senior forward Josh Martin from the Flames’ DII squad.
As the reigning ACCHL D3 and AAU Division II national tournament champion, Liberty University's Division III men's hockey team has high expectations after moving up to the AAU Division II Elite level.. The puck drops on the Flames' 2026-27 season Friday at 10:15 p.m. and Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against the College of William & Mary at the LaHaye Ice Center in a rematch of their 3-1 ACCHL Tournament final victory on March 1 in the same venue. Fourth-year Head Coach Josh Wagner (center) is flanked by Assistant Coaches Mike WIlliams (left) and Roman Lamoureux.
"We are ready to go, and I think we are going to surprise some people," said Flames Head Coach Josh Wagner, who is complemented by former teammates and current Assistant Coaches Michael Williams and Roman Lamoureux. "We've picked up some really good players and have 28 on the roster including seven new guys, and we're going to be really good. We're going to have a solid year. Our core group will come together, and we are going to react how we need to react."
The newcomers include senior forward Josh Martin, who played on the Division II team the past four seasons, and junior forward Aidan Hannegan, who enters his second season on the DIII squad after playing on the DII team as a freshman. Freshmen forwards Elijah Kim and Parker Graham join their older brothers, junior forward Luke Kim and senior defenseman Macguire Graham.
"Both played pretty high-level hockey," Wagner said, noting Elijah Kim played in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League and Parker Graham in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Aidan Dixon (from left) is this season's head captain, complemented by alternate captains Ben Powell, Zach Lemons, and Jared Meyer.
Sophomore forward Aidan Dixon was designated as head captain this season, complemented by alternate captains Jared Meyer, a junior defenseman, junior forward Ben Powell, and graduate forward Zach Lemons.
"Aidan has great integrity and is a hard worker," Wagner said.
Macguire Graham, Dixon, Powell, and sophomore center Joey Walter serve as the team's spiritual Disciple Makers.
Senior goalie Trey Thompkins (center) will rely on graduate defenseman Ethan Locklear (left) and sophomore Nolan Scheetz among others.
Graduate defenseman Ethan Locklear, who played his first two years at ACCHL rival Appalachian State University, and sophomore defenseman Nolan Scheetz anchor the defensive corps in front of a trio of goalies led by senior Trey Thompkins (9-2, 2.82 goals-against average, 89.5 save percentage, one shutout last season). Fellow senior Hunter Chubb and sophomore Declan McGinley provide plenty of backup.
After entering the AAU Division II National Championships as the No. 1 seed the past two seasons, the Flames became the first Liberty men's hockey team to capture a national title last spring in Jacksonville, Fla. They did it in dominant fashion, finishing 5-0 and outscoring opponents by a combined 32-4 total, capped by a 3-0 victory over St. John Fisher (N.Y.) University in the final.
This year, Liberty will seek to three-peat as ACCHL D3 champions and regain its AAU national trophy against higher-level competition, with the top 16 teams in the final AAU DII Elite rankings advancing to nationals.
Highlights of this season's schedule include home-and-home series against Duke University (Oct. 16 in Durham, N.C., and Oct. 17 at the LIC) and the University of Richmond (Feb. 5 in Richmond and Feb. 6 at the LIC) and three games against JMU, capped by two in one day on Feb. 19 at the LIC (starting at 1:30 p.m. and 10:15 p.m.)
