No. 1 Lady Flames sweep No. 5 Saints on Keith’s save, Peebles’ game winner in OT

Saturday, February 7

St. Louis, MO

4:00 PM EST

Liberty University Club Sports

Maryville University

Lady Flames graduate defenseman Sammy Peebles skates past a Maryville forward Aleiyah Sutton during the teams' Midnight Mayhem matchup in the LaHaye Ice Center on Nov. 9. (Photo by Ethan Smith)

No. 1 Lady Flames sweep No. 5 Saints on Keith’s save, Peebles’ game winner in OT

2/8/2026 2:20:00 PM | Women's D1 Hockey

In a rematch of last year’s ACHA DI national championship final, Liberty prevailed in a back-and-forth shootout at Maryville.

Sammy Peebles vs. Maryville secondary — Peebles netted the game-winning goal with seven seconds left in the five-minute, sudden-death overtime period on Saturday at Maryville

Liberty University's No. 1-ranked ACHA Division I women's hockey team completed a sweep of No. 5 Maryville (Mo.) University with a wild back-and-forth battle decided in overtime, Saturday at the Maryville University Hockey Center in Chesterfield, Mo.

The Lady Flames, who erased a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Saints, 2-1 in double overtime, for their seventh national championship last March in nearby Maryland Heights, Mo., overcoming a 2-0 deficit to win Friday's first game, 3-2. Then on Saturday, the Liberty (28-0-1) withstood all that Maryville (14-11) had to offer in the rematch, a 4-3 overtime triumph.

"They were two one-goal games that came down to the end and could have gone either way," Liberty Head Coach Chris Lowes said. "It was a really good matchup between two of the top five teams in the country that could be a preview of either a (WMCH) conference matchup for us or a national championship rematch."

Haley Beckett, the leading scorer in ACHA Division I with 34 goals and 15 assists on the season, scored the tying goal with 15 minutes remaining in the second period and had a chance to win the game with a penalty shot in overtime.

But Liberty senior goalie Alex Keith, the top-rated goalie in the nation with a 16-0-1 record and nine shutouts, stood up to the challenge and made the save that allowed graduate defenseman Sammy Peebles to net the game winner. Peebles, who assisted two of the Lady Flames' goals in regulation, launched a shot from the top of the circle on a two-on-one break with seven seconds remaining in the five-minute sudden-death period.

"The overtime was wild, back and forth with chances on both ends, and the game was, too," Lowes said. "Keith made the save on the penalty shot or the game would have been over. There were a couple posts hit by both teams, and it was an offensive shootout. Seven goals are a lot in a women's game."

Liberty started the scoring when sophomore forward Presley Ellis, who netted the game winner in the series opener, finished assists from junior forward Tristan Craig and graduate forward and alternate captain Haley Battles at the 15:41 mark of the first period.

Beckett tied it by beating Keith on a breakaway, and the Saints seized a 2-1 advantage on a goal by Emma Gerwitz with 13:57 to go in the third. Lady Flames graduate forward and alternate captain Zosia Adamek responded quickly to net the equalizer off an assist from Peebles with 12:13 remaining in regulation.

Sophomore forward Brooke Olson put Liberty up 3-2 by finishing a putback of a shot by Battles off a secondary assist from Peebles with 8:50 left before Bre-Ann Windross tied it at 3 with 6:07 to go, forcing overtime.

"It was a back-and-forth game, and I was proud of way the team battled through it," Lowes said. "Keith played two great games, and I was really happy with the trip and what we saw. It was a real good tune-up for playoffs."

The Lady Flames will host 2024 national champion Adrian (Mich.) College on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 4:30 p.m., their Senior Night, before flying to Fremont, Neb., to compete in the WMCH Tournament hosted by Midland University from Feb. 19-21.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer