Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Junior forward and alternate captain Cora Williams scored 37 goals and distributed 13 assists this past season, leading Liberty to a 23-3 record. (Photo by Travis Clayton)
Williams Liberty’s first ACHA Division II women’s hockey Player of the Year
4/27/2026 6:32:00 PM | Women's D2 Hockey
The junior forward led the Lady Flames and ranked second in the nation in scoring this season, also bringing leadership as an assistant captain.
Liberty University Division II women's hockey junior forward and alternate captain Cora Williams was selected as the Lady Flames' first-ever recipient of the ACHA Division II Player of the Year award, announced on Friday.
"Cora obviously had a great year, a bit of a breakout year with 37 goals and 13 assists," Liberty Assistant Coach Justin Forth said, noting she ranked second in the ACHA Division II with 50 points. "She made a huge impact on our success and is an important piece of our entire team. She leads the offense, so it was really nice to see her get rewarded for her individual accomplishments when she is such a good team player. It was well deserved, for sure."
Williams said the biggest difference in her game this season was the level of confidence she brought onto the ice and her role on the team. The Lady Flames finished with a 23-3 record and first-ever DVCHC Tournament crown after narrowly missing a Final Four bid with a 2-1 showing in pool play at last month's ACHA DII National Championships near St. Louis.
"My teammates pushed me in more ways than one this year on and off the ice, and I give them all the credit," she said. "My linemates pushed me to be a better winger and helped my confidence grow so much throughout the season. Both (Head) Coach (Rena) Leone and Coach Forth pushed me to be a better hockey player by encouraging me not to settle and to work harder to reach my full potential."
Williams said the team's transformation over the past three seasons has kept her striving to raise the bar personally and for her teammates.
"I have seen this team grow so much from my freshman year until now all because of how much hard work the coaches put into our team and our players as individuals," she said.
Forth said Williams' versatility makes her an especially valuable player to the Lady Flames.
"She does a lot for us, playing 5-on-5 as well as on the power play and penalty kill units," he said. "She's dangerous, and every time she's on the ice, she can make things happen."
He even challenged her to raise her goal total to 50 in the 2026-27 season.
"She probably hit 25 posts this year, so if half of those 25 had gone in, she would have been right at it," Forth said.
"I definitely have my work cut out for me with Coach Forth's high expectations," Williams added. "I love that my coaches push me to be a better player each year, and I am happy to work at this goal during the upcoming season."
Mostly, she is focused on completing her B.S. in Exercise Science: Therapeutic Science and leading the Lady Flames back to nationals before possibly pursuing a master's degree in prosthetics and orthodics..
"I am super excited to be back in the fall with this team and hopefully get another opportunity to compete in the National Championships," Williams said. "It means so much to us to represent Liberty by competing in the tournament.."
She said the foundation is in place for the Lady Flames to defend their DVCHC title and return to St. Louis with even more confidence, faith, and hope-filled expectations for what the incoming class of recruits will contribute.
"We have a solid line with returning players who are going to bring in experience and leadership for the team and also have a solid group of recruits who are going to add depth and competition to our play," Wiliams said. "All of these components are going to help us strive towards that goal of making it out of pool play at nationals, and I think we have a really good chance this year."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
"Cora obviously had a great year, a bit of a breakout year with 37 goals and 13 assists," Liberty Assistant Coach Justin Forth said, noting she ranked second in the ACHA Division II with 50 points. "She made a huge impact on our success and is an important piece of our entire team. She leads the offense, so it was really nice to see her get rewarded for her individual accomplishments when she is such a good team player. It was well deserved, for sure."
Williams said the biggest difference in her game this season was the level of confidence she brought onto the ice and her role on the team. The Lady Flames finished with a 23-3 record and first-ever DVCHC Tournament crown after narrowly missing a Final Four bid with a 2-1 showing in pool play at last month's ACHA DII National Championships near St. Louis.
"My teammates pushed me in more ways than one this year on and off the ice, and I give them all the credit," she said. "My linemates pushed me to be a better winger and helped my confidence grow so much throughout the season. Both (Head) Coach (Rena) Leone and Coach Forth pushed me to be a better hockey player by encouraging me not to settle and to work harder to reach my full potential."
Williams said the team's transformation over the past three seasons has kept her striving to raise the bar personally and for her teammates."I have seen this team grow so much from my freshman year until now all because of how much hard work the coaches put into our team and our players as individuals," she said.
Forth said Williams' versatility makes her an especially valuable player to the Lady Flames.
"She does a lot for us, playing 5-on-5 as well as on the power play and penalty kill units," he said. "She's dangerous, and every time she's on the ice, she can make things happen."
He even challenged her to raise her goal total to 50 in the 2026-27 season.
"She probably hit 25 posts this year, so if half of those 25 had gone in, she would have been right at it," Forth said.
"I definitely have my work cut out for me with Coach Forth's high expectations," Williams added. "I love that my coaches push me to be a better player each year, and I am happy to work at this goal during the upcoming season."
Mostly, she is focused on completing her B.S. in Exercise Science: Therapeutic Science and leading the Lady Flames back to nationals before possibly pursuing a master's degree in prosthetics and orthodics..
"I am super excited to be back in the fall with this team and hopefully get another opportunity to compete in the National Championships," Williams said. "It means so much to us to represent Liberty by competing in the tournament.."
She said the foundation is in place for the Lady Flames to defend their DVCHC title and return to St. Louis with even more confidence, faith, and hope-filled expectations for what the incoming class of recruits will contribute.
"We have a solid line with returning players who are going to bring in experience and leadership for the team and also have a solid group of recruits who are going to add depth and competition to our play," Wiliams said. "All of these components are going to help us strive towards that goal of making it out of pool play at nationals, and I think we have a really good chance this year."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
Players Mentioned
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