Graduate forward Ryan Finch drives through the neutral zone as Virginia Tech players give chase. (Photos by Ted Allen)
DI Flames overwhelm DII Hokies, outshooting them 3-to-1 to snap three-game skid
10/30/2026 11:51:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey
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Liberty (9-3) broke open the contest with three goals in the first period and three more in the second en route to an 8-1 Homecoming win.
Playing in front of a Homecoming crowd Friday night at the LaHaye Ice Center, Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team rekindled memories of the program's early days with an 8-1 victory over former ACCHL rival Virginia Tech, an ACHA Division II program that still uses the Lancerlot Sports Complex in Vinton, Va., as its home rink.
The Flames (9-3) moved up to the Division I level upon completion of the LIC on campus in 2006 and have come a long way as a program since having to commute 45 minutes to its practices and home games in Vinton. Friday's decisive triumph — in the first game between the two teams in 10 years — snapped a three-game skid for Liberty and ended a three-game winning streak by the Hokies (7-7).
To the delight of the home fans, the Flames showcased their potent attack — netting three goals in the first, three more in the second, and two in the third to pull away.
"We were able to get one on the power play, get one shorthanded, and get six goals five-on-five, so I really liked our offensive output," Liberty Head Coach Kirk Handy said. "I wasn't big on our transition game today. I think it can be a lot better, but I liked our end zone play in the offensive zone, where we were playing really well."
Senior defenseman Mason Smith and sophomore forward Seth Wall start a breakout.
Senior forward and alternate captain Mac Ratzlaff started the scoring for the Flames with 11:52 to play in the first period on a spectacular diving putback in the right crease after Virginia Tech goalie Tucker Forrest blocked sophomore defenseman Michael Fischer's initial shot in front.
Then, at the 7:01 mark, after a successful breakout from the defensive zone, freshman forward David Utkin sent a short pass from along the left boards to senior forward and alternate captain Luke Munroe on the inside edge of the left circle where he beat Forrest with his low shot inside the left post for a 2-0 Liberty advantage.
With 3:39 still to play in the period, Utkin gathered a rebound of a shot by senior defenseman Mason Smith and skated the puck from the right endline back into the center of the circle where he lifted an uncontested wrist shot into the top-left corner of the cage to make it 3-0.
"He's just starting to hit his stride coming back," Handy said of Utkin, who missed eight games due to injury and scored his second and third goals in the past two games.
Munroe pounced on an early scoring opportunity in the second period when graduate forward Ryan Finch's shot off a secondary assist from Utkin glanced off the backboards to Munroe near the right post where he chipped it past Forrest for a point-blank putback and a 4-0 lead at the 18:35 mark.
The Flames broke the game wide open with back-to-back goals in a span of 13 seconds, starting with a power-play goal by Utkin on a one-timed shot off a cross-crease feed from Munroe and a secondary assist from junior forward Zach Nicolas.
Off the ensuing faceoff won by Nicolas, freshman forward Stone Rolston received a short pass from graduate defenseman and alternate captain Nick Pomerleau and drove into the left circle before ripping a shot that zipped past Forrest into the upper-right netting for a commanding 6-0 Liberty lead. Senior forward Kal Essenmacher sits on the doorstep waiting for a rebound as freshman forward David Utkin drives on Virginia Tech's net.
The Flames stretched their edge to 7-0 at the 12:39 mark of the third period with a shorthanded goal off a breakaway set up by a beautiful stretch pass from Pomerleau up the center of the ice to Ratzlaff for a one-on-one opportunity blocked by Hokies replacement goalie Wyatt Cleveland. However, Ratzlaff got a stick on the rebound and poked it to senior forward Kal Essenmacher in the slot for an authoritative follow-up finish.
Just 40 seconds later, with Virginia Tech still on a power play, Liberty's shutout bid ended when Kam Khazai drilled a shot through traffic in front that slipped past senior goalie CJ Sehlke. The Flames' Division II call-up filled in for Caley to start the third period with junior backup Joe Kuchaslo on injured reserve.
Exactly two and a half minutes after that, Liberty responded by padding its advantage back to seven goals when sophomore forward Seth Wall skated onto perfectly placed fast-break feeds from senior defenseman Michael Adamek and Pomerleau and lifted a point-blank wrist shot over the shoulder of Cleveland into the top-right corner of the net at the 9:29 mark.\
"Seth does a great power forward move, goes in and shows he's got a good set of hands and scores," Handy said. "That line's playing well. Rolston scored one tonight, too. That was a huge goal to open things up there."
Offensively, Liberty outshot Virginia Tech (7-7) by a 61-22 count for the game and Caley made 12 saves in the first two periods with Selke adding nine in the third.
For Homecoming Weekend, Liberty Assistant Coach and Club Sports Assistant Athletic Director of Development Ben Hughes is organizing an alumni game at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the LIC, open to former Flames players and coaches from all three divisions.
Former men's hockey Head Coach Dr. Gary Habermas (1985-94), a member of Liberty's inaugural Club Sports Hall of Fame in 2014, was honored during the game, which featured a retro theme with the Flames sporting jerseys with Liberty's logo from the 1970s, when the university and the hockey program were founded.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video edited by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & MediaOfficials who worked Friday night's game join Liberty and Virginia Tech players and coaches for a post-game prayer huddle.
