Flames battle back against Bobcats before falling in sudden-death overtime

Friday, February 20

Lynchburg, VA

7:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

Ohio University

Flames junior goalie Konrad Kausch stops an Ohio forward in the crease flanked by junior forward Luke Munroe (left) and freshman defenseman Jentzen Kaebel. (Photos by Ted Allen)

Flames battle back against Bobcats before falling in sudden-death overtime

2/20/2026 11:55:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey

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No. 6-ranked Liberty will look to salvage a split when it honors its seven seniors in Saturday’s rematch against No. 3 rival Ohio.

Gallery: (2-21-2026) DI men's hockey vs. Ohio Game 1

An untimely penalty against Liberty University ACHA Division I men's hockey freshman forward Bronson Hunt — whose third goal of the game sent it into overtime — opened a window for No. 3-ranked Ohio University to escape with a 6-5 sudden-death win in Friday night's series opener at the LaHaye Ice Center.

The Bobcats (27-6), who had tied the No. 6 Flames (19-9-2) on a 5-on-4 power-play goal with 22 seconds to play in the second period, netted the game winner on a 4-on-3 advantage with 19 seconds remaining in the 5:00 extra period.

"It was a good back-and-forth affair for sure," Liberty Head Coach Kirk Handy said after Ohio outshot the Flames, 45-40.

Two goals in 80 seconds after the opening faceoff could have put Liberty on its collective heels for the rest of the contest. Most teams might have thrown in the towel after digging a 3-0 deficit midway through the first period. But the Flames demonstrated their resilient spirit and never-say-die approach, battling back to seize a 4-3 lead late in the second.

"We kind of dug ourselves a big hole," Handy said. "The fun part was that we got a lot of pushback to get right back into the game. I definitely liked our response. We chipped back into it. It wasn't going to happen all at once. We kept grinding back in the game."

Bobcats forward Drake Albers started the scoring 24 seconds into the game with a one-timed shot that beat Liberty junior goalie Konrad Kausch (39 saves) blocker-side off an assist out of the corner from Mathieu Ovaert. Brady Gilbert doubled Ohio's advantage with his first goal of the season by finishing feeds from leading scorer Luc Reeve and Hollander Thompson with a shot from the high slot through two screens in front with 18:40 still to play in the period.

Albers netted his second goal of the period from deep in the slot into the top-left corner at the 9:39 mark, extending Ohio's advantage to 3-0, before the Flames trimmed the deficit to 3-1 on a bang-bang play around the Bobcats' cage.

Senior forward Michael DeBrito worked a give-and-go with freshman forward Bronson Hunt, colliding with two Ohio players in the left crease but somehow managing to dish the puck across the slot to Hunt who had cut behind the cage. The spring semester recruit scored his first goal in a Liberty jersey from deep in the right crease past Bobcats goalie Matt Zazon to put the Flames on the board.

Freshman defenseman Michael Fischer pulled the Flames back within 3-2 with 13:23 left in the second period by recovering the rebound of his own blocked attempt from the right side and ripping a wrist shot into the top-right corner of the cage off assists from sophomore forward Kal Essenmacher and freshman forward Tanner Hunt, another spring recruit.

Junior forward Luke Munroe delivered the equalizer with 8:33 remaining in the second period on a spectacular backhander from deep in the right crease after receiving an outlet pass from junior defenseman Luke Anderson up the right wing and working a beautiful give-and-go pas sequence with senior forward Ryan Finch.

Then, at the 2:45 mark, freshman defenseman Shane Burns, a third spring addition, skated the puck across the high slot into the top of the right circle before launching a shot that Bronson Hunt deflected past Zazon as he provided a moving screen in front.

But with the Bobcats on the power play moments later, Will Cohen punched in a putback from the right crease into the top-right corner of the cage to knot the score at 4-4 just 22 seconds before the second intermission after initial shots from the left side by Nolan Abraham and Albers.

Ohio went back on top by putting away another putback, this time on a fast-break counterattack sparked by Albers and Jack Glen. Kevin Kasper trailed the play down the slot and slammed the rebound of Albers' shot that was blocked by Kausch into the back of the net with 11:28 to play.

The Bobcats maintained their one-goal lead for the next 10 minutes before the Flames manufactured the third tying score of the contest in the clutch. Bronson Hunt completed his hat trick with a phenomenal finish off assists from Munroe and senior defensemen Nick Pomerleau, barely slipping the puck between Zazon's left skate and the right post on a turnaround backhand shot from an incredibly sharp angle on the right side.

"We pulled the goalie and worked hard to find a way to get that goal there," Handy said. "Hunt played well, and (Assistant) Coach Dan (Berthiaume) drew up a good play."

Near misses by Burns and Essenmacher in the five-minute sudden-death overtime put the Flames on the attack. However, they quickly reverted to defensive mode in the final minute of the extra period when Bronson Hunt was issued a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for spearing an Ohio player in apparent retaliation for DeBrito being checked hard to the ice near the left post.

That put the Bobcats on a 4-on-3 advantage before Reeve, who led the ACHA Division I in scoring as a freshman, made the Flames pay for the infraction by rocketing a top-shelf game winner past Kausch from the top of the left circle.

"We knew these games were going to be like this," Handy said. "They're going to be tight all the way. You don't want the game to end on a play like it did, but up until that play, I really liked the way we played."

The Flames will honor head captain Sam Feamster and fellow forwards DeBrito, Finch, and Aidan Carney, as well as defensemen Pomerleau and Connor Diem, and goalie Nick Bernstein on Senior Night, streamed live on ESPN+.

"It's an opportunity for us to get right back in it (on Saturday)," Handy said. "It's our last home game of the year, and we'll be representing a lot of great seniors who have done a lot of great things for our program. We're excited to get back at it tomorrow."

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