Flames shut down Saints’ power play, dictate tempo in 3-1 come-from-behind win

Friday, February 6

Lynchburg, VA

7:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

Maryville University

Flames junior goalie Konrad Kausch collides with Maryville forward Colton McLeod behind defensemen Shane Burns (8) and Luke Anderson (74). (Photos by Grace Greer)

Flames shut down Saints’ power play, dictate tempo in 3-1 come-from-behind win

2/6/2026 11:43:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey

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No. 8 Liberty turned the tables on No. 7 Maryville after losing by the same score in the first game of its showcase near St. Louis in November.

Gallery: (2-6-2026) DI men's hockey vs. Maryville Game 1

Playoff-level hockey with plenty of hard hits and chippy play was on display Friday night at the LaHaye Ice Center, where Liberty University's No. 8-ranked ACHA Division I men's hockey team overcame a 1-0 deficit with the tying goal in the second period and go-ahead and insurance scores in the third for a 3-1 triumph.

"Whenever we play Maryville, they're great competition," said Flames sophomore forward Mac Ratzlaff, who took his share of abuse from the Saints. "They're great opponents. I love the way they play, personally. I love the physicality and the intensity. It's good for us to come out on top in those games. It hurts a little less when you win."

For the Flames (17-8-1), junior goalie Konrad Kausch made a couple clutch saves of point-blank chances by the Saints (11-9-1) in the opening 5:15, smothering the puck near the right post before keeping a one-timed shot from deep in the slot from slipping through the five-hole.

The teams traded power-play opportunities and penalty kills, with junior forward Luke Munroe's putback called back after senior forward Ryan Finch's driving shot and collision with Maryville goalie Lucas Bain caused the cage to be dislodged from its moorings.

Moments later, senior forward and head captain Sam Feamster crashed into Bain, pushing him into the back of the cage, and Ratzlaff was called for goalie interference on the ensuing scrum.

"I play a pretty physical game, a pretty pesky game, and Sam (Feamster) likes to get in there with me, so I think it's good," Ratzlaff said. "Our line brings a lot of compete and a lot of grit, and hopefully, we can deliver some energy to the guys every time we're out there."

However, a turnover on the defensive end proved costly in the final 39 seconds for the Flames as Maryville forward Brett Ursulak pounced on the puck and ripped a shot through the five hole to let the Saints take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

Seconds after a Flames power play expired early in the second period, Kausch stopped a breakaway shot by Maryville's Logan Walker with his blocker before making a spectacular lunging save of Saints leading scorer Maxwell Wagener's one-timer in the left crease.

Moments later, that stop proved pivotal as Ratzlaff intercepted a loose puck near the red line and accelerated past a Maryville defenseman before threading a driving shot past Bain for the equalizer at the 12:21 mark.

"Our guys battled back hard … (and) to me, that was the turning point in the game," Handy said. "It's 1-0, and Konrad makes an unbelievable save, and then a little bit later, we go down and score."
Ratzlaff came back to give Kausch a fist bump after ending the Saints' shutout bid.

"That was a very opportunistic breakaway, and obviously Konrad was so good for us, so I had to go give him a tap afterward because there's no way that goal happens if he's not making big saves like that," he said.

Liberty seized a 2-1 lead with 11:12 remaining in regulation when senior forward Aidan Carney received a fast-break feed from Bronson Hunt off an outlet from twin brother and fellow freshman forward Tanner Hunt. Carney skated through the left circle before beating Bain under the pads.

Less than three minutes later, after Bain stuffed a point-blank shot by Feamster in the right crease, Bronson Hunt set up an insurance score by senior forward Michael DeBrito with a short pass into the slot where he rifled a wrist shot into the back of the net for a 3-1 edge at the 8:34 mark.

"Bronson had two assists: on the game-winning goal and on the (insurance) goal, too," Handy said. "He's a guy who's been working hard and just hasn't seen the results until tonight, when he came up with a couple of great plays for us."

Liberty killed off its fourth penalty moments after that and stifled the Saints down the stretch to turn the tables on them after a 3-1 setback in the first game of the Maryville Showcase on Nov. 21.
For the contest, the Flames outshot the Saints, 32-25, with Kausch making 24 saves for his 10th win of the season.

"We'd like to get the power play going, but our penalty kill was unbelievable tonight," Handy said. "They came up with some huge kills. They were the biggest difference-maker. (Kausch) was great tonight. He stole the game for us. I don't think we had our A game tonight, and Konrad made some big plays for us."

"Our penalty kill was awesome," Ratzlaff added. "To be able to shut them down was huge. Huge for the momentum, even for us to win two games in a row against good teams, it's just good to be playing good hockey at the right time."

He said the Flames need to dictate the tempo from the outset in Saturday's 4 p.m. rematch.

"We need to continue to set the tone and not be responsive," Ratzlaff said. "We can't be reactive. We can't be wondering how the other team's going to play. You're in the LaHaye Ice Center; you know what you're getting. You're getting a fast, physical game, and that's up to us to set that."

He said when they play for one another and for a higher purpose, they achieve greater results.

"When we're playing together, executing our game plan and really just playing for the logo that we wear on the front, when we play for something more than ourselves, we're a really dangerous team to play against," Ratzlaff said. "I don't think there's a team in this league that can beat us. We've proved that the last two games; now it's just about consistency. We build that momentum, and we build that confidence. I think we just took another step in the right direction."

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