Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Lady Flames ninth-year Head Coach Chris Lowes is framed by Assistant Coach Mike Morrison on the bench. (Photo by Brooke McDuffee)
Lowes named ACHA DI women’s hockey Coach of the Year
4/24/2026 6:15:00 PM | Women's D1 Hockey
He guided the Lady Flames to a 36-0-2 record and an eighth national tournament final in nine seasons.
For the fourth time in his nine seasons at the helm, Liberty University ACHA Division I women's hockey Head Coach Chris Lowes was selected as the league's Coach of the Year. During his tenure, the Lady Flames have won six of their seven national championships. Lowes received the award this season based on the team's 33-0-1 record going into the national tournament played near St. Louis.
"It's a huge honor," said Lowes, who took the head coaching role from Paul Bloomfield after serving in the same capacity with the Flames' DII men's hockey team for nine seasons. "It says a lot about the season that we had and the team that we had. As a coach, it's a bit of a staff award and a team award. I'm just one of the few who helped lead our program. I am honored to accept it on behalf of our coaching staff and our support staff.
Liberty, ranked No. 1 for the majority of the season, won its first three games in this year's nationals by shutout before falling in triple overtime to No. 2-ranked Midland (Neb.) University to finish 36-0-2.
"It was a great year, and there were a lot of special moments and memories on and off the ice," Lowes said. "I really liked the group, the chemistry we had, the leadership. Everything came together to make it a really rewarding year as a coach. It was a really special group, and different people stepped up when we needed them to."
He said the Lady Flames, who outscored opponents 180-31 this season, never showed complacency as they battled through the regular season and the playoffs.
"We had pretty steady progress throughout the year," Lowes said. "We had a loss at end of the semester and a loss at end of nationals, but we were playing best hockey at end of the year. There is a lot to be thankful for and a lot to be proud of our girls for."
In late February, the Lady Flames defeated the Warriors on their home ice to win the WMCH tournament for the fifth time in six seasons. They also capped off their only undefeated season in 2021-22 with a 5-1 triumph over Midland in the final near St. Louis, improving to 10-0 all-time against the Warriors.
With the number of top-level players Liberty will graduate in May, Lowes faces one of his most challenging rebuilds since becoming head coach.
"We are losing some big names and a big group, including our captains (graduate forwards Haley) Battles, (Brielle) Fussy, (Zosia) Adaek, (graduate defenseman Sammy) Peebles, (and senior goalie Alex Keith), and add in (graduate transfers Allison) Shaw and (Isobel) Pettem-Shand, and that is a lot to replace," Lowe said. "It was a really talented roster, a really veteran team, but I am excited to see our returners step into bigger roles."
He said the goal is not only to recapture the ACHA DI national championship trophy next season, but to maintain the spiritual culture of the program on a solid foundation of faith and to continue Training Champions for Christ.
"We've got a really good recruiting class coming together," Lowes said. "In building that next group and putting that roster together, we're not only interested in finding good hockey players, but the right kids to fit the program. If we want to win a title, we've got to have a locker room that believes in each other and supports each other, and the faith component is always a big part of our program."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
"It's a huge honor," said Lowes, who took the head coaching role from Paul Bloomfield after serving in the same capacity with the Flames' DII men's hockey team for nine seasons. "It says a lot about the season that we had and the team that we had. As a coach, it's a bit of a staff award and a team award. I'm just one of the few who helped lead our program. I am honored to accept it on behalf of our coaching staff and our support staff.
Liberty, ranked No. 1 for the majority of the season, won its first three games in this year's nationals by shutout before falling in triple overtime to No. 2-ranked Midland (Neb.) University to finish 36-0-2."It was a great year, and there were a lot of special moments and memories on and off the ice," Lowes said. "I really liked the group, the chemistry we had, the leadership. Everything came together to make it a really rewarding year as a coach. It was a really special group, and different people stepped up when we needed them to."
He said the Lady Flames, who outscored opponents 180-31 this season, never showed complacency as they battled through the regular season and the playoffs.
"We had pretty steady progress throughout the year," Lowes said. "We had a loss at end of the semester and a loss at end of nationals, but we were playing best hockey at end of the year. There is a lot to be thankful for and a lot to be proud of our girls for."
In late February, the Lady Flames defeated the Warriors on their home ice to win the WMCH tournament for the fifth time in six seasons. They also capped off their only undefeated season in 2021-22 with a 5-1 triumph over Midland in the final near St. Louis, improving to 10-0 all-time against the Warriors.
With the number of top-level players Liberty will graduate in May, Lowes faces one of his most challenging rebuilds since becoming head coach.
"We are losing some big names and a big group, including our captains (graduate forwards Haley) Battles, (Brielle) Fussy, (Zosia) Adaek, (graduate defenseman Sammy) Peebles, (and senior goalie Alex Keith), and add in (graduate transfers Allison) Shaw and (Isobel) Pettem-Shand, and that is a lot to replace," Lowe said. "It was a really talented roster, a really veteran team, but I am excited to see our returners step into bigger roles."
He said the goal is not only to recapture the ACHA DI national championship trophy next season, but to maintain the spiritual culture of the program on a solid foundation of faith and to continue Training Champions for Christ.
"We've got a really good recruiting class coming together," Lowes said. "In building that next group and putting that roster together, we're not only interested in finding good hockey players, but the right kids to fit the program. If we want to win a title, we've got to have a locker room that believes in each other and supports each other, and the faith component is always a big part of our program."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
Rock the Rink Podcast: March 31 - Nationals Recap
Friday, April 17
Liberty WD1 Hockey vs Michigan-Dearborn 2026 National Semi-Final Highlights
Tuesday, March 24
Liberty WD1 Hockey 2026 Nationals Pool Play Highlights
Tuesday, March 24
Rock the Rink Podcast: March 3 - Nationals Preview
Friday, March 06